It was a warm and calm afternoon. She wore a perfect summer dress, and he, a shirt he didn't love oh-so-much. But he did it for her, and for the promise that he could wear his favorite shirt in part 2 of their engagement shoot. His lumberjack shirt, they called it. With their wedding several months away, they were already perfecting compromises like an old married couple.

We greeted them with a sunny bunch of bright balloons, an ode to Jackie's pending birthday only two days away, and the balloons made a great distraction for a somewhat nervous Zach.

I think Zach put his excitement level at about a 2 before our shoot began. And I can't say I blame him. Being the center of attention isn't for everyone, and Jake and I are always sensitive to that part of our clients. Many of our clients have only experienced more traditional portraits that incorporated more lighting technology than emotion. We aim to change your outlook on that completely :)

When the shoot concluded, he celebrated by picking a tiny, beautiful white flower and putting it in Jackie's hair. A symbol, indeed, that he was feeling the love while walking the park with his bride-to-be.

Jackie and Zach, you are so, so adorable together. Your love is pure, and you march to the beat of your own hearts. I am so excited for your future together.

Chic.
Retro.
Glamour.
Style.

Bursts of cherry red splashed upon
the tabletops, bouquets, and ladies' lips.

Hints of turquoise adorned
satin bridesmaid dresses and
personalized Jones Soda bottles.

Black Chuck Taylors and smashing tuxes kept the men in sync.

Candlelight danced upon the tabletops,
among the windowsills,
and down the aisle.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow strummed sweetly from a ukulele towards the back, and
inspiration from The Velveteen Rabbit was read aloud.

And before you knew it, Rori and Matt were married :)

Guests dined and drank over
delectable bites and entrees while
family and friends gave the sweetest, sweetest tributes towards the bride and groom.
And dancing in the dimly-lit ballrom was a perfect way to continue the evening.

To the lovely bride and groom, thank you, ever so much, for including us in your day. You are both so fun and have such a great sense of style, and we cherish our new friendship with you. We are so happy for you, and you have much to celebrate. Congratulations!

Rori & Matt's wedding team consisted of:
Venue: Palace Ballroom
Flowers & Decor: Aria Style
Bridal Makeup: Illusions by Melanie
Bridal Hair: Melina Dennis & Nicole Snider of Salon Rae
Bridal Gown: Maggie Sottero
Bridal Shoes: Linea Paolo, Nordstrom
Bridesmaid Dresses: Alfred Sung from Cynderellies Closet
Broom & Groomsmen Tuxes: Men's Warehouse
DJ: Jason Waldow, Nyte & Day Productions
Live Ceremony Music: Rod Higuchi with Seattle Ukulele Players Association
Cake: Cakes Etc. by Jade Brody
Photography: Joey Nicole Photography

The day began with thick stormy skies, splashes of rain, and a fire alarm.

Yes, the entire Suncadia Lodge was evacuating just moments after we arrived the day of Andrea and Brian's wedding. The scare was quickly attended to, and after some outdoor mingling and gossip as to what caused the alarm, everyone was allowed back inside. Wedding guests staying for the weekend ordered brunch, watched football, and drank mimosas. Rumors of a bacon incident floated amongst the crowds. And, it began to rain some more. For the first time ever, two outdoor ceremonies planned that day would have to be moved inside.

But it would take more than a little rain to damper the moods of our Bride and Groom. Our two good friends continued to get ready for their day, and Jake and I selected two spots for their first look. One if it continued to rain, and one if we dared to venture outside.

As luck would have it, the rain subsided just in time for the Bride and Groom to have their first look. We set it up at the gorgeous lookout spot on the golf course just as we had originally planned. A heavy fog loomed over the sky, making an incredible backdrop for the photos. My excited little heart did a huge jump for joy :)

Andrea and Brian's day continued on without a hitch. If ever there was a theme to this wedding, it would have to be Friends & Family. Nothing is more important to these two, and they made it obvious through every part of their day. Good friend, ahem, "Reverend" Greg, even became ordained just so that he could perform their marriage ceremony. Throughout the evening, friends and family toasted to the loyalty and dedication of these two to their friends. Toast after toast was a compliment and a true testament to just how incredibly big their hearts are.

Andrea and Brian, we are so excited that you have found each other. You truly are a perfect match and compliment each other so well. We love you and look forward to sharing in all the adventures that lie ahead :)

And, we must give proper credit where credit is due, so here's the wedding team that made this day possible!

Wedding Venue: Suncadia Resort
Bridal Gown: I Do Bridal
Bridal Hair: Stephanie Marler
Tuxes: Men's Wearhouse
Flowers: D Designs
Party Rentals: Pedersen's, Rented Elegance, and R&R
Linens: BBJ Linens
DJ: E-Rock Entertainment
Photography: Joey Nicole Photography
Lighting/AV: Swank Audio Visual

Nothing bonds strangers like the pain of an early morning, extremely intense workout several days a week at Gravity Janes. But amongst the sweat, nausea, and chalk dust is how Jake and I came to meet Judy.  And while we are ecstatic about feeling uberstrong these days, we are even more grateful for the new friends we've made.

Judy and Ben are engaged and will be married next Spring. We had so much fun with them at their sunset engagement shoot, and I love, love, love how we get to know our couples during this time. We even got to see Ben's wild side emerge as the night went on :)

Ooh, and while we had some great skies to work with here, if you want to see some really fantastic landscape & wildlife photography, you must check out Ben's website!

I don't do a good job of making it known that I shoot Senior Portraits. But I do. I actually LOVE shooting them. It's so fun to get to work with a client one and one. Very different from my regular pace of shooting couples and families together, and working off the energy brought together by those people.

Ashley was fabulous to work with for many reasons. Besides the fact that she has the most perfect skin and the largest brown eyes you have ever seen, I especially loved that she trusted me. We had discussed an urban shoot, and she let me take her to a street I had seen a few weeks back, and had logged in the memory bank because I liked the building walls that I had passed. She literally had no idea where we were going for part one, and agreed to come along and we would design her shoot as we went.

Part two we had planned in advance. It was to be an evening shoot along a very colorful, well-lit wall. And of course, it seemed to be out of order when we arrived. So what's a photographer to do? Find another spot and get the job done! And that we did. And it was incredible. Even better than I had hoped for. Please enjoy a few shots from our Seattle adventure :)

Makeup by Leticia Brown.