Stairway to Heaven at the Pt. D. Pagoda

Regular followers of the Wallflower blog will remember the engagement portrait session we did with Mindy and Sean and their two cute Chihuahuas in Point Defiance back in February. Well, their knot is now tied!

Mindy and Sean held their wedding and reception at the Japanese Pagoda in Point Defiance, where we've shot more weddings than any other venue. They set up their ceremony in the same unique way that our close friends Hannah and Mike pioneered a few years back. Instead of holding their ceremony on the adjacent lawn as most people do, they swapped rings and vows at the bottom of the grand staircase facing the lower gardens. A row of chairs at the bottom provided MVP seating, while the majority of guests simply stood on the stairs. It's such an easy setup, and it provides a much nicer backdrop than the lawn does. See for yourself:







This arrangement makes it really easy for us to get a photo of all attendees. This kind of shot can really only be accomplished easily when everyone is stacked on stairs or risers, or when we can shoot down from a balcony.


After a quick portrait session in the lower gardens ...



... we headed indoors for the reception, where a quartet dropped by to sing a few hits a cappella.



The lovely cake was from Celebrity Cake Studio, Tacoma's finest, and the custom cake topper was made by The Younique Boutique based on photos of the bride and groom.




Congrats again to Mindy and Sean!