Ladies and gents, meet the epitome of mountain chic. A laid-back meets totally elegant Seattle affair that is one part rustic, one part industrial and all parts pretty. It’s the kind of effortlessly cool soiree that combines fab paper goods from Paper Delights, lush florals from Flora Nova and an entire world of amazing moments captured by Gabriel Van Wyhe. See them all right here in the full gallery.
From the Bride… Our wedding day has come and gone and my new husband, Stuart, and I have officially returned to our normal routine. BUT, that doesn’t mean I can’t still spend a few hours of my day swooning over our gorgeous wedding photos, right?!
Deciding to get married in Seattle was an easy decision for us. Although Stu spent 18 years of his life in California, and I was born and raised in the Seattle area, the Emerald City is where we first met and where the story of “us” began. We picked December 7th, 2013 as our wedding date because it was almost exactly one year from the day we got engaged (December 8th, 2012) and because we’d had our first official date in the month of December five years prior. December is a very special month for us!
We chose the wedding venue based on the interior design details. Stu and I love a good weekend ski trip. There is just something about spending the day on the mountain and then coming home to a log cabin to warm your feet by the fire. To us, The Foundry provided us with those same feelings and was a lot closer than driving out to the snow covered mountains! From the sliding barn doors to the wooden chandeliers and the roaring fireplace, The Foundry offered a warm escape from the chilly outside weather.
Seattle gets dark around 4 pm in December, so we stuck with lighter shades for our wedding day colors. My bridesmaids wore gorgeous soft blue dresses and carried bouquets filled with white roses, hydrangeas, ranunculus, blush blue posies with silver accents, baby’s breath and hints of dusty miller (my favorite!). My bouquet was similar, but contained a very special detail. My mother surprised me with a small black and white photo of my late grandmother on her wedding day. She attached it to my bridal bouquet with a single white ribbon. I felt so special knowing that my grandmother was there with me as I walked down the aisle.
My overall stylistic goal was a cozy winter affair. The ceremony took place in a large ballroom-style space with high vaulted ceilings and gorgeous wooden chandeliers. Hurricane candles were arranged along the aisle and yards of white drapery was strung along the back wall to cover an otherwise blank space. After the “I Do’s,” two large sliding barn doors were opened to reveal the cocktail room. This room contained a roaring brick fireplace, wine barrel cocktail tables, countless votive candles and various chalkboard signs. It was a log cabin dream come true! A month prior, Stu and I handpicked hundreds of pine cones from our neighborhood park. We spent a few days washing and drying them. They were then placed sporadically throughout the venue. We even included some on our wedding cake!
Another reoccurring theme throughout the wedding was our wreath logo. The ladies at Paper Delights were kind enough to help us create an image that incorporated our initials inside a green laurel wreath. It provided a wintery touch without looking too Christmas-y. We included the logo on our invitations and hung a real laurel wreath as a backdrop for our ceremony.
The best part of the wedding was seeing the images and details that Stu and I had been dreaming of come to life AND THEN getting to share all of those details with our families and friends! It was such a special day for us and being surrounded by all our loved truly made the day unforgettable.
Photography: Gabriel Van Wyhe | Floral Design: Flora Nova Design | Wedding Gown: I Do Bridal | Cake: Morfey's Cake | Invitations: Paper Delights | Catering: Herban Feast | DJ: Integral DJs | Groom's Attire: Men's Wearhouse | Hotel: Olympic Fairmont Hotel | Venue: Herban Feast | Bridal Shoes: Betsey Johnson | Hair & Make-up: Michelle Mai Smith