Real Wedding: Brittney + Brandon

We brought a piece of Maui to Seattle last July for Brittney + Brandon's wedding at the Seattle Tennis Club. How do you ask? Well, when Brandon proposed to Brittney during a vacation to Maui they thought it would be great to get married in Paradise, but ultimately decided to stay close to home and wed in Seattle. Working with this interior designer she had ea beautiful vision for her big day and we were tasked to executing it.

Besides the gorgeous scenic backdrop of Lake Union and the unbelievable warm weather that day, we infused their love of Maui with lush greenery for their ceremony. Love Blooms truly outdid themselves with floral garlands that lined the aisle that were later repurposed down the venue's staircase along with floating candles.

Brittney really thought of all the details including the gold laser cut placecards that greeted guests at their seats to the incredible dessert bar created by the help of a few of her bridesmaids as well as the potted plants that lined the stairwell leading guests down to their ceremony. 

Since it was a long walk down the ceremony site, Love Blooms created another garland that adorned their welcome sign that was hung from a window awning.

After a delicious plated dinner, guests were treated to a beautiful choreographed first dance by our couple followed by the groom's uncle's band The MIx Party Band who had the crowd on their feet until the end of the event.

Vendors
Photographer: Melissa Soule Photography
Wedding Planner: Elegant Affairs
Venue: Seattle Tennis Club
Florist: Love Blooms Wedding & Event Design
Entertainment: The Mix Party Band
Offiicant: Jesse Rice
Wedding Dress: I Do Bridal
Men's Attire: Men's Wearhouse
Dessert: SkifferDoodles
Make-up: KLS Make-up Artistry
Rentals: Sweet Buffet Lady and Alexander Party Rentals
Ceremony Entertaiment: Sol Quartet
 

Real Wedding: Nelly + Mark

Both growing up in Anacortes with a love of water and boating, it was only natural that both of those had to be included in their wedding. Nelly + Mark foundRoche Harbor Resort was the perfect fit to tie the knot. A venue which was the perfect combination of a destination location yet close to where they are from. The best part is their love of boating got to take center stage during their wedding festivities.

I was lucky enough to be introduced to this marvelous couple through the bride's sister (aka Maid of Honor) who happened to be one of my former bridesmaids and recommended us and boy are we glad she did. I knew Nelly and I were going to get along quite nicely when I first visited their home and found that she had transformed her dining room into a wedding design showroom. On the walls she had inspirational photos of all of her ideas and her dining room table housed all of her decor. Secretly I died and went to Heaven.

Nelly brought a lot of incredible design ideas to her weddings and I loved working alongside her to help make that happen. Surprisingly, Facebook came in quite handy during the process. I found a bride who was selling her navy blue and white stripped runners and they were a perfect compliment to her table decor.

When it came to flowers, Shamay of Flowers by Shamay truly captured Nelly's wish of an ombre look of pink and orange flowers in wooden boxes that lined her long tables and also doubled as ceremony decor. Her lush bouquets accented with ribbons completed the look.

In addition to the florals, Nelly enlisted the help of her mom, Mark and other family and friend to complete some of her decor from drift wood candle holders, branch rings that hung form the ceiling to the driftwood seating chart and signage.

As for boating, after the bride and groom said their I Dos they along with their bridal party and the bride's father, who served as captain were whisked away on a boat tour of the harbor before joining their guests with their first dance before enjoying a beautiful meal followed by a night of fun and dancing.

Vendors
Wedding Photographer: Sara Parsons Photography
Wedding Planner: Elegant Affairs
Venue: Roche Harbor Resort
Florist: Flowers by Shamay
DJ: Dubreezy Entertainment
Cake:  Wedding Cakes by Daniel Van Hamersfeld
Musician: Pasquale Santos
Hair + Make-up: Afterglow Spa
Wedding Dress: I Do Bridal
Wedding Shoes: Valentino
Bridesmaid Dresses: Asos
Groom + Groomsmen Attire: Men's Wearhouse
Lighting: Slava Caireac
Rentals: Skagit Valley Wedding Rentals

To see more photos, visit Sara Parsons Blog, click here!

Real Wedding Wednesday: Whitney + Brad

Rain on your wedding day has often been said is a sign of good luck and that your marriage will last till the end of time and in the case of Whitney + Brad, I couldn't agree more.

In planning their June nuptials at the beautiful Roche Harbor Resort, located on the beautiful San Juan Island, we would have never thought we would see rain, it's June after all. However you never know what to expect when it comes to the weather here in the Pacific Northwest. 

Always having a Plan B and even a Plan C, we arrived on the island on Friday morning and the forecast was showing no rain on wedding day, however we didn't want to take our chances and we were prepared for whatever Mother Nature had in store for us.

Wedding Day came and so did the rain in the morning but we were hopeful that the skies would clear up when it came to say their I Dos. Whitney + Brad lucked out for their first look and their pre-wedding photo session with the amazing photo duo of The Popes.

Prepping for the outdoor ceremony, the skies looked favorable, that is until literally 10 minutes before we were scheduled to start. Mother Nature decided this was the time to make her presence known. If it weren't for our amazing couple this would have been a damper on their plans, but not for Whitney + Brad. When I asked the bride if she wanted to move to the resort's chapel, she waved it off and had the best response ever that I will never forget.

"This is the Pacific Northwest, of course we are going to get married in the rain, this is awesome," she said with a glowing smile and a laugh.

Between the bridesmaids and the resort we were able to secure enough umbrellas for the bridal party and most of the wedding guests.

By far, this ceremony was full of love, laughter and only happy tears. It was the culmination of this couple who first met at their time at the University of Puget Sound. That is where I first met Whitney when I served as her sorority advisor. We stayed in touch over the years only for her to reach out to me literally minutes after she got engaged.

After nearly 18 months of planning, not even the rain would get in the way of this couple's dream wedding.  The best part of the day for me was just seeing Whitney's face light up as she was escorted down the aisle by her father and both her and Brad's expressions during their ceremony, which was performed by a good friend from college. Knowing Whitney for 11 years, this was truly a beautiful moment that I was so lucky and privileged to have been part of.

Sealing their commitment to one another, Mother Nature showed her approval by taking away the rain for the remainder of the day. The umbrellas were closed and guests were treated to an outdoor patio cocktail hour followed by a fun reception.

Even the bride had her own surprise that day with a special groom's cake which perfectly described her new husband's love for skiing.

What we loved most about Whitney + Brad's wedding was how they thought about all of the details and really made the most out of their Tiffany Blue, Navy, Pink and White color palette come to life. For Whitney, who is a buyer at the downtown Seattle Nordstrom she was able to really add those personal details including designing her custom wedding shoes. Along with her love or obsession depending on who you ask with Kate Spade, no detail was left undone.

The best way to wrap up their incredible wedding weekend was seeing them being whisked away by private plane for their mini-moon up to Victoria BC. surrounded by friends and family to see them off and to send their love.

Congrats Whitney + Brad!

To see more incredible images from The Popes, click here!

Vendors
Photographer: The Popes
Wedding Planner: Elegant Affairs
Venue: Roche Harbor Resort
DJ: Brandon Ghorley
Florist: Robin's Nest
Hair + Make-up: Salon Maison
Cakes: Cakes by Feliciations
Officiant: Rahaul Madhavan
Lighting: Slava Caireac
Wedding Dress:Essence of Australia Bellevue Bridal
Bridal Shoes: Shoes of Prey Nordstrom
Bridal Jewelry: Nadri from Nordstrom
Bridesmaid Dresses: Monique Lhuillier from Nordstrom
Bridesmaid Handbags: Rebecca Minkoff from Nordstrom
Groom's + Groomsmen Attire: Nordstrom
Rings: T. Anthony Jewelers
Invitations: Wedidng Paper Divas
Chalkboards: Rachel of Elegant Affairs
Placecards and Table Numbers: marrygrams
Favors: Seattle's Chocolates