Essential Stuff

Weddings between Christmas and New Year’s already have a certain kind of holiday festiveness attached to them, but Jessica and Travis’ wedding was especially festive.  The two were on leave from the Air Force, so they took joy in being able to share their wedding with their family and friends, whom they hadn’t necessarily seen in a while.  They also seemed to delight in all the details of the day, from the thoughtfully placed tissues on the mother’s chairs, to the little gift of goodies, to every single song played at the reception.

A couple other cool things:  they were married in the Spokane Women’s Club, which has beautiful hardwood floors and a dramatic stage, which made for a very glamorous first dance.  And it ends up I went to college for a couple years with the minister!

Photography from Jessica and Travis’ wedding day can be seen here ; their wedding was a great way to cap 2009.

Every year, the Wedding Photojournalists Association, together with Brides Magazine, holds an international contest.  I discovered, rather by accident, that one of the photos I submitted came in third place in the Ceremony Category.  The WPJA is a fabulous organization of elite photographers, and I’m truly honored to receive recognition for the image.  Of course, credit also goes to Rachel and Paul, who found such a beautiful location for their wedding and chose me to photograph their day.  And, of course, some thanks to the cat.

I really like Dayton, Washington.  It’s a cute little town, with more than its fair share of charming houses, and Main Street has a good number of little coffee shops, bakeries, and even a bar/bookstore.  It not only has a spectacular county courthouse, but also a charming, recently restored Liberty Theater.  And it was in that theater where Heidi and Drew married.

The ceremony was short and sweet.  In fact, according to my time stamps Heidi started walking down the aisle at 4:33:15, and they had exited the building as man and wife exactly 5 minutes and 57 seconds later.  Which I think is a record for weddings I’ve photographed!

I think for me, the highlight, though, was the portrait session.  They decided to see each other before the ceremony, in a much-watched and highly anticipated first-sight moment at the Running T Ranch, where they held the reception.  After some group portraits, we found ourselves mostly alone, the three of us, surrounded by yell0w autumn trees, in a beautiful valley, with a winding river and dry grass and round, smooth river stones, with dramatic clouds blowing in.  It was relaxed, loving, and a lot of fun.  Much like the whole day actually.  Follow this link to see more of the photography from the wedding day.

Elegant.  That is the word I think best describes Kristen & Matthew’s evening wedding, at St. Joseph’s Church.  The ceremony, candle-lit, was elegant.  The music, featuring a choir led by Kristen’s brother, was elegant.  The church and clothes and ambiance, it was all very elegant. As too, the reception at the Spokane Country Club.

I had never been in St. Joseph’s before, but what a gorgeous sanctuary.  It has marvelous rose windows, a hard-wood-floor alter, a fine balcony with an organ.  I especially loved the white, clean look of the ceilings, and the crisp lines of the architecture.  It was a great place for portraits, and Kristen, whose smile is quick and ready and radiant, was kind enough to indulge me in some “serious” pictures.

This link leads to a gallery of the photographs from the wedding day.

Lindsey and Tim had a short notice, and then a small window, in which to get married.  They weren’t sure if the military would grant Tim leave, but they planned the wedding on the faith that he would get the time off.  And then, a month or so before the wedding, he got the leave.  But only for a week.  So he flew from Japan, they had a quick ceremony in Olympia, and then they held a second ceremony and reception in Spokane.

But it all came together nicely.  And Lindsey surprised Tim by wearing a vintage, dazzling red evening gown.  It seemed to go quite nicely with the formal military white uniform and the elegant surroundings of the Falls Room at the Masonic Temple, with its gorgeous brick walls, glossy black floors, and balcony with a sunset view.  The dancing was a lot of fun, too, complete with a memorable, wig-aided rendition of YMCA.  Click here for a gallery of photographs from the wedding day.

Kendra and Rhett were married at Lake Chelan, and it ended up that, for me, getting to Lake Chelan proved to be the most difficult part of the day.  Google maps sent me on a little dirt road through fields, across gullies, over mountain passes, past “Closed To Thru Traffic” signs, and down deep ravines.  Then, when I got right across from Chelan, with only the lake in the way, I discovered that the bridge was closed.  Fortunately, I always plan for little emergencies, and, with the help of some of Rhett’s cousins, I made it to the wedding in plenty of time.

The rest of the day was easy.  My job was capture Kendra and Rhett enjoying themselves and looking good, and on this day, that was a very easy task indeed.

There are some people who don’t understand why I love weddings so much.  Check out the gallery of photographs from the wedding, and maybe you’ll see.  There is drama, and joy, and first glimpses with tears, and anticipation, and community, with sisters and aunts and moms all tying the flowers before the ceremony, and tender caresses, and cupcake-tossing uncles, scenic backdrops, and wind that can knock small-boned photographers over, and heart-felt speeches, and beautiful brides and handsome grooms, and dances under a gorgeous sky.  And sometimes, it all happens in a single day.  And it’s absolutely magical.

Sara and Matt got married on a sprawling farm complex, with pond, fields, recreation center, stables, and lots of beautiful trees and grounds.  They had their guests arrive early for a happy hour, so the guests could enjoy the surroundings and each other before the ceremony, which I thought was a really nice touch.  And I loved shooting out there–surrounded by fields.

And the above picture is them, right after the ceremony, as they walked to the receiving line.  It’s one of my favorite pictures of the summer.  I love their expressions of pure happiness.  I like the detail of the guy in the background, taking a picture.  And I like how connected they are, holding hands, and Sara holding Matt’s arm.  It was a delightful moment.

The reception was fun, too, with excellent food, lots of conversing, and, as was repeatedly pointed out, no curfew.  Some of the highlights of Sara and Matt’s day can be found in this gallery of wedding photographs.

There are always a couple highlights of a wedding for me.  I don’t know what they will be beforehand, but there are usually things that are unexpected or delightful or particularly photogenic.  There were a number at Bethany and Scott’s wedding.

Scott’s Groom-Daughter dance was something unlike I had ever seen before, precious and delightful in its completely unique way (it involved very few steps, but lots of head-rocking).  When Bethany went to say her vows, and the musical group in the park started playing at the same moment, she took it in stride, gave the band a good “shush” (which didn’t work), the improvised with the clip-on mic.  And I had a particularly good view for the reactions of Bethany and Scott as after they sipped the communion wine, which had unfortunately been heated to a toasty temperature from the sun. The first dance, with the sunset, was gorgeous. Though perhaps my favorite moment was a festive spontaneous applause from onlookers as Bethany and Scott walked toward the reception site, where food, and dancing, and family and friends awaited.  A gallery of the wedding photographs is available here.

This is Katie and John.  When I found out they were having their reception at the Barrister Winery, I immediately thought of the beautiful turquoise doors and the loading dock, and how spectacular portraits would look there.  I had shot some senior portraits and done a fashion shoot there, and even shot inside the winery itself, thanks to the very accommodating owners.   But the idea of a bride and groom there—well, I thought it would be very cool.  Fortunately, Katie and John were really excited about the idea.

It was a great location for the reception for other reasons, too.  Sophisticated, yet relaxed.  Fun, and cosmopolitan, it reflected Katie and John and their family and guests.   Katie is a lawyer and John is a policy advisor and scholar in Washington DC, but there is no pretense with them.  Katie is still at home in Spokane, and John loves to dance, and the reception reflected all parts of who they are.  I think the wedding pictures do too, which you can see here.

This is Breelyn and Ryan.  And to me, anyway, this isn’t just them in the picture, but this is really them, who they are:  together, racing through the world, laughing, connected, enjoying the ride, on their way to wherever they are going, loving it and loving each other.

I always tell people that what makes my job fun is that I’m not photographing weddings:  I’m capturing the personalities of two unique people on their wedding day.  And I’ve seen few weddings as personality-driven as Breelyn and Ryan’s.  Creative.  Expressive.  Quirky.  Fun.  Joyful.  Free-spirited.

This was, for instance, the first wedding I’ve photographed where there was, instead of a unity candle or sand ceremony, a “painting ceremony” where they painted a heart together on a canvas.  Or where the bride said the theme of the wedding was “Maps and Birds.”  Or where grandparents were posthumously honored in portraits with hand-held cardboard face images.  Or where a leisurely portrait session led into fountains and up fire-escapes and had to include, by explicit demand of the bride and groom, images of their the bridal party hiking up their pants/dresses, shot from the waist down.  Or where an armless, legless mannequin named “Doris”, dressed something like a flapper,  sat forlornly at a corner table.  Or where simply clinking bells wouldn’t elicit kisses at the reception:  couples were also required to demonstrate exactly what kind of kiss they wanted Breelyn and Ryan to execute.

None of it was forced or unnatural.  It simply expressed Breelyn and Ryan.  But in many ways, their day wasn’t about them:  instead, it was a generous celebration of their families and their friends, and Breelyn and Ryan’s warmth and good-humor was utterly contagious.  I was privileged to share their day with them (click here for an online gallery).