Troopers. That’s what I comes to mind when I think of all of my wonderful wedding clients who powered through our engagement and getting to know you shoots this April! If I didn’t know better, I would say that it rained the whole month straight, extra hard when we’d have a shoot scheduled just because some cosmic force thought it would be funny to pour down on all of my clients and I!
Meghan and Kevin are another pair of troopers that I’ve got for clients. Their wedding is set for a {hopefully!} sunny warm afternoon in July, right before the 4th. I’m excited to see what Meghan is planning for us all- I do know that the look and feel will be slightly turn-of-the century, especially with the Skansonia Ferry for the venue. I love the old bar and shiney wood floors, plus the views of downtown are just gorgeous at night!
On the other hand, I think luck may have been on our side- had it been a nice sunny afternoon, we would surely have been spotted by one of Kevin’s students- we shot around the University of Washington where Kevin is a professor (and my old stomping grounds as well!)
Ahhh yes, the joys of shooting during Seattle’s lovely spring weather. The sideways rain, the whipping wind. But we still had a great old time- it was all worth it by the end (and you’ll see why in a second!)
They have two dogs. They’re both super talented doctors- she’s an OBGYN and he’s a pulmonary specialist. They are coincidentally my neighbors (Go Ballard!). So naturally, we romped around our stomping grounds, starting at Golden Gardens, then back up to Ballard for some pics around the ‘hood.
I love interesting wall patterns (what photographer doesn’t…)- a big shiny gold star to the first person (not named Ian or Megan) who can name where this wall is in the comments field!!! You KNOW you know where it is if you’ve had a night out at the hip bars or shopped the boutiques!
Then we headed inside Conor Byrne for a couple of beers to warm up and dry out. Actually, this particular favorite Ballard hangout is unusually special (other than open mic night on Sundays, of course! See everyone there next Sunday at 8, right?!?!): it was the site of their first date. And then right across the street (hence our image of the street corner!) the Tractor Tavern was the site of their proposal-he was too excited to keep his plans to himself and blurted it out during a show (gotta love boys when they do stuff like that!)
Their wedding this summer is going to be so fun and laid back, yet naturally beautiful and elegant- the lovely and talented Michelle Engvall (of Married & More With Michelle) is planning some fun things for the party at the Golden Gardens Bathhouse (but of course! “Go Ballard,” remember?!), complete with an Irish pub band to keep us singing old Irish folk tunes!
If it wasn’t for that one day mid-April where it broke something like 75, I would think that it was still the month of January. I’ve never had so many sessions in a row where we got dumped on and blown over… it really tested our abilities to keep warm and entertained. So thanks, my lovely client-friends, you’re all such troopers!
Erin and Josh were the first of all the sessions. They love West Seattle, and love to collect beach glass. In fact, they’ve got quite a collection at home. So… off we went, walking out at Alki, looking for the elusive blue glass. It rained, it gusted, the sun even peeked out for a split second, too bad it just wasn’t above OUR heads. Despite the windy crazy weather, we still had a great time exploring and walking around!
Can you believe that Erin hasn’t seen Zoolander yet?? Don’t be surprised if you find it as an anonymous gift at your wedding ;)
Hopefully, come July at their wedding, we will have good “weather karma!!” I can’t wait to see how it all unfolds- sounds like we have some fun ceremonies ahead of us! (that’s right… plural…)
Here’s the story as Andrea thinks it is: she’s flying from New York, where she lives, to Seattle, where she grew up, for her mother’s retirement party. Her boyfriend Carlos really wants to go, as he loves loves loves her family, but he just can’t tear himself away from work. So Andrea and her mom are to arrive at 6 at the Columbia Tower in downtown Seattle before the dinner starts. And woah, there’s a photographer there who wants to take her mom’s picture for the newsletter. And then her mom has to go give a quick interview, but none of the family is there yet, so Andrea has to wait in this nice little private dining room to the side while mom is being interviewed and the larger room is being set up. And this weird photographer sure is bossy, trying to keep her in the room by herself… What could be taking the family so long to park the car??!!
Here’s the story as Carlos knows it, and what is really going on: He wants to propose to his girlfriend, who he just thinks is the bees knees. For months, he and her family has been lying like crazy to get Andrea to fly across the country so that he can propose to her in her home town. He flew to Seattle right before she did, nearly running into her at the airport since his flight was delayed, and was lucky enough to be able to stay with Andrea’s sister while taking care of all the final details. He has the whole Columbia Tower staff in on it- there is even a sign at the entrance to the Tower Club that states what ballroom the “United Airlines Retirement Dinner” is in! With months of careful planning, and a whole lotta nervousness, Carlos finally enters the room.
Andrea is quite confused about the whole thing- first to see her boyfriend there. Then, that he’s proposing to her during her mom’s retirement dinner. Then, that there is no retirement dinner and the family really isn’t looking for parking, and finally, that yes, she got all dressed up just for this. There is no dinner, no retirement even. Just a guy asking his girl to marry him, holding a stunning and sparkling marquis diamond ring, what she’s always dreamed of.
Here’s a slide show of the moments leading up to the big one, a mini impromptu engagement session right afterward when they’re still all aglow with happiness, and finally, the brunch with the whole fam the next morning.
Thank you Carlos and Andrea, so so much, for letting me document this incredible moment for you. It was so exciting being in on the big secret and watching the events unfold, especially Andrea’s confusion at it all. And I’ll never forget what you said, Andrea, when Carlos pulled out your ring, “Where DID you get THAT?!”
Because, alas, Andrea does work at Tiffany’s, so she KNOWS rings ;)
