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!

Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from your friends at Wallflower — Laura, Scott, and our seasonal "mascot" Bailey.

Sweet Home Tacoma

While we love photographing weddings in places we've never been, sometimes it's even more enjoyable to shoot weddings that are practically in our own backyard. Hannah and Gordon's wedding last month definitely fit the bill, with their ceremony at First Congregrational Church in Tacoma, just a few blocks from our studio, and their reception downtown at The Vault.

Hannah and Gordon got ready at the church, and stayed hidden away from each other until their big moment walking down the aisle. I love Scott's shot of Hannah peeking around the corner waiting for her turn during the processional, with her dad "standing guard" above!

First Congregational is a beautiful, historic Tacoma church. During the ceremony we were able to get some stunning overviews both from behind the pews and from the balcony above that show off the church's soaring architecture.

After the ceremony, Gordon's super-cute daughter Alohi joined us in the side chapel for a little comic relief and veil assistance before we started in on the formal portraits.

We definitely made good use of the church for wedding party and family portraits ...

... before enjoying one of fall's last days with Hannah and Gordon at Wright Park across the street.

Down at The Vault, the reception was under way. We've been to a lot of weddings where the kids all crowd around in awe of the cake, but I have to say this is the first one we've been to where the main attraction seemed to be the meat! Scott and I couldn't resist taking a photo of these little girls all smiling down at the roast.

After dinner, Hannah and Gordon shared a first dance and some time on the dance floor with their families too ...

... before the party really got started! The vibe on the dance floor was definitely a lively one, and the wedding featured another first for us: a celebratory surprise hazing of the bride and groom with good ol' Silly String.

Congratulations Hannah and Gordon. We're looking forward to seeing you soon.

Fall Color, Revisited

Now that only the most stubborn trees are hanging onto their leaves, it seems a nice time to post more photos of those terrific fall colors and sunshine we enjoyed a few short weeks ago. These shots feature our Five Mile engagement portrait tour with Melissa and Kevin at Point Defiance (obviously).

Melissa and Kevin, here's hoping that the weather will be just as lovely this summer at your Thornewood Castle wedding!

Hip and Hilarious at the Pan-Pacific Hotel

On the first day of November, we enjoyed photographing our second O'Donnell family wedding, this one featuring Ali's younger sister Christi and her fiance Gavin at the Pan-Pacific Hotel in Seattle. This place is fab! It really manages to take a modern, urban design style and make it feel cozy, with zebra-wood wall panels, warm tones, and comfy furnishings. It was a great choice for this fun, outgoing couple and their exuberant friends!

Christi got ready in her hotel room upstairs with mom Marcie while Gavin and the rest of the wedding party rehearsed for the ceremony.


The couple rented the entire second story of the hotel to ensure smooth transitions between the ceremony, dinner, and reception party. The ceremony blended American and Asian traditions, the latter of which included bell-ringing and a saki ceremony.


Then, while the guests headed off to the dining room for cocktails, we took Christi and Gavin down to the lobby area for some fantastic portraits! Giddy and rambunctious as can be, these two definitely know how to strike a pose, and we had a great time taking shots of them with this awesome staircase ...


... and this wild painting!



After dinner and a series of toasts roasts of Gavin, the party moved back into the ceremony room, where a karaoke machine awaited, and we were treated to some impressive performances, including a surprisingly adept version of The Real Slim Shady. Eminem's not an easy cover, folks!




Congrats Christi and Gavin, and thanks for a most entertaining evening at a really cool venue!