Deja vu, plus the end of an era

Just before Christmas, we joined Morgen and John at First Congregational Church in Tacoma for their ceremony and then headed to The Vault for their reception. If this sounds familiar to you, it should! It's rare that we photograph consecutive weddings in the same location, so imagine our surprise when we realized that our last two weddings of the year were going to be held not only at the same church, but also at the same reception venue!

You might think this meant the same ol'-same ol' for us, but you'd be wrong. Having these weddings so close together just brought the uniqueness of each couple to the forefront, and encouraged us to be more creative than ever.

Since they live in New York City and have a fondness for the bustle and energy of cities in general, Morgen and John decided that they wanted to take some portraits in downtown Tacoma. We budgeted extra time to scoot down to the museum district before the ceremony and, as you can see, it was totally worth it (despite being freezing cold)! We love working with the gorgeous architecture of the Washington State History Museum and Museum of Glass.

I love the expression on Morgen's face during her first peek into the sanctuary as she prepares for her walk down the aisle (you can click on any image to see it larger):

The church was possibly even more gorgeous than usual, thanks to Morgen and John's tasteful holiday-themed decorations.

Dusk was falling as Morgen and John stepped out of the church. We really love the deep, rich colors of this photo.

Morgen and John's reception helped to mark the end of an era — it was one of the last weddings to be held at The Vault's location on Pacific Avenue. The great crew over at The Vault, led by owner Marnie Jackson, are headed over to their club-like new space, just up the hill. Morgen and John's wedding provided the opportunity for a festive send off to their old digs!

The happy couple carried their Christmas decorations over into the reception, too, complete with a cool pinecone cake topper on a very sophisticated yet simple cake. I may be wrong but I think it was cheesecake, an excellent choice if you ask me! (We chose the same for our own wedding).

Congratulations, Morgen and John. Your wedding was absolutely beautiful!