A Look Back | Island Summer Wedding | Roche Harbor Resort

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 found Roche Harbor Resort was the perfect fit to tie the knot. A venue that 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 striped 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 friends to complete some of her decor from driftwood candle holders, branch rings that hung from 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!

Vendor Spotlight: COURTNEY BOWLDEN PHOTOGRAPHY

Tell us about your business.
I am an award-winning international wedding and elopement photographer based in Seattle (I have won 8 years in a row of "The Knot's best of weddings"). I love making couples feel confident and special while getting their photos taken. I use film and digital cameras to create bright, airy, timeless and romantic photos while also capturing candid moments between couples. I love capturing all the little details of every wedding. 

Why did you want to get into the wedding industry?
I love LOVE. I love capturing special moments between people in love and think marriage is such an important step in someone's life. I love being able to witness and be there for my couples during this big step in their life. 

What makes your business stand out?
From the moment I am hired, to after the wedding, I focus on making my couple's feel appreciated and important. I love helping my couple's with advice and tips to make sure their wedding day is perfect- and help them feel more at ease planning their wedding as most couples have never had to do this before. During the wedding day, I love focusing on moments and details that a lot of people either forget or miss. It's my job to tell a complete story of the day, not just the moments. I love to people watch wherever I go (totally not creepy), which allows me to anticipate reactions and know when to take a photo. I thrive on going above and beyond and love to help my couples have the best wedding day possible, which often times means helping calm them down during moments when they feel anxious or nervous or when something doesn't go just right. I can make anyone who dislikes getting their photos taken feel comfortable and confident in front of the camera by how I approach taking photos and how I interact with the couple.

Tell us about your personal Style when it comes to your craft?
I feel telling a story of any event is the most important thing, so I capture both candid and important posed moments, like family portraits. I love classy, timeless photos, so I don't edit too much of my photos. I feel being honest in my photos is one of the most important things I can do as a photographer, as it's telling a story and capturing the moments as they are. 

Favorite part of working with couples!
Getting to know them and helping them out during the process. 

Favorite part of wedding day!
Truly, all of it. From the beginning to the end, the entire day is so fun and exciting. I really love first dances, toasts, the first kiss and especially first looks. I just all the emotional parts of a wedding day. 

Advice to couples in selecting a vendor in your category!
Although I feel it's so important to jive with your photographer, you also want to make sure that they have experience and can help calm couples when things get out of hand. Look at reviews, ask the photographer about situations that they have had to help their brides out or get creative when something doesn't go right.

Business Name- COURTNEY BOWLDEN PHOTOGRAPHY
Phone Number - 360-927-6545
Email- CBOWLDEN@GMAIL.COM
Website - WWW.COURTNEYBOWLDEN.COM
All Social Media Handles INSTA: @COURTNEYBOWLDEN // FB- FACEBOOK.COM/COURTNEYBOWLDENPHOTOS // PINTEREST- CBOWLDEN

How to have the Grandest of Exits

Right behind walking down the aisle and your grand entrance to the reception, your grand exit is a fun and seriously important part of your wedding! Though, the other day I learned that the old tradition of throwing rice for the bride and groom as they leave is actually a really bad thing to do! (Sorry in advance for getting all dark and cruel) I read an article about how birds will get to the rice the next morning after the wedding and die from swallowing it! Supposedly, when the birds eat the rice, the rice ends up expanding in their stomachs and according to Google, the birds then "explode". (Yes, explode...) I don't know how I feel about that myth though, I'd like to see some facts. But still, not very safe for birds! So if possible, lets's try and avoid throwing rice for your wedding... Instead, I've got a list of 10 amazing ideas for guests to have or toss as you make your grand exit!

Before you get ready to leave, make sure to say your goodbyes and hugs to everyone and have a super awesome last song for your guests to finish off the night dancing to. Make it a great, friends-honoring song to enjoy while everyone has one last hug-it-out dance with you two before you leave. While saying your goodbyes, have someone pull the car around so it's ready to go! (Or call a cab, round up the bicycle, call in the horses). The exit will need to be announced for guests to gather and watch. (Note: have the DJ or someone on a mic do this, It might be pretty awkward if you're the one making the announcement) Also, have them announce where they should be going, and what they should be doing, grabbing, or throwing for the grand exit (see list below!).

Finally, make sure to check with your venue to see what they allow when it comes to your grand exit.

1. Sparklers are a very popular, very classic choice to have for an exit. Plus, you get some seriously amazing, time-stood-still pictures out of it!

2. Bubbles, also very popular and very cute. I think you will need to have a lot of people blowing them to have the full effect though! If you have a small wedding, maybe have a bubble machine to have more than enough (Will also leave the kiddos at the wedding entertained for hours) 

3. Streamers, sort of self-explanatory. Very classic, fun, and colorful! Have guests bring out their inner Middle School TP days and toss rolls of steamers in the air.

4. Confetti! Similar to the streamers, fun and colorful. Maybe even get confetti poppers! (Note: maybe look into some eco-friendly confetti, love it.) And make sure to check with your venue regarding their rules.

5. Lavender looks very similar to rice when its thrown in the air, small and delicate. But it smells heavenly! Bonus! 

6. Small wild flowers, perfect for a bohemian wedding. And I'm sure it would make for very cool pictures. Or just petals would be simple and classic as well.

7. Glitter or sequins might be a serious pain in the butt for someone to have to clean up, but that's not for you to worry about! This is perfect for a very glam bride, I love this idea!

8. Balloons- if your exit is at night time, you could track down some glow in the dark balloons, how cool! 

9. Glow Sticks would also be cool if you were intrigued by the glow in the dark balloons!

10. Paper Lanterns, I am a SERIOUS sucker for this beautiful tradition. Have guests light and set off their lanterns right before you two for some perfect pictures, everyone cheer and hug, and then you're off!

And one extra! If this post really inspired you to change the tradition of throwing rice at your grand exit, and you are now feeling really awful for those birds, throw birdseed!! Still looks like rice in the air, might be a pain to brush out of your hair, but your helping out those little guys instead of hurting them. (R.I.P. to all the birds lost in the making of those exits)