I was lucky enough to attend a wedding in Seattle last fall, and so I would agree 110% with this Bride’s wish to showcase the city’s beauty for her guests. The Puget Sound absolutely sparkles, the perfect accompaniment to this adorable couple, these blushing bridesmaids (thanks to Jenny Yoo) and one decadent cake courtesy of The Sweet Side. Blue Rose Photography captured every bit – see it all here!
From the Bride… Joe and I met on May 1, 2013 and were engaged exactly a year later on May 1, 2014, and married June 13, 2015. Joe grew up in Chicago and went to college in Kansas, I grew up in Texas and went to college in NYC. We chose to have our wedding in Seattle where we fell in love and live, where most of our guests would be visiting for the first time. We wanted all our guests to see what a magical place it is and why we love it so much, the water, the mountains and especially important to Joe, the music scene. We wanted to be married in June as close to the summer solstice as possible because it was the first day Joe said “I love you,” it is the longest day of the year, and in Seattle the long days and beautiful sunsets are especially magical – it also meant I could have peonies!
The most stressful part of planning was finding the perfect venue. We knew that we wanted to have a downtown wedding, but we also wanted to show Seattle’s outdoorsy side. The Edgewater was our perfect fit; it is literally on a pier and was made famous by The Beatles (Joe’s favorite band). The ceremony site faces the Puget Sound and mountains, and the cocktail hour was on a terrace with city views including the Space Needle. Also the food is amazing. After the venue was booked the next two big decisions were the dress and the photographers.
Since our wedding was a destination wedding for most of our guests, we had events Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday leading up to the wedding. This made the big day so much fun because so many of our guests had already gotten to know each other; it also took the pressure off Joe and I because we got to spend quality time with most of our guests throughout the week instead of cramming it all into one evening. For me the best event was a private yoga class for friends and family the morning of the wedding (47 people ended up taking the class). This set us up to enjoy the day and be as present as possible.
The details of the day were so fun for me. I took a calligraphy class and was able to use my calligraphy on all the invite addresses, table numbers, place cards, welcome sign, and seating chart. My Mom hand punched the heart shaped confetti for the processional from the RSVP cards and envelopes. Our String Quartet, who also plays with Macklemore, were able to play Joe’s favorite Beatles songs for the ceremony and they even threw in Nirvana (Joe’s other favorite) during cocktail hour.
We spent a lot of time planning the wedding and getting wrapped up in details but two of my favorite parts of the day ended up being the time I spent getting ready with my Mom and Bridesmaids in the penthouse and the ceremony itself. We did not see each other before the ceremony so I had a little more time for my Mom and Bridesmaids. We also wrote our own vows which I would highly recommend for personalizing your wedding. I was very nervous about it but with the help of my two married Bridesmaids I was inspired to stick with this choice. We didn’t share with each other before the wedding(although I almost caved the weekend before) and it made it so special. I truly felt the support of everyone listening and loving us.
Another piece of advice I loved and will share is to step back when the reception is happening and just take a moment to observe your beautiful day!
Photography: Blue Rose Photography | Floral Design: Stacy Anderson Design | Wedding Dress: Matthew Christopher | Cake: The SweetSide | Invitations: Color Me Carla | Rings: Whitney Stern | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Jenny Yoo | Makeup & Hair: Megan Bingham - Off White | Groom's Attire: The Black Tux | Wedding Venue: The Edgewater Hotel | Bridal Boutique: Calla Bridal | Linens: Choice Linens | Music: Passenger String Quartet