Tara and Matt: Engaged

For the past 5 days, Airika and I have been down in Southern California soaking in the beautiful sunshine, hanging with friends, shooting a wedding, and speaking at a photographer meeting down in San Diego. I've been wanting to post some of these engagement photos from Tara and Matt's engagement session, but it always seems to take longer to get things done when you're on the road!

Before our session started, we met up for Happy Hour at Ivars Salmon House. It's always nice to be able to sit down to good food and conversation as friends before a shoot. It really helps set the tone for the day and helps us achieve the natural imagery that we love to create!

I love this photo of Tara--it shows her true personality-full of life and joy.





After we finished up the shoot, we were walking back to the car to head our separate ways, when I noticed that this tree had Tara and Matt's initials carved into it! We love finding unexpected opportunities like this, so of course, we took advantage of it!


We're looking forward to Tara & Matt's wedding at Rock Creek Gardens this fall. It will be a large celebration with about 400 guests (24 in the wedding party), so I'm sure that there will be no shortage of amazing photo opportunities!

Gretchen & Josh's Wedding Preview

Gretchen and Josh, your wedding was absolutely amazing! We thoroughly enjoyed getting to spend the weekend with you and your family and friends, and can't wait to show you the rest of your photos!


If you were a guest at the wedding, please follow this link, and register to see the rest of their photos when they are ready.

Gerald

Holly and Michael's Wedding

It's official. Holly and Michael have"tied the knot!" It wasn't easy either (the tying part at least). Apparently, the ladies did not realize that there was a small piece tucked carefully away on the back of Holly's dress. The hidden piece was not obvious, yet it made it very difficult to properly tie up the back of the dress. Holly was amazingly calm and patient throughout the process! Here's mom lining up for attempt #2...

The guys had their fair share of difficulty as well. Between the five of them, only one of them knew how to tie a full Windsor. Thank goodness for him! Otherwise I would have had to hand off my camera to show them how it's done. I didn't spend four years of college studying to be a pastor for nothing you know! "The rabbit goes around the tree, down the hole, then..."

Now that everyone is ready...
I was pretty impressed with the rose petal designs that the groomsmen were able to put together with a little direction from Holly!


(insert cheesy analogy about embarking on a new journey together here...)





One more note: I was feeling pretty sick leading up to this wedding, and Bill Cawley volunteered his time to come help out, just in case we needed an extra hand. It really was an incredible relief having him along, and we couldn't have asked for a better 3rd shooter. Thank you again, Bill!

To see more, you can view Holly & Michael's entire slideshow here. Enjoy!

Dress: Elegant Bride
Catering: Act 3 Catering http://www.act3catering.com/
DJ: Brett Fawcett, Firehouse DJ
Wedding Venue: Brown's Point Lighthouse & Improvement Club

Melanie & Chuck: Engaged

For Melanie and Chuck, things began two years ago over margaritas at the Marina Park Grill in downtown Kirkland. Their first date was going well--so well, in fact, that once they had finished up at Marina Park, they took a quick stroll over to Kahili Coffee (one of our favorite coffee shops) to continue the conversation. Later, as they sat around with a couple of empty coffee cups, they still hadn't had enough. Another half-block down the street they found Anthony's Homeport, where they finished their evening with a romantic waterfront dinner.

We had a wonderful time exploring Kirkland with them, and retracing the footsteps of their first date. They even brought along their dog Indy for a few photos! Melanie and Chuck are amazing people, and their wedding is going to be absolutely incredible. They've pretty much planned a destination wedding right here at Willows Lodge in Woodinville. Their family, friends, and even their photographers are in for a special treat! ;)

Holly and Michael's Wedding Preview

Here's a quick preview from Holly and Michael's wedding down at Brown's Point Lighthouse in Tacoma this past weekend. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, and we can't wait to reveal the rest in a couple of weeks!


If you were a guest at the wedding, please click here to be notified when all of Holly & Michael's photos are available online. Also, be sure to check the blog for their wedding slideshow in a few of weeks!

Gerald