I had the pleasure of spending the day with Ashley & Mike as well as their friends and family at Spokane’s Masonic Center on their wedding day. I love that I can see little peaks in to the connections & relationships of the people in attendance in so many of the photos. For me, that’s what it’s all about. Trends come & go, but the moments & special times captured will live on far beyond any trend.

The Masonic Center was a great backdrop to the day’s proceedings. I’m looking forward to getting back & shooting there again.

One of the things that is universally true about weddings is the fact that they’re a ‘live animal.’ You can do all the planning you want, but there’s no guarantee that once it’s set in motion that everything will happen just as planned. In fact, it’s pretty much guaranteed that the day’s events won’t turn out exactly as expected. The reality is that no matter how much planning you do, there will be things that just…happen.

And I love it.

Nothing during this wedding went ‘wrong.’ Other than the rain making a brief  appearance during the portraits, this wedding happened pretty much how it should have. Yet, even with that, this wedding is full of little moments that only happened once, often only for a brief second. It’s my job to catch as many of those as I can with my lens, and do so in a way that there’s a story that unfolds with photos that are interesting to look at. That’s why my nerves get going before every single wedding. I worry that I’ll miss too many of those little moments that really tell the story. Then there’s weddings like this. It seemed like everywhere I turn there’s some little thing happening—a laugh, a tear, a look that makes a brief appearance that helps me show what this day means to everyone involved.

I hope you see what I did as you look through these photos—a couple who shared the joy of the beginning of their lives together with their friends & family (& me!).

I’ve already covered my affinity for Point Defiance in previous posts. It really is an amazing place. So many places to explore. That’s why I’m excited to present another engagement session that took place at Tacoma’s crown jewel. This time it’s Kortney & Aaron’s turn. All I can say is it was one of the easiest sessions I’ve had & I had such a great time hanging out with these two for a while. I think the photos show that pretty well, or at least I hope they do.

Where to begin…

1. Kept my 100% good Seattle wedding weather streak alive.

2. Kelli & Kevin are two of the coolest people in the world.

3. The entire day was set up to be a blast for everybody involved, beginning to end.

4. A cooler venue than The Georgetown Ballroom in Seattle may not exist. I could spend days there without getting bored.

5. To look your best as a bride head to Seattle’s downtown Sephora & Swink Style Bar.

6. Mobile Pizza Oven

7. How many gorillas have you seen attend weddings?

8. Wedding planning by Manette Gracie Events

Thanks to Alisha Southard for assisting & shooting with me.