It started as a bold act of protest.
Julia Raymond, 61, from Portland, Oregon, had spent decades fighting for the forests — chaining herself to bulldozers, organizing tree-planting drives, and writing letters to politicians who never wrote back. But nothing she did seemed to make headlines.
Until the day she put on a secondhand wedding dress… and married a tree.
Yes, a real tree.
An ancient cedar in her favorite grove, with a wide trunk, soft bark, and branches that stretched like arms toward the sky. “If the government won’t protect the forest,” she told a small crowd of friends, “then maybe it needs a little love.”
It Wasn’t Just a Stunt
Julia meant every vow. She even kissed the bark gently and placed a ring — made of recycled copper — on one of the low-hanging branches.
The ceremony went viral.
Photos of the barefoot bride in the woods flooded social media. Environmentalists cheered. Late-night hosts joked. But for Julia, it wasn’t about attention. “I’ve loved this forest longer than I’ve loved any man,” she said. “And this tree… has never let me down.”
But what happened after the wedding?
That’s where things got strange.
A Storm. A Crash. A Broken Heart?
Later that night, as Julia camped beside her new “husband,” the skies opened. Wind howled. Lightning cracked. A massive branch from a nearby (non-groom) pine came crashing down — narrowly missing her tent.
Julia wasn’t hurt. But the old cedar lost a limb.
The very next morning, loggers showed up — part of a scheduled (but contested) clearance. When they saw Julia and the wedding decorations still clinging to the tree, they hesitated. News cameras were back. The “bride” stood between her tree and their machines — veil soaked, eyes fierce.
The crew turned back.
Love That Makes a Difference
In the weeks that followed, Julia’s story sparked a petition. Then a movement. Local lawmakers were forced to revisit the deforestation permits. The forest — and her beloved cedar — got a temporary reprieve.
And as for Julia?
“Well,” she says with a smile, “married life’s been rough. He doesn’t talk much, and he’s a little stiff… but he gives great shade.”