A Rainy Day Takes a Bow

When you choose an August date for your wedding, you don't expect a downpour, even in rain-prone Seattle. But that's exactly what happened to Wendy and Chase a few weeks ago. Before the skies opened up, we were able to squeeze in a photo session with Chase and his bevy of groomsmen and ushers, including the first shot below.

Fortunately, the ceremony was indoors at Trinity Parish, which is one of the most beautiful historic churches in Seattle — as well as one of the most restrictive for photographers. We weren't allowed past the back row of pews (about 100 feet back) for the entire 75-minute ceremony, which made for a humorous sort of dance between the two of us and the two videographers as we all shuffled around at the back of the church. However, thanks to our beloved telephoto lenses and Scott's rare use of a 2x extender, we were still able to zoom in on the action and cover a variety of perspectives on the ceremony. The photos below really show off our positioning and our zoom capabilities — and the beauty of the church!

The rain stopped during the ceremony, allowing us to make use of the outdoor courtyard at Trinity for some portraits. We were really drawn by the amazing red doors, where we got some fun photos ...

... but our favorite shots came after we spotted this amazing rainbow! It was the perfect silver lining to those earlier showers.

Laura rode along in the limo when Wendy and Chase headed off to their reception at the Bellevue Red Lion, and this is our favorite of those shots, with Smith Tower visible out the window.

Reception entertainment was provided by Grüvbox, a really amazing cover band who played all our favorite funk and disco tunes and really got the crowd dancing.

Some of Chase's family took over for the band for a song, and did a pretty impressive job themselves!

Congrats again to Wendy and Chase!

Idyllic Wedding at Museum of Glass

Have we mentioned recently how much we love photographing at Tacoma's Museum of Glass? Well, Christina and Matt's wedding there only managed to make us love it more. The weather was (mostly) perfect, the bride and groom were all smiles, and we were in photographers' heaven!

Christina and Matt got ready at the Hotel Murano, Tacoma's glass-themed luxury hotel. It was actually our first time walking through the doors, and the transformation from the old, outdated Sheraton is amazing! We ended up doing some portraits right there (the photos above are in front of Orizon, a 104-foot-tall sculpture attached to the hotel's exterior). Then we led the wedding party on a short walk to the Link light rail station, where we hopped on a streetcar for a ride to the museum.

Once at the museum, we conducted a quick portrait session, which included these great photos in front of the Hotshop Cone with the wedding party ...

... and these two of Christina and Matt on the Bridge of Glass:

The ceremony was one of our most beautiful all year, with the Thea Foss waterway serving as the primary backdrop. Dozens of potted evergreens from Christian's Plant and Tree Rental really enhanced the concrete landing on which the ceremony took place.

Christina and Matt included a sand-pouring ceremony, which is a great alternative to the unity candle, especially outside where wind can be a problem. As you can see below, the two colors intertwine in a unique pattern symbolic of their two personalities joining in marriage, and the result is something beautiful they can display in their home.

The reception was held in the main lobby of the museum, a large room with lofty ceilings that was decorated with glass art and more potted plants. We especially liked the placement of the cake in front of a colorful glass mural.

Congrats again, Christina and Matt!

Kristin and Chris at Tazer Valley Farm

Eye candy for photographers! There was lots of it at Kristin and Chris' wedding at Tazer Valley Farm. First, there was their unusually hairy wedding party — and I mean that in the best sense possible! In addition to Kristin's sister as maid of honor and Chris' brother as best man, their wedding party included Perdy and Ansel, the couple's two dogs. Kristin is a veterinarian, so it seemed more than natural that their wedding party was sporting a few additional legs. We too love dogs — and taking photos of dogs — so their portrait session was extra fun!

We also enjoyed working with the parasols they had rented for the day, getting some great photos with the parasols backlit against the bright blue sky. This one of Kristin and Chris is one of my favorites because it perfectly captures the airy, laid-back feeling of the day.

Tazer Valley Farm was a new location for us, which in itself made for a fun day with lots of experimentation. The farm is located well north of Seattle in Stanwood, and it felt like we were in our own little world on the property. Kristin and Chris were considerate enough to charter a bus for bringing all of their guests in from Seattle, so no one had to worry about directions or tipsy drives back home!

Perfectly fitting for the location was Kristin's entrance into the ceremony on a horse-drawn carriage, which also provided the couple's getaway right after the first kiss.

The reception featured grilled salmon (our favorite!) and corn on the cob, and every table featured a children's book; seating assignments were determined by book, so guests were assigned to the table with "Where the Wild Things Are" or "Charlotte's Web" — or, showing their humorous side, "Everyone Poops" — and instructed to write messages in their book in lieu of a guest book. What a great idea and a fun keepsake for them in the years to come!

Congrats, Kristin and Chris!

The results are in!

The winners have been announced from the WedComp international photo competition, and we have some great news! Scott was awarded 2nd place in the Reception category with this great cake-smashing shot from Heidi and Chuck's wedding this June. Click on the image below to see it larger and read the judge's comments.

The top 25 scoring photos for each category were listed, and we were thrilled to see that we had six other photos place. In addition to his 2nd-place Reception image, Scott placed 18th in the same category with one of our all-time favorites when it comes to DJ lights during a first dance, and 6th in Ceremony with a high-five between the groom and his best man during the first kiss.

Not to be outdone, Laura placed four of the five images she submitted: an 11th place win in the Getting Ready category for her image of a pre-ceremony bridal snack (a shot we have affectionately nicknamed "Chomp"), and three in the Ceremony category (14th, 19th, and 25th) with the assortment of images shown below. It's fun to see that in an international competition, together we created almost 20% of the winning images in the Ceremony category!

You can check out the rest of the winning entries here.

Rachel and Tom in Gig Harbor

We joined Rachel and Tom for their wedding a couple of weeks back at Kensington Gardens, a wedding venue that just opened in Gig Harbor last year. It was fun for us to explore a new spot, and the building is beautiful! We were especially impressed with the balcony, which made it possible for us to get these great portraits of the two of them. The three photos below are also a great example of how we can work together — one on the inside of the building, one on the outside — to get a full range of looks in just a short amount of time.

Rachel and Tom are dog lovers, like us, and had a great idea for their reception: donating to the local humane society on behalf of their guests instead of buying individual favors. To tell guests about the generous donation, they hung cards on each chair featuring various photos from their fun engagement shoot with us this spring, which included their two adorable boxers.

The inside of Kensington Gardens is just as classy as the outside, with a large ballroom perfect for both a romantic first dance and the festive burst of group dancing that followed.

Rachel, Tom and friends put a shout-out to a friend who is currently serving in Iraq and couldn't make it to the wedding. Rachel herself served two tours in Iraq, so I'm sure she knows how much a thoughtful and fun photo from home can mean!