Monday, November 24

A Union at the Station

When it comes to Tacoma wedding venues, Union Station is one of our very favorites. We just love the juxtaposition of historic architecture and modern Chihuly art glass! And as a large, round building, Union Station offers seemingly limitless ways in which you can stage your wedding. Every wedding we shoot there is arranged in a different way, which we love. Seeing each couple's interpretation on the venue is a lot of fun. Kristen and Jason had the benefit of a real pro to coordinate their wedding: our friend Melissa Parker of Amazing Events.

This ceremony was aligned toward one of the front corners, as you can see in the overviews below — the front entrance is just to the right, under the red glass spikes. Their "altar" was flanked by a number of live trees, rented from Christian's Tree Rentals. It looked gorgeous, and Scott and I really worked as a team to cover a wide variety of perspectives on the ceremony from both the upper and lower levels, as you can see! The corner arrangement made it possible for the reception tables to be set up before the ceremony, making the transition quick and painless.

After the ceremony, we conducted a very quick portrait session with Kristen and Jason and their family while the cocktail hour got rolling around us. We were sure to make good use of the Monarch Window, Basket Mural, and gorgeous exterior of Union Station itself.

Being November, it was quite cold outside! After posing for a few shots with us, Kristen — who had her fair share of pre-wedding jitters — took a much-deserved smoke break! We took this shot through the diamond metalwork that supports an overhang outside the station. This is one of those quick candid moments that happens throughout the wedding day that we really value! I love how during what's an "off moment" you can still see the obvious connection between the two of them.

Back inside, Kristen and Jason treated their guests to a great catered dinner, followed by one of the most impressive dessert bars we have ever seen! Kristen had planned great details throughout the wedding and the dessert bar itself had a wide variety of well-thought-out and personalized treats for sampling.

Kristen and Jason wrapped up the evening with a romantic last dance and then jetted off on their honeymoon in an antique car.

Congrats, Kristen and Jason!

Friday, November 21

Cold, Clear, and Colorful!

Once fall starts, we often find ourselves trekking through the local parks with a wide range of portrait clients — everyone from families looking for holiday gifts to couples who are getting to know us better in advance of their weddings next summer.

This fall was an especially busy one for us, and we were thrilled to be blessed with perfect timing with both stunning fall color and good weather! This couldn't have been more true on the day of Chris and Helen's engagement session at the end of October. The day was a gorgeous one right from the start — but clear skies also meant very cold temperatures! Helen and Chris were troopers during our early-morning session, even though I felt slightly guilty over being bundled up in long johns and layers while they posed for us in nothing but jeans and light tops.

They even bravely went barefoot on the beach!

Their engagement session was a perfect example of our Five Mile portrait tour, spanning from the colorful Japanese Garden (where the fall leaves were absolutely amazing) to rocky Owen Beach and on to the train tracks and rusty machinery at Camp Six.

We had such a great time getting to know this sweet couple better and are really looking forward to their wedding at the Museum of Glass next summer. Helen and Chris, the time will fly and we'll be there with you sooner than you know!

Friday, November 7

Sun and Laughter

What a difference a week makes! Unlike Kelly and Michael's wedding just seven days before (see our post below), Kristen and Troy had a gorgeous, sunny late September day for their wedding at the Clise Mansion in Redmond.

Both Kristen and Troy were very sweet, laid back, and fun to work with, as were the couple's two young boys, Noah and Sam.

Troy's uncle conducted the ceremony on the mansion's lawn under brilliant blue skies and a surprisingly hot sun.

After the ceremony, we took the couple on a quick tour of the mansion grounds, which offered us a wide range of backdrops for their portraits ...

... and then we joined the cocktail hour and eventually dinner inside the historic home.

One of the unique characteristics of Clise Mansion is the great brick courtyard that's nestled outside of the home, and that's where the party returned for a few toasts and Kristen and Troy's first dance before the lively group dancing ensued.

The highlight of the night — well, for us at least — was Troy and his brother's hilarious lip-sync-and-dance performance to "Love Shack" (one of Scott's favorite reception songs, by the way). Honestly, Troy, I don't think I'd seen anything half as funny at a wedding all summer. I was laughing so hard I was worried all my photos would have camera shake! (Luckily, they don't.) Thanks for the great entertainment (even if it was technically for your guests) ... we couldn't think of a better way for our evening to end!

Congratulations to you both and we can't wait to see you again soon.