Thanks so much to Jeannie for featuring their photographs. Now, head on over and check it out!

It was such an amazing wedding… warm, late-summer sunlight, new friends, and good food. Thanks for letting me be a part of it! I feel privileged to call you my new West-coast friends. (It’s technically true, even though you live in Chile right now.)

Enjoy the show!

[I'm going to be making these slideshows for all my 2010 couples as a post-wedding teaser! ]

For a few minutes before their handfasting ceremony, Allison and Ryan stood alone to take in the view from the high meadow, the seaside cliff perfectly like the one on which Allison had always dreamed of being married.

Those of us who had made the steep, mile-long hike with them from Camp Westwind stood apart and watched as the looked out over the Pacific. It seemed that they felt momentarily that there was no one else in the world but the two of them.

Allison was radiant… the most beautiful bride in exactly the place she wanted to be.

Looking out over the coast, we were all struck by the beauty and significance of this wild location at the edge of the continent.

Then, Allison and Ryan invited their guests to gather round as they began the ceremony that would seal them in marriage.

A handfasting is a traditional ceremony, a marriage by one’s peers. Allison and Ryan wrote special vows for their handfasting, which they first read to each other. They then chose to have their two best friends bind their hands in the ways of old, binding them together to cement their vows. This tradition is the origin of the phrase “to tie the knot!”

Allison later told me that their handfasting was the most sentimental moment of the day. Her dearest friends were confirming their marriage, the September sun was setting over the ocean, and she was filled with love and happiness that Ryan had helped make her dream come true.

After the ceremony, there was still one more thing to do before the sun set and they made the trek back to Westwind for dinner and dancing.

Our beyond the High Meadow, at the true edge of the ocean was a high bluff that the couple had originally pictured as the location for their handfasting. A good half mile from High Meadow with a steep path along a knife’s edge, the location was truly beautiful but ultimately a hike they couldn’t ask their friends to make.

While the rest of the group either waited in High Meadow or began the walk home, a handful of us walked the trail to the bluff to watch the sun set into the ocean.

As twilight descended on the hill, we knew we’d have to hurry back to camp before it became completely dark. But the party was far from over. Waiting at the camp lodge were friends, music, and a homemade feast. The room, which had earlier been decorated by guests was filled with laughter and light.

After dinner, as the bluegrass band began to play, Allison and Ryan shared their first dance to “When You Come Back Down” by Nickel Creek. Ryan played this song for Allison when they were first falling in love and it has always reminded him of her.

Allison and Ryan also performed a “first song” together, backed up by their band: “By Way of Sorrow” by Cry Cry Cry. They practiced harmonies for months before the wedding, and Allison learned a flute solo to accompany the song. Even though the song was bittersweet, it was also beautiful and significant.

At the end of the song, we were all touched by what Allison and Ryan had shared with us that day. It was a wedding like none other I’d ever been to, and probably like none other I’ll ever see. Glad and grateful, we gave thank for our new friends danced long into the night.

Wedding photographers: Persimmon Images, Susanica Tam, Jonathan Moore
Venue: Camp Westwind
Flowers: Kruger Farm and Sammy’s Flowers, arranged by bride and guests
Invitations: Twin Ravens Press with maps by Crystal Kluge
Live music: Terracoustic
Bridal Attire: Miranda by Monique L’huillier
Rings: Andrew Nyce

Allison met Ryan while in grad school in New Mexico. Equal parts goofy and silly, they were a perfect match. After grad school, the two got engaged in Thailand and were offered jobs at a US-owned observatory in Chile. There, they lived in a community of mostly English-speaking astronomers, all while planning a three-day eco-conscious summer-camp style wedding on the Oregon coast!

Their wedding was so gorgeous, and the bride and groom so absolutely awesome that I’ll be sharing their photos across two posts rather than one.

I got to know Allison through her blogging as Mrs. Bear Cub on Wedding Bee (which I’ve continued to read since I finished writing for the site).  I love, love, LOVE rustic weddings, so Allison’s ideas made me super excited.

She and Ryan worked  hard to make their wedding unique; a real taste of the Oregon outdoors. Their guests were ferried into Camp Westwind by a barge across the river delta, and spent the weekend in bunk-bed cabins with pillows and sleeping bags, sharing meals in the lodge and stories by the bonfire.

Allison and Ryan wanted their wedding to feel like a gathering of friends, old and new, rather than a formal party. Ryan, an experienced camp counselor, knew that the casual camp atmosphere, beautiful view, and fresh sea air would do just the trick. And it did! (Westwind even cooked meals using their own recipes, which made the camp feel like home, even though it was a destination wedding for almost everyone there.)

It was important to these two nature lovers that their homegrown wedding not leave a big footprint. They spent only where they had to and crafted many of their decorations by hand, including recycled mason jar vases and LED-throwie paper lanterns:

Allison and Ryan also decided  against handing out traditional wedding favors that might end up in a landfill. Instead, they hosted a planting ceremony on the day before the wedding, and everyone was invited to plant indigenous shrubs on the Westwind grounds.

Wedding flowers in their “rustic red poppy” and “faded lavender” palette were purchased at a local farm. Allison let her bridesmaids choose their flowers and arrange their bouquets while friends and family created centerpieces for the reception. Allison even found time that morning to make her own STUNNING bridal bouquet before getting ready.

The guys wore fabulous homemade boutonnieres decorated with flowers, feathers, lavender, and lace leaves…

The lace leaves matched Allison’s amazing Monique L’hullier dress.

Bridesmaids wore dresses that matched the lavender & poppy colors of the day, with bright and beautiful jewelry. Isn’t Allison’s sister pretty?

Allison wore the most amazing combination of bridal accessories: Super cute Seychelles heels in a dusky pink, and a hair flower she made herself, a long pearl necklace her sister made her, and a rose pearl necklace from etsy:

Their gorgeous Mokume Gane rings were by Andrew Nyce Designs:

There was a little primping and preening, with hair and makeup done by the helping hands of friends, and Allison became a beautiful bride. She was ready for the ceremony…

Allison and Ryan had two ceremonies on their wedding day. The first, “traditional” ceremony, written by Allison and Ryan and officiated by his grandmother, was held in a grassy meadow close to camp that was accessible to all guests.  They chose to walk down the aisle hand-in-hand, serenaded by Ryan’s brother playing a waltz on the French horn.

After being officially declared husband and wife, the couple thanked their guests and started the walk uphill to their second wedding ceremony.

Allison had always dreamed of being married on a cliff overlooking the ocean at sunset….and Westwind had just the place. But the High Meadow was almost a mile from camp up a steep dirt path, a hike that many guests couldn’t make. So, after the traditional ceremony, a handful of family and friends gathered to make the trek to the second ceremony.

After slogging through mud, dodging briars and branches, hiking past signs warning of bears and cougars, and ducking under a barbed-wire fence (all in her wedding dress), Allison emerged in the field of her dreams, ready to wed her new husband for the second time…

For a moment, it was just the two of them under the late September sun, and then everyone gathered around to begin the ceremony that would cement their marriage…

Next post: The handfasting, portraits on the cliff, and reception!

(Read Part Two)

So, anyway, Susanica, her pal Jonathan Moore, Justin, and I photographed the hell out of this wedding. And, pardon my French, but it was that awesome.We left that wedding a lot richer in friendship and camaraderie. Allison and Ryan were so creative, authentic and hilarious. Their friends were just great. And we hit it off instantly with Jonathan and Susanica, with whom we shared a cabin. We ended the weekend with all four of us, newly acquainted but feeling like old friends, driving up Coastal Highway 101 from Lincoln City to Seattle, stopping along the way to eat seafood, sample Tillamook cheese, and kick off our shoes in the Cannon Beach sand. (Not to mention the late-night eats at Kushi Bar in Belltown. OM NOM NOM.)

It was probably the best weekend of my summer.

Here’s the aforementioned photograph, and the shot I believe I was lining up at the time. Consider it a teaser of sorts. Much, much more good stuff is soon to follow.

I’m so excited. You have no idea.

But before I get ahead of myself, let’s start at the beginning.

First things first: Melissa and the girls got ready in a beautiful room at the church, filled with warm light from leaded and stained glass windows.

I was pleasantly surprised how well-equipped the church was for bridal preparations. They’d set out a garment rack and a few beautiful antique mirrors that were enough to make anyone feel like a princess.

As Melissa was changing, the girls’ flowers were delivered to the bridal suite. Melissa’s bouquet of red (of course!) roses and stephanotis looked absolutely awesome with her wedding dress.

While Melissa finished her transformation into a bride, the boys had another agenda. Just one floor up, they were already ready to go, and spent their free time playing air hockey. Oh, to be a guy!

AJ and Melissa shared their first look on a Tacoma pier reminisce of the one where AJ popped the question. AJ looked out at the Sound while Melissa crept up behind him. They shared a quiet, emotional moment, alone except for their personal paparrazzi and a few curious fishermen.

The peace didn’t last long– the couple was quickly pounced upon by their exuberant wedding party, who had co-opted some of Tacoma’s finest into letting us use their squad car (and handcuffs) for a hilarious photo op. Melissa looks thrilled to be in handcuffs, doesn’t she? And I don’t know about you, but I’d love to see more burly police officers holding bouquets.

After Melissa and AJ were released, we made our way to the Tacoma Museum of Glass, stopping along the train tracks for a few portraits. We DID get chased off by a freight train, but not for long.

I love the rapt attention these two gave each other. It was so sweet!

The Museum of Glass has a billion great backdrops for portraits, including this nearby fire escape, which I’m pretty sure was meant to be off-limits.

The wedding party had their photos taken in the shade of the giant glass cone at the MOG, which I had never seen before. I was really impressed…both with the cone and by the gorgeous bridesmaids and smokin’ groomsmen. Red is a daring color, and they all managed to pull it off so well.

I love capturing photos of the moments in-between group poses. The little looks that happen when people relax, like the one below, are often some of the most wonderful shots of the day.

After portraits, we met the families in the park across the street from the church to start prepping for the ceremony. The boys got their bouts, and the flower girl and ring bearer were instructed one more time on how to walk down the aisle. I absolutely cannot believe how heart-breakingly cute this flower girl is, and I’m so happy that she became my friend as the night went on. I love kids of this age.

After the sermon, an emotional exchange of vows and tear-jerking rendition of Bless the Broken Road sung by family, AJ and Melissa were finally pronounced husband and wife… Hurray!!

The red-rose themed reception was held at Pioneer Park Pavilion in Puyallup (say that five times fast). Melissa told me that they were operating on a pretty strict budget, but put so much effort into the little details that the venue looked like a million bucks. With a big space like the Pavilion, that can be hard to do, so she gets my kudos!

Did I mention I love kids? This reception was filled with them. More than I’ve ever seen at a wedding, and some of the cutest, too!

Melissa and AJ made sure everyone, even the littlest, were having a good time. When they had their first dance, they were joined on the floor by my friend, the flower girl, and the dapper little ring bearer. No one minded one bit.

Don’t they look like a mini bride and groom?

The evening wouldn’t be complete without the bouquet and garter toss, both of which went off without a hitch save for one potentially embarrassing picture of the bouquet winner in mid-lunge. It was a great group of good-humored people, all smiles all around.

After that, there was nothing left to do but dance the night away. So we did… and the party didn’t quit until the day was long over.

Thank you, Melissa and AJ, for sharing your wedding with me. It’s the exuberance I feel around people like you that makes me love my job. And thanks, Kate, for letting me photograph alongside you. You rock my socks off!

This awesome “concert poster” was their wedding invitation. Can you believe it?  They had this one mounted at their ceremony for guests to sign in lieu of a guest book.

All of their grey & yellow details, down to the table runners, were completely handmade. Catherine even painted the vases in the perfect shade of gold!

Before Catherine and Micah joined the party for their first dance, their friends and family mingled and enjoyed hand-carried appetizers. We thought it was amusing that the staff kept trying to feed Justin and I as we were photographing. That is great service.

The Lake Union Cafe is  full of lovely features… great high ceilings and detailed chandeliers above the dance floor, an open kitchen and bar, and amazing views of the lake and shipyards.

There were lots of young kids at the reception… more, in fact, than I’ve ever seen. It didn’t seem like anyone got into too much mischief, though it was hard to keep the little ones off the floor while Catherine and Micah had their first dance.

Not only were the kids well-behaved, they were also super cute. Here’s a handsome young fellow:

This little guy has some amazing almond eyes…

To keep the kids happy, Catherine and Micah set out crayons and a sweet picture to color that was designed by Wedding Bee’s Mrs. Gummi Bear. It’s pretty obvious from the photo, but C&M spent their honeymoon in Australia. Their whole decor was really whimsical… I love the Billy Buttons. This is one flower I’m really glad to see gaining popularity in weddings.

Catherine and Micah put so much thought and effort into making their party exceptional for their guests. A friend’s band provided live music on stage, and wherever we looked, people were having a great time. Especially this guy…

The room was filled with talking and laughing while everyone waited for Catherine and Micah to make their grand entrance…

Then, the band called us all to attention and started the first few bars of their special song.

The happy couple entered the floor, and though all eyes were on them, they barely noticed anyone but each other. I love these shots… Catherine and Micah are so sweet.

Part of Catherine’s inspiration for their grey and yellow theme (also reflected in Micah’s tie) was these fabulous yellow shoes. I’m a huge fan of brides with colored shoes, because they add an awesome pop of color to photos. These were a great pairing with Catherine’s off-white, handmade, knee-length dress from Etsy.

Catherine’s sister was her Maid of Honor. Here she is watching Catherine share her first dance with Micah. I think she looks so proud.

The reception ended in the early afternoon, so Lake Union Cafe could prepare for their second wedding of the day. For Catherine and Micah, this meant time for R&R before meeting their close friends at Rendezvous in Belltown for the after party. They’d reserved the Red Velvet VIP room upstairs, where we all crowded together to share cold drinks and toast the newlyweds.

Catherine changed out of her wedding dress, took down her hair, and kicked off her heels– and still looked gorgeous and radiant. Despite her exhaustion, she (and everyone else) was all smiles.

We all celebrated with the same sentiment– a hearty congratulations to Catherine and Micah, raising our glasses to their long and happy future together.

Thank you both for sharing your wedding day. We loved being a part of your celebration and wish you all the best!

Despite my full photo calendar, I haven’t posted many of the details on my blog. I’ve been so busy with administrative business tasks that I’ve let my photographic recaps slide. That’s bad, and I’m sorry. Will you forgive me?

To make it up to you, I put together a slide show of some of my favorite images from this summer. This little mash-up spans the country from coast-to-coast, and features photos from all five of the weddings I mentioned above.

Check out these lovely brides and their unique wedding details. I get teary just remembering!

Can you figure out which images are from which weddings?

From now on, I’ll be making a slide show for all of my brides, featuring their wedding highlights. They’re super easy to share with friends and family, and I love creating them!

Catherine & Micah held their rehearsal dinner at a beautiful private home on a quiet inlet of Lake Washington. Sipping drinks and making toasts, the guests lounged poolside until dinner, provided by Lake Street Catering, was served. As the sun set and the air cooled, everyone was bathed in the gorgeous pink light you only see in late summer on the lakeshore. Of course, a summer evening wouldn’t be complete without ice cream… and nothing but the best: the locally renowned Molly Moon’s in three flavors (including salted caramel!). The kids (and, um, adults) loved it!

The pleasant buzz of conversation floated around us like a warm breeze, until night fell and the bride and groom retired for their beauty sleep. Details from their lovely wedding will be coming soon!