Jamie and Chris: August 6, 2010

Everything about Jamie and Chris' wedding near Port Angeles was local, handmade, and completely "them."  Jamie and Chris are one of those true stories about love at first sight; they met at MIT while Chris was there on an exchange from Cambridge in the UK for one semester; they spent the next four years commuter-dating, finally ending up together in California where Jamie is completing her PhD and Chris works for a large energy corporation. 

They decided to get married at Lake Crescent (where Chris proposed) and have the reception at Jamie's parents' house on the beach in Port Angeles.  While the locations posed some difficulties (Jamie's parents spent the whole spring and early summer spiffing up the beach house, and we had to bring everything into the beach for the ceremony), it really turned out exactly as they wanted -- unique, casual, and completely fun filled!

We arrived one day early, along with many of Jamie's out of town relatives from Brazil, California, and Chris' friends from the UK, to begin the setup.  Jamie's mom, Jean, picked wildflowers and blackberries from the neighboring fields for the handmade centerpieces, while Jamie's dad, Fleisch, was busy climbing up ladders, setting up the bar with his personal collection of Brazilian crystal, and mixing the specialty drink, a caipiringa, with Brazilian sugarcane rum.

They even hung the flags of the three nationalities represented by Jamie and Chris -- Brazilian and American for Jamie, and Welsh for Chris!

The day of the wedding proved gorgeous -- sunny, warm, and perfect.  Jamie and Chris chose to get married on a small spit of land at Lake Crescent against the backdrop of a large piece of driftwood they found the summer before.  Guests gathered, standing, around the couple during the ceremony officiated by Jamie's uncle. 

Following the ceremony, Jamie and Chris took some time with their fabulous photographers Lisa and Peter Kuhnlein at the lake, while guests made their way to the reception site.

Jamie and Chris hired the Brazilian Band, Show Brazil!, to play during the cocktail hour and the beginning of dinner.  Afterwards, DJ Jeff Hill took over as the guests unleashed their party side!

Jamie and Chris ordered a plethora of sweets for their handmade tower, embellished with silk flowers -- cupcakes, brownies, cookies, lemon bars, tarts, and mini pies all from Bainbridge Bakers!

Fleisch built a bonfire near the bar and on the way to the beach -- a perfect way for guests to warm up once the winds picked up and the sun began to set.

Thank you, Jamie and Chris, for such an outstanding party!  I am honored to call you my friends -- and wish you all the best!

All photos by KP Studios



Sunday: Fun Day edition

Another fun post for Sunday....

Photo by: W. Scott Chester Photography

Pretty as a feather

If I were getting married all over again....and was as stylish as I am in my dreams....I'd get a dress like this!

Photo by: Sean Flanigan

Katie & Casey: August 1, 2010

Ahh....just thinking about their wedding makes me smile.  Casey and Katie are one of those couples where you feel in your soul that they are meant to be with each other.  As their caterer aptly observed at the end of the night...."You just know those two are going to make it!"

Casey and Katie chose Farm Kitchen for both their ceremony and reception.  Being a laid-back, outdoorsy couple, it fit their hopes for a lovely, yet down-to-earth wedding celebration.  They decided early on that they wanted to focus on good food and drink and make sure their guests were comfortable and had a great time.

Since Katie and Casey live in Capitol Hill, they did most of their "getting ready" on the Seattle side of the water.  Katie and her girls beautified, while the boys got breakfast and made their way to the Bainbridge ferry terminal in cars stocked with wedding decor and supplies. 

Once they arrived at Farm Kitchen, we all flew into high gear.  The bridal party dressed (boys in the "Grooms Cabin" and girls in the "Bridal Suite" at the Farm), while their photographer, Garrett Grove (who I want to work with all the time now -- so original and artistic!) took photos. 

Grandpa and grandson

The "first look", before the ceremony

The men (including 1 little man!)

Bridal party, in the corn fields

We busied ourselves with setting up the ceremony and reception decor (Katie decided on French flower pails filled with sunflowers along the aisle) and Garrett's co-worker arranged farm-cut flowers in Mason jars for the reception tables.  Stephanie, of Stephanie, of Course! started grilling vegetables and salmon, chicken, and tri-tip steaks, filling the air with wonderful scents. 

When it was time for the ceremony, both Katie and Casey were calm and collected; their exuberance at the end of the ceremony (Casey whispering to Katie "We're married, baby!") brought tears to my eyes! 

Once the formalities were complete, everyone let their hair down.  Guests laughed, sampled the excellent food, marveled at the decor.  Casey and Katie gave bottles filled with Tom Douglas' "Rub with Love" seasoning as favors, and placed books on each table, inspired by Martha Stewart, asking guests to answer questions or give advice to the newlyweds, in lieu of a guestbook.

Katie and Casey even surprised guests by dancing to "Home" by Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeros for their first dance -- it was awesome!

Garrett also set up a self-service "photo booth" which encouraged guests to show their sillier sides...

What a glorious day -- thank you, Katie and Casey, for letting me be a part of your celebration!

All photos by: Garrett Grove Photography