Wedding: Keaton & Mark

Keaton and Mark were married at one of my favorite venues in the city, Herban Feast Sodo Park. It was a great day start to finish–both Mark and Keaton were so laid back and calm. The venue, which is gorgeous as is, was filled with colorful dahlias in stunning metal vases made by Mark. The weather went back and forth from rain to sun, but luckily we had plenty of time outside for portraits in between the rain showers.The ceremony was filled with the love of Keaton and Mark for one another and also with love from friends and family who took part in it. The wedding cake was simply the best chocolate cake I have ever had in my life (and was made by the amazing Molly Wizenberg of Orangette). The dance floor was scorching hot. All in all, a banner day. Here are a few of my favorites:

As always, I love a bride in glasses:

Mark made these! Completely gorgeous:

Oh, and they also had a photobooth! Click here to see some of highlights.

Thanks to Keaton and Mark for including me in your day, and thanks to the wonderful Jennifer Richard for her fab second shooting.

It’s Almost Here….

So Get Hitched, Give Hope is almost here! The details:

When: Thursday, October 29th at 5:30pm – 9:00pm
Where: The Arctic Club Hotel at  700 3rd Avenue downtown (map)
What: A big swanky cocktail party, silent and live auctions, and a great way to shop for your wedding
Why: To raise money for the Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation, which grants wishes to women with metastatic breast cancer.
Also: We are a 501c3 organization so any contributions you make are tax deductible

Online ticket sales have ended but you can still buy tickets at the door tomorrow. And for those of you who can’t make it or who live far away but still want to support the cause, you can donate online as well, right here.

See you Thursday!

Alexa, Shane & Abbey

Back when she was just six weeks old, I had the pleasure of photographing Abbey with her parents Alexa and Shane.  She was so patient and sweet through several outfit changes, and we got some great photos. In the few months since we took these I’ve seen newer snapshots of her and it’s hard to believe she was so tiny! Here are just a few of my favorites from the session:

Thanks to Alexa, Shane and Abbey for such a wonderful session–I look forward to watching as she grows up!

Marta, Joe, Minka & Zeb

I met Marta, Joe, Minka & Zeb through their next door neighbors Stewart and Danielle. When their daughter Minka was a few months old they’d had baby photos done, and how that their son was the same age they wanted to have some of him as well. So we took lots of baby photos…and a few family ones also! Zeb was in a great mood. We got lots of big smiles and general cuteness…

…and some seriously goofy faces. Babies crack me up!

Zeb fell asleep when we were trying to do a few group shots, but his mom found a goofy way to make him smile anyway.

Big sister checking out little brother.

Thanks to all four of you for such a fun session!

Fascinator Giveaway

OK, I know I just posted last night about Get Hitched, Give Hope, but there is an amazing giveaway on the GHGH blog that I just had to tell you about. It’s these two beautiful fascinators, and to enter to win all you have to do is comment on the blog post or tweet about it with an @BeAGiver.  Find out more here. Check out these two beauties:

Get Hitched, Give Hope

Hey everyone, so Get Hitched, Give Hope is only 17 days away! For those of you who don’t know, it’s a big fun swanky party for brides and grooms that raises money for the Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation. The basic idea of the night (aside from getting dressed up and having cocktails and generally enjoying yourself) is that some of Seattle’s top wedding vendors donate their services, and then brides and grooms bid on them in silent and live auctions. All the money goes to charity. Last year we raised an astounding $30,000 in one night, and this year we’re hoping to raise $50,000. I’ll have an engagement photography package up for auction, and even if you’re not engaged there are some amazing things (flowers! jewelry! desserts!) that are so worth checking out.  It’s an incredible night, and I hope you’ll buy a ticket and join us. Here are just a few of the things will be up for auction:

T. Anothony Scholdt rings. His is a tungsten wedding band with a palladium inlay; hers is a diamond eternity band set in palladium with 43 (count ‘em! 43!) round brilliant cut diamonds (.22 carat total weight). Keep in mind that last year people got unreal deals–that can happen at auctions–with some items going for 70% off their retail value.

Anne Barge dresses:

We’ll also have wedding planning, overnight vacations, custom invites, spa services like massage and men’s grooming, a Mercedes Benz van for your wedding party, makeup and hair styling, personal training, custom tailored shirts for guys, floral centerpieces, and SO much more. For a more complete listing of what will be up for auction and raffle, click here.

So buy your tickets online right here, and I’ll see you on the 29th!

Wedding: Emily & Blair

How do you know when you’ve photographed a standout wedding? When the bride & groom stop the Rolls at Dick’s Drive-In on the way to the reception. When the bride wears a special Superman-themed garter (made by her grandma!). When even the guy in the neck brace and a dad with a baby carrier can’t stay off the dance floor at the reception. Emily and Blair’s wedding was SO much fun. Epic fun. They are such a cool couple–full of sweetness and hilariousness all at once–and their wedding day was just like them. Full of love, happiness, and good times, from start to finish. We started out at First Lutheran Church of Richmond beach for the getting ready and the ceremony, and then (after that quick stop at Dick’s) headed over to the Shilshole Bay Beach Club. Here are just a few of my favorites.

The ladies got ready in one of the church’s nursery school rooms…the flower girls were fascinated by the animals there:

I love the look the moms give each other after lighting their candles on the altar:

Emily and her dad:

We were taking a few ring photos and this is what Emily and Blair suggested…

Guess we know who caught the garter…

Thanks to Emily and Blair for including me in your wedding–it was such a great day. And thank you also to my wonderful second shooter, the uber-talented Jennifer Richard.

Photo Projects from Around the Web

So I’ve been posting a lot of cool photography and video projects on Facebook, and I realized that I should collect them all in one place on my blog! So here are a few of the interesting projects from other photographers and videographers that I’ve come across recently online.

The True Love Project by Zack Seckler (portraits of people under hypnosis thinking about love):

Illuminated Signs by Rachel Rands (slightly abstract photos of illuminated signage):

Image © Rachel Rands

Control by Natalia Pokrovskaya (portraits of people listening to their favorite music):

Image © Natalia Pokrovskaya

Slow Moscow by Andrey Stvolinsky (slow motion video shot on the streets of Moscow):

Soundscapes by Ace Norton (music made from ambient sounds in LA, Amsterdam, and Berlin):

Scans from a 1965 Ikea Catalog from Ikke Tikke Theo:

http://www.rachaelrands.com/index.php?/projects/illuminated-signs/

Wedding: Maria & Chris

After seeing how much fun their rehearsal dinner was, I knew I was going to love Maria & Chris’ wedding. And I did. There were incredible Orcas Island water views everywhere you turned at the Inn at Ship Bay. A ceremony by a grove of old plum trees.  Some of the best food I’ve ever had at a wedding.  Pirate tattoos (even on the bride!). A ravishing sunset. A glowing tent at twilight. A rockin’ dance party. And so much excitement from friends and family that Maria and Chris were getting married. Here are a few of my favorites from their day.

Thanks so much, Maria & Chris, for having me document your wedding. And thanks also to my wonderful assistant Elizabeth Nelson, for all her great work.

Rehearsal Dinner: Maria & Chris

Maria and Chris were married last month up on Orcas Island at the Inn at Ship Bay, and I came up the day before so I could photograph the rehearsal dinner. It was beautiful and beachy and everyone wandered from the tent down to the water as the sun went down. There were some top notch toasts (complete with singing!) and general catching up as old friends and family from out of town got a chance to reconnect and start the celebration.

I’ll be posting photos from the wedding day soon…