A New Year, A New Venue, An Old Friend

We didn't have to wait long for our first wedding of 2009 — 3 days, to be exact. And what a fabulous wedding it was!

Coincidentally, Laura knows the bride, Christine, from their childhoods in Northern California, and we photographed the wedding of one of Lawrence's "groomswomen" a few years ago.

Christine and Lawrence chose The Sanctuary at Admiral for their wedding and reception, a fabulously restored 80-year-old building that was recently voted "Best New Reception Site for 2008" in Seattle Bride magazine. The foyer is very wide, shallow, tall and red ...

... and features an elephant that Christine was brave enough to climb onto!

The amazing stage in the Grand Room, with diamond walls and starry ceiling, is our favorite feature at this venue, and an old wooden store sign made for some fun photos, too.


I love how both of the ceremony photos below show off the symmetry of the Grand Room, where the ceremony took place. The dads on each side of the aisle really make that first photo.

After the ceremony, I went off with the guys to take a few theme photos envisioned by Lawrence, all to great effect. These shots show off the Reservoir Dogs theme, followed by Cheesy '80s Sitcom Ending. If you look closely or click on the images to see them larger, you'll also spot the skull-topped canes that Lawrence's attendants sported – a really cool look that we've never encountered before.

The cocktail hour took place in the entry room while the staff flipped the Grand Room, and then everyone filed back through the twin doors to dine.

The lighting was very dim — I know all the guests had a really hard time getting good photos — but that gave us some beautiful mood lighting during Christine and Lawrence's first dance. Conditions were also perfect for rear-sync shutter effects, which you can see here in one of our favorite shots. This tricky technique combines a long shutter with a flash burst to capture both motion blur and sharpness.

This reception featured a twist on the usual bouquet and garter toss rules: Instead of girls clawing for the bouquet and guys diving for the garter (or passively watching it fall at their feet) the roles were reversed. Married men fought over the bouquet to give to their wives, while the women battled for the garter to put on their husband's leg (just kidding). Note the successful bouquet catcher's excellent strategy: Throw elbow at guy next to you, then grab bouquet.

Lawrence and his family are from New Orleans, so of course their reception included a Second Line, where bead-wearing, towel-waving guests follow the umbrella-bearing bride and groom on a weaving path around the venue. Rear-sync flash was again the perfect method for capturing the motion and energy of this traditional "nawleans" event.

Christine and Lawrence, your wedding was an awesome way to kick off 2009! Congrats again!