Laurel McConnell Photography » Announcements, Products, & Chat

They’re from Oregon. He lives in India. She lives in Seattle. They are high school sweethearts.

They adore indie movies. In fact, that’s all they used to do together when they were in college studying economics and marketing.

He flew hours and hours across the globe, in cahoots with his soon-to-be mother in law to plan this day, this moment.

Yesterday was a gorgeous sunny March afternoon, and it was perfect for Anay to ask Ruchi to be his main squeeze, officially.

Congratulations, you two! Anay, I am so so glad that you forgot your camera and had to ask me to come along instead. So so glad!! :)

Over the last few years, I’ve loved stopping in and experiencing some of the fantastic eye candy on one of the wedding industries most illustrious style blogs, Style Me Pretty.

I’ve been fortunate enough  to work with some of their favorite, hand picked vendors in the past, who had submitted images from our weddings together. Last year, I was more than delighted to find out that Style Me Pretty had featured two of our favorite celebrations! I had hoped that someday I would have the opportunity to be part of their community, but since they were full in the photography category, not to mention that each of their vendors were hand picked and went through a scrutinous vetting process, I filed it away in the “yeah right” category of my mind and went about my business.

Last week I got a call- apparently someone had been watching my work and keeping tabs on me. They were officially inviting me into their Little Black Book : The Best Wedding Vendors community!! I am so excited for this opportunity- they’ve got some fantastic things going on over there and some wonderful new profile features and opportunities due to roll out over the next few weeks. I can’t wait to get my profile fully built, they even integrate our blog and social media links!! NO WAY! It’s like our own little website on THEIR website!

If you’re a bride, check em out. There are inspiration boards galore and inspiration galleries if you need help finding a cool accessory or favor idea, not to mention their new Inspiration To Reality concept shoots (ooooh, that’s what IIIII want to shoot! Simply SCRUMPTIOUS.).

If you’re a photographer, planner, designer, etc, check out Abby’s wedding business blog, Backstage, for some fun stories, interesting reads, and what she’s found helpful in running her businesses!

Happy birthday to me, yeah? :)

We got to shoot some amazing celebrations this summer, and now that January has hit we’re finally able to get back to blogging them!  Here’s one of our favorites; a modern and stylish affair at one of Seattle’s favorite spaces, the Seattle Art Museum’s Olympic Sculpture Park. I was so excited to see how all of the details that Shannon (one of Seattle’s most FABULOUS event designers!), Caitlin, and Dan planned would come together.

All I knew before the wedding were four words Shannon had mentioned to me in our planning meetings: Yellow, White, Grey, and YUM.

Who doesn’t love a candy bar filled with enough sugar (in vintage candy style, no less!) to pucker even the advanced connoisseur?

A photobooth doubled as entertainment, a takeaway for the guests, and guests were encouraged to place one of their favorites in the guestbook.

Venue: Olympic Sculpture Park

Event Planning and Design: Shannon Lassen of Sublime Events

Photography: Laurel McConnell Photography, assisted by the lovely and ever-so-hard-working Amy Kiel

Wedding Couture: Watters and Watters, Joseph Abboud, and Vera Wang

Hair and Makeup: Fredericks Salon, Sequoia Leopold of My Flawless Tan

Catering: Taste

Cake: Starry Nights

Cake Stand: Clara French

Floral: Elements in Bloom

Decor: La Tavola, Rented Elegance

Invitations and Programs: Brown Sugar Designs

Music: Salon du Swing

Photobooth: Photobooth Services

Boy did Joey have Lauren fooled. He had her convinced that he “wasn’t the marrying type.”  In fact, just the other day when he had called her parents to ask for their blessings, Lauren’s mom confessed that Lauren had confided, ” Mom, I’ve graduated college and now I have a Big Girl Job. What more do I have to do to get him to marry me?”

That was precisely when he knew his timing was right for a surprise proposal on their Christmas vacation to Seattle.

Joey calls me for a little help, and at just the right moment, off Lily and I went with 4 dozen rose petals to one of Seattle’s most iconic locations: Post Alley in Pike’s Place Market. It was one of the wettest days of the month, no doubt!

Among raindrops and fellow vacationers, down on one knee he went.  And the rest is history. This is definitely ONE New Year’s Eve to remember!

Congratulations, you two! Lily and I are so glad to have been there for such a great moment in your lives and love telling your story!