Katie and Bryan are so cute together. I had a blast photographing them for their engagement session a couple weeks ago. Check out their slideshow from our time in Seattle’s Arboretum.

Tara and Evan met up with me in Seattle a few weeks ago where we had an awesome day in the sun down next to Pike’s Place Market. Here’s a few of my favorites from the day.

I can’t wait for their wedding this fall!

Last fall before all the snow fell Grace and Eric came out with me to shoot their Trash The Dress session. Here are my favorites from their set. I love the train trestle we started out at in Bellevue.

Jacqueline and Tim were married at Holy Rosary church in West Seattle last month followed by a reception at the Washington Athletic Club in downtown Seattle.

Blue skies and sunshine are a rarity for Seattle in October! We took advantage of the weather and headed over to a local park in West Seattle and then down to Alki beach for a few portraits before driving downtown to start the reception.

My good friend Susie Hamidi came along and second shot with me which was awesome, of course. Thanks Susie!

Jacqueline and Tim, Susie and I had so much fun with you both! Thank you for having us be a part of your day! I can’t wait to have you both back into the studio to get started on your album!

Salon: Robert Leonard Salon
Reception: Washington Athletic Club
Cake: Washington Athletic Club
Linens: BBJ Linen
Flowers: Fena Flowers

Meagan & Tom were married at Seattle Golf Club last month on a beautiful fall day in Seattle. I had guest photographer Jack Young cover their event for me. Thanks Jack!

Check out their slide show! Their full event will be posted online shortly. For more images and Jack’s take on the day, check out his blog.

Traci and Jason were super excited to head out to Pioneer Square and get dirty. I’ve had an idea for a bride on a fire escape for a while now and I finally got to create that image. For this shoot I brought along a few SB-800 and SB-900 strobes which were fun to create dramatic lighting with. Both Traci and Jason were awesome! Thanks guys!

Urban Unveiled had their annual bash on October 16th! I joined several other notable Seattle Wedding photographers at Benaroya Hall in Seattle for the event and mingled with all my friends in the industry. It was great to see everyone!

Luly Yang presented a fashion show for the guests. Check out the slide show above of her dress designs.

On a bright and sunny day in September they had their beautiful wedding at Indian Summer Country Club in Olympia.

Originally Alex and Laura were set to get married last year but Alex’s deployment put their plans on hold. Not this time though. We started out their day in downtown Tacoma at Hotel Murano, a swanky new hotel with art glass as it’s central theme. Situated right next door to Tacoma’s Museum of Glass it’s not a surprise who influenced their decor. Laura had a suite to get ready in with her brides maids. She wore these awesome steel heeled Stuart Weitzman shoes that could take your eye out if you’re not careful.

Alex and his men were in a blue toned room a few floors below figuring out a few last minute tux issues. I found Alex helping out his cousin and took them downstairs for Laura and Alex’s first meeting in the hotel lobby. We were running a bit late and didn’t have much time to make the drive from Tacoma to Olympia so we kept it short at the hotel.

Right outside the front doors is a monolithic green glass art piece that made for awesome portraits of the two of them.

Thanks Laura and Alex! It was awesome being part of your day! I can’t wait to do your trash the dress session!

Christie and Adam were married in Bremerton, Washington at the local Elks Lodge. They have an incredible lawn with a view of the sound and mountains.

Sara and I got up early and headed down to the ferry terminal to catch the 60 minute ferry ride across the sound to the Kitsap peninsula where Bremerton rests surrounded by water to all but the west side of the city. It was a cool crisp day and the ferry ride over was fun. I love standing on the exposed upper deck looking for seals and watching the gulls play in the turbulent air behind the boat.

We met with Adam at the lodge where they were setting up the ceremony site. Christie was still at the salon getting her hair done. Adam and his groomsmen got ready and we took off to a historic navy gun placed in a park in the center of town for a few staged shots while we waited for Christie to finish up. We had fun reenacting battle scenes in their suits.

When we returned to the lodge I found Christie and her brides maids in a back room getting their makeup applied. While Christie was stepping into her dress her ADORABLE flower girls came by to say hello. They were so precious in their bright colored polka-dotted dresses! I think I shot 100 frames of just them interacting with Christie, they were so cute!

With dark clouds brewing overhead we were surprised to be treated to a warm afternoon sunglow for the ceremony which created a rich buttery light that I loved. At their reception the toasts turned into an Adam roast which was pretty hilarious to listen to! All in good fun! We finished off the night photographing the guys having a cigar outside in the dark of night.

Christie and Adam, it was a pleasure being part of your wedding. Sara and I thank you for including us!

Traci and Jason were married at the W Hotel in downtown Seattle on August 23rd. When I arrived Traci and her bridesmaids were finishing up their makeup. I stole Traci’s swanky white patent leather Jimmy Choo flats and their rings for a a few beautiful detail shots. It was a gorgeous day for a wedding and before the ceremony began the bridal party followed the bride and groom over to the very modern Seattle Public Library for some portraits. Well, it is a library and I knew we were taking the risk of getting yelled out. With so many people involved it’s hard to be quiet. Sure enough, we were shhhshed by a librarian when we were setting up the shots in the red glossy room where they have conference rooms. No worries though, we got some cool shots inside before heading back over for the wedding. I can’t believe we got all of us squished into the elevator to come back downstairs!

Traci had a pyramid of cupcakes in place of a traditional wedding cake and asked her sister to bake a giant cupcake to use for the cake cutting. It was enormous! Traci also had a cool table setup with dishes of different candies and little bags to fill up. It was like walking into a sweet shoppe in that corner of the reception. The children thought it was awesome!

I like the W for it’s modern styling and furniture. The rooms are fresh and clean and the decor of the hotel lends itself to the dramatic. After the first dance we went down to the bar for a few portraits in the moody light.

Thanks Traci and Jason for being such delightful people to be around and congratulations on your new marriage!

Hung and Eric started out the day with some portraiture by a nearby park where they often walk after work. The day was overcast and gave us beautiful ‘giant softbox’ quality light. Then it was off to the Bellevue Botanical Gardens for some fun with their attendants. I love the little tea house they have there mixed in with the gardens! It’s so cute!

Their ceremony was held at Bellevue Unitarian Church near Factoria. They have a gorgeous view of the woods out the back of the sanctuary. It’s basically just a wall of windows and I loved it. Once we finished family photos Hung changed into her traditional Chinese wedding attire for their tea ceremony. I love how ornate it is! All that bead work and color! Fantastic!

Right before the western ceremony I could see Eric and his brother getting a little nervous waiting in the back hall. It’s almost time guys!

Their service was very touching and it was really evident how much these two care for each other and welcome God into their hearts.

At the reception we were all treated to a divine and especially rare treat. Hung’s mom is one of only a few that still makes a traditional cake from scratch which takes her HOURS to prepare, layer by layer. It was truly a work of art and was delicious too! I’m still planning on sitting in her kitchen someday soon so she can teach me how to make it!

Grace and Eric, it was so much fun being with you on your wedding day! Thanks for having me along and I can’t wait to share all of your photos with you when you’re back up to the studio.

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My cousin Wendy and her fiance Mark were on vacation recently and popped up to Seattle for a few days. While they were here they were treated to Seattle’s famous cloud layer and rain but thankfully we were able to get a short engagement session in between showers. Here are some of my favorites.

Emily and Jason had a beautifully moving ceremony at the Seattle Design Center on July 19th.

Sara and I met up with Emily, Jason and the whole bridal party at Zeitgeist cafe in Seattle before the wedding to do some cool portraits in Pioneer Square. Then it was off to the Seattle Design Center. It’s not often that I cry at a wedding ceremony but Emily and Jason’s was quite the exception. Their love and devotion to God was readily apparent. It was quite moving.

I hope you guys had a great time up in Toronto for your second reception and we’ll see you soon when you get back from your honeymoon!

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PreWedding: Pioneer Square, Seattle
Venue: Seattle Design Center
Slideshow Music: Delirous?

Erin and Casey had a beautiful ceremony at Salish Lodge on July 12th. The day was pristine with a vivid blue sky. Sara and I met up with the bride and groom at the Fairmont Olympic for photos and then headed off to Snoqualmie Falls where Salish Lodge is perched.

Now for the drama:
As we were leaving the Fairmont in the Silver Cloud classic limo Erin noticed she didn’t know where her veil was! In a flash, her chivalrous Casey dashed back inside the hotel to retrace our steps. Not seconds after he took off Sara went tearing after him to help in the search. Minutes passed as Erin and I waited outside in the limo, wondering if they were going to find it or not. Erin was so serene about it though. She wasn’t going to let a missing veil get her down on her wedding day!

Just as we were all getting a bit anxious, including the driver, Sara darts out of the Fairmont, brushes by me and blurts “It’s gone! I’ll be back.” She ran off towards Luly Yang’s boutique which is conveniently located on the corner at the base of the Fairmont. So, I had a hunch about what she was up to but I didn’t want to get my hopes up. Sure enough, Sara busts into Luly Yang’s shop, stopping the staff and customers alike in their tracks when she utters “Someone stole the bride’s veil!”. Luly’s staff dropped everything and ran over to assist my wife. “This is an emergency”, someone shouted.

It was fantastic!

They quizzed her a bit on what it looked like and they all decided on a Jennifer Leigh elbow length veil with an ivory trim. It was gorgeous! Sara gave them my card and they agreed to have it returned in a couple days. They had in fact loaned us a veil to take care of Erin for the day! While Sara was explaining who she was with and all that another girl wrapped it all up beautifully in a Luly bag and tissue.

Casey was just returning to the limo, dejected and veil-less, when Sara ran back around the corner from the boutique with the beautiful blue and white Luly bag and tossed it into Erin’s waiting lap through the limo’s window. “There, no offense but you have to give it back. ”

My wife rocks! End of drama.

There was something strange happening at the lodge that day. Apparently some high powered political figure had bought out the entire lodge for the weekend and had the whole placed buttoned down. There were security guards with ear-pieces all over the grounds of the lodge and being the guy with the camera, I was getting a lot of strange and questioning looks. At one point, as Erin and Casey were signing their marriage certificates in the Library we were locked in while the dignitary or president or whatever he was came into the lodge and up to his room. Weird.

All that aside, the ceremony was beautiful. Erin and Casey said their vows outside overlooking the gorge where the falls plummet 270 feet to river bed below. Sean Patrick O’Reilly officiated and as always, was a pleasure to be around.

Congratulations Erin and Casey! We’ll see you both soon when you get back from Italy!

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Lodging: The Fairmont Olympic
Venue: Salish Lodge
Veil: Luly Yang Couture – Jennifer Leigh Veils
Transportation: British Motor Coach
Celebrant: Sean Patrick O’Reilly
Slideshow Music by: Carla Bruni

It’s been a busy month for engagement sessions! Here’s Hung and Eric’s engagement session from last week. Eric works in Redmond so they like to hang out in Kirkland when they have free time, checking out the galleries and sipping coffee at their favorite coffee shop up the street. Of course we had to go check out the cafe and get a bite to eat. St. James Espresso makes great panini and their ’signature’ cafe mocha was excellent. It even came with a little licorice scotty dog on the saucer.

From there we headed down to the waterfront and watched the sun set from the dock. It was a perfect day!

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We had my mom and grandma over for dinner and fireworks on the fourth. We had way to much BBQ and watched all the neighbors light off their spectacular aerials. (Our neighborhood always goes all out with the fireworks displays. It’s better than trudging downtown to see the Space Needle covered in smoke.)

I hope you all had a wonderful Independence Day!

Erin and Casey are getting married at Salish Lodge on July 12th! It’s coming up quick!

Last week we took advantage of the wonderful weather and headed out to Snoqualmie Falls upon which Salish Lodge is perched for their engagement session. Paying no heed to the dire warnings about being in a place prone to flash floods we jumped over the boardwalk railing and scrambled down to the river bed below to the base of the falls. It’s a beautiful place to be on a warm, sunny, Pacific Northwest day. The fine mist rising up from the falls felt good on the skin as we enjoyed the sun’s rays. Unfortunately for me, it doesn’t play well with camera lenses! I had a few great shots that are *totally* fogged up do to the intense mist. Oh well! We still made out with some killer shots of the soon-to-be weds.

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Laura and Alex are such a fun couple! Check out the dramatic and sexy image of them in the Seattle Public Library that starts off their slideshow! They have this awesome energy together and are so easy to photograph!

Thanks for a great evening you guys! We’ll see you soon for your wedding!

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Becky and Gordon came back home to Gordon’s church in Monroe, WA for their whirlwind Army wedding last week. Both of them are stationed in Alabama for training and were only able to secure a few precious days of leave to get married and head back to post. They certainly made the most of it!

Reception: Willows Lodge
Floral: Florarama Modern Design

I’m so excited to share this phenomenal wedding with all of you!

Vijya and Scott were married at the beautiful Bastyr University Chapel May 10th with a huge reception following at Elysian Fields in Seattle.

Saturday morning started out drizzly and overcast, typical Seattle weather. But, it dried up by the time Susie and I got to the church to meet with the coordinators and begin our day.

Check out the slideshow for the whole story! Here are a few of my favorites from the day -

The start of the Jaan.

After the ceremony, Vijya & Scott had a few minutes to take some portraits of them on the university campus before they left to get ready for the reception. I planned on using a portion of the park that the University is on but we got shooed away by a less-than-nice security guard. So, we found a nice bit of lawn close the the chapel instead. Striking!

I love this image of their decorated Rolls Royce heading off down the road.

At the reception several of Vijya’s cousins put on a wonderful dance number straight out of Bollywood. I love the joy in this image.

Their first dance.

Thank you Susie for shooting with me. It was a pleasure to have you along with me as always. Thank you Neha for enlightening me to your culture and for all the help you’ve given me. I appreciate it!

Ceremony: Bastyr University Chapel
Reception: Elysian Fields
Event Planners: Neha Negandhi and Sharmila Patel – SaNa Event Planning