Sneak Peek | Heather + John

There is so much to do and so very little time, but I just could not wait to share with you a few teasers from Heather and John's wedding last weekend in Snohomish. Please enjoy and know that there are plenty more where these came from. Congrats you two! Have a fantastic time in Panama!!!




xoxo,
amy

Georgia + Pascal | Act One

I am so excited today because I finally got the chance to post a few more images from Georgia and Pascal's beautiful wedding on May 1st. I loved that although their wedding colors were officially turquoise and red, they incorporated several other bright colors as well. All the guys had different colored ties and pocket squares. It's also worth mentioning that Pascal MADE all of his groomsmen's vibrant suit vests! I'm telling you this guy is a renaissance man. He dances, he sews, and he's an amazing public speaker. I have come to believe that there is nothing this man isn't great at.

We met up at Georgia's parent's home in Seattle for a couple quick portraits before the rain began and nudged us off to the church early. Set just off 15th Avenue on Capitol Hill, the Greek Orthodox Church of the Assumption is a beautiful venue for a wedding. As luck would have it, the rain stopped by the time we made it to the church and we were able to do all of the family portraits outside.

That's all for now! Much more soon...

The beautiful Stephana wedding crowns that were originally worn by Georgia's grandparents for their wedding ceremony in Greece in the 1930s.

Georgia's adorable niece and Pascal.



Checking out grandpa's pocket watch.



xoxo, amy

Diptych Day | She's Crafty...

She had taken the bed and the chest of drawers

The mirror, the TV, the new guitar cord

My remote control and my old skateboard

She robbed us blind - she took all we owned

And the boys blamed me for bringing her home

She's crafty, she gets around

She's crafty, she's always down

She's crafty, she's got a gripe

She's crafty

and she's just my type.

Although I've already been up since 3:30am, it's still early and I'm tired. Therefore in lieu of a clever post and a thoughtful haiku, you are instead treated to the lyrical stylings of The Beastie Boys. Which, in my opinion, is never a bad way to start your day.

This week's theme for Diptych Day was Crafty. Per the norm, waiting until the last minute, I decided to go a little abstract with a new pair of scissors and some quilting fabric I still have around from back when I actually had the time to quilt. I'm looking forward to finding that time again in the future. My counterpart in this diptych endeavor, Boston wedding photographer Kate McElwee, shot a much tastier subject- Mister McElwee's hand-crafted home brew. I can only assume, but I bet it's super tasty fantastic. It's at times like these when I wish Kate was still in Seattle so that I may impose upon her a sip. :)

So there you have it. Another Diptych Day down and hopefully several more to come. Please check out Kate's blog for more on her story!

Till next week!!
xoxo,
a

Love in the Great Northwest | Anna + Lars

First of all, let me just mention that you may want to get comfy for a sec. I have a ton of images and a lot of words to share from my super fun day with a super fun couple.

Anna and Lars are adorable. They both grew up here in the Pacific Northwest and love all of the awesome things that make this place great. Ferries, mountains, walking their dogs, lakes, trees, and the Sounders- seriously, what more could you ask for?

So on Mother's Day, we met up in Madison Park to try to cram all of these fabulous things into a few hours of engagement photos. After goofing around on the pier a bit and attempting to feed the Canada geese only to be hissed at, they donned their Sounders best (including Anna's super cool shoes!) for a few cheers.

We then headed back to Lars' place to pick up the pups, Loki (the lab) + Maverick (the puggle), for some walkies and a little water time. Then it was back in the car and off to West Seattle! We parked at Lincoln Park and snapped a few shots while walking down to the ferry terminal.

We walked on the ferry and after snapping away for 15 minutes or so, quickly docked on Vashon Island. Our plan wasn't to disembark, we were just going along for the ride, so we stayed put. We quickly learned that's not how the Washington State Ferry System works, everyone must disembark the vessel. So disembark the vessel we did and with a quick pivot, got right back on and sailed back to Seattle.

To cap off our day of fun, this super awesome duo treated me to a delicious BLTA and and a nice cold beer at Endolyne Joe's, one of their favorite Eats in West Seattle.

I know that i say this a lot, but it couldn't be more true for these two- I simply cannot wait for their wedding in Ollala this July. So, enough of my yapping (told you this was going to be a long one...) If you need to step away for a quick potty break, do so now. Lots of adorable photos are eagerly awaiting your return...














xoxo, a

Diptych Day | Circles of Joy!

Ring of Azure Blue
One Glass of Cabernet Sauv
Both Circles of Joy

A new twist to diptych day, I've decided to try my hand at haiku. :)

This week I again waited till the eleventh hour to get my shot done. Our theme: Circles. Why do I always seem to do this? I guess I've always felt I shot better under pressure. Perhaps I do, perhaps I like an excuse to put things off.

More than likely, I just like a reason to open a nice bottle of Cab.

As always, my partner in this weekly photo fun is Boston Wedding Photographer Kate McElwee. And as always she did a stellar job, the lighting on her ring shot is perfection! How is it that we always happen upon perfectly complimentary images? Nobody knows. It's a mystery.

A super-duper awesome mystery.

Now be sure you skip over to Kate's blog and leave a fantasticly eloquent comment like plan to do!

xoxo,
a

Bride's Choice Award 2010!

I just wanted to give a quick shout out to all of my fantastic couples from 2009!

Thanks to you guys I received WeddingWire's Bride's Choice Award for the second year in a row! I had so many fabulous weddings last year, I don't even know where to start! But I'll try...

*sucking in a huge breath*

First there was Ellen and Scott's wedding in February-brrr-where we all piled into a booth at Doc Maynard's and had a crazy party-bus driver who didn't know anything about Seattle. Then I thawed out in Cabo with Katherine and Dale, and chilled for a day with their bridesmaid, Neely, on Lover's Beach. Um...gorgeous! Rachel and Matt had a venue full of super fun cops and firefighters over in Shilshole which also included the best cake topper I've ever seen. Meghan and Nick had an amazing country-style wedding at Pickering Barn filled with pie, pizza, beer, and a kick-ass dance off! Not to mention the Bentley which wouldn't start at the end of the night. Jay and Kat got married on a ferry with their lovable and nearly blind Boston Terrier, Opus. Crystal and James partied down Glass Museum-style and left on a boat! They also did some amazing choreographed dancing with their wedding party. Steven and Brandi were married at beautiful Belle Chapel surrounded by friends, family, and Beta fish! Passports in hand we took the Clipper up to Victoria so I could be the Maid of Honor in Angela and Evan's wedding..and also shoot a few photos. I love those guys!! We took the ferry to Alice and Marc's wedding at her parent's property on Orcas Island. There was amazing food, micro brews, tiramisu, and a gorgeous sunset. Then Nichole and I hopped on a plane a flew across the globe to Eddie and Mwai's wedding in Malawi, Africa! Absolutely awesome. I don't think there's much else I can say about that. Finally, there was Kim and Patrick who whooped it up Tacoma- style (in gorgeous shoes by the way) and whose flower girls jumped on the bed at the Murano Hotel for me. Oh, and Pat was pooped on by a bird. We're fairly certain that's good luck. Right?

I hope I haven't forgotten anyone!!!

So, if you haven't already had a chance to do so, please pop over HERE to leave a little review for me. I sincerely appreciate it!!

For those of you 2010 brides (and grooms)- the best is yet to come! I can't wait to party down with all of you throughout this fantastic year! If Georgia and Pascal's wedding is any indication of how amazing this year is going to be, I'm already left speachless. And that is tough to do.

More photos and stories soon! And remember, tomorrow is Diptych Day!

xoxo,
amy

Engaged | Juliana, Justin, Jake + Alli.

My first meeting with Juliana and Justin was with our dogs at Marymoor Park in Redmond. After they chose me for their wedding photographer in June, we decided they weren't really up for traditional engagement photos.

Instead, we decided upon photos of their pups, Jake and Alli. These dogs are so incredibly fabulous. And I don't just say that because my dog Rocco decided Jake was his soul mate after their first meeting.Alli, their Pitbull mix, is the sweetest dog you ever could ever meet. Really, the sweetest ever. Jake is that mad, crazy, goofy, super-fun lab mix we all know.

Juliana and Justin had originally thought that their pups might not be the best coming down the aisle, but ultimately decided that they absolutely needed to be there. I cannot WAIT until their wedding in June for this wonderful couple and to see these fabulous dogs make their way down the aisle! What a fun couple with some super fun pups.

Here are just a few of my favs from the day...












Stay tuned tomorrow for photos from Lars and Anna's engagement shoot!

xoxo,
amy

Sneak Peek | Georgia + Pascal

Happy Monday!

Wow. Things have been crazy busy since posting about Georgia and Pascal's rehearsal dinner. I had an AMAZING time at their wedding. What a truly gorgeous, genuine, and heartfelt event. I'm fairly certain everyone who attended was either a public speaker or professional dancer, some both. More on that soon, for now this little tidbit will have to suffice.

I want to thank Bekah Jennings for creating the wonderfully handcrafted "Merci" sign for me on short notice. Check her out on Etsy. Bekah you ROCK!

xoxo,
a

Diptych Day | Shower

This week Kate and I agreed on the theme Shower. At first I was all excited with thoughts of artsy raindrops on tulips and bright umbrellas with fancy galoshes. And then the week hit me.

Hard.

A rehearsal dinner to shoot on Friday, the wedding on Saturday, two meetings on Sunday and one yesterday. Not to mention getting up at 3:30am to work my 8 hour I-like-having-medical-benefits job every day. So when exactly is it that these magical photos are taking form?

Turns out that instead of creating something magical, I stumbled upon something funny. Tuesday night, nearing the 11th hour, I walked into the bathroom to find Cleo and my half of our diptych this week.

Little Miss Cleo loves the shower. It is truly one of her favorite places. She likes to go in there and roll around. She'll chatter her silly "meh meh meh" while waiting for someone to rub her chubby little belly so she can wrestle with you.

She's my favorite. Don't tell the others.




I continue to be amazed at how well our images have fit together every week, even when we've both cut it down to the wire. :) I love Kate's image. The blue tone in her photo this week is just so soothing to me and offsets nicely the goofiness of my silly cat. And the idea to shoot in the shower, using her speedlite and pocket wizard encased in ziplock bags was pure genius!

As always, please be sure to head over to Kate's blog to read more of her story.

Till next week friends!!

xoxo,
a

{Diptych Day is a joint personal project between myself and Boston wedding photographer Kate McElwee. }

Basset Hound Rescue Needs Your Help!

Ok, so I don't normally use this blog for my own private sounding board, but this organization could really really use your help. Please read below and give if you're able.

Many of you know that I work often with the fabulous J. Nichole Smith and dane + dane studios. Last year Nichole had the opportunity to photograph the fabulous dogs at Basset Hound Rescue of Puget Sound located here in beautiful Woodinville while doing a show called Tales for the Pet Lover's Heart.

What you may not have known is that this rescue is not a shelter, it’s a home, the home of Alexa and JP. A home that recently burned down.

If you have $5, $10, $100 – PLEASE consider donating it to the effort of supporting these two and their rescue dogs as they recover from this tragedy.

To read more, see photos of the destruction and DONATE – visit here: http://www.adoptabasset.net/

Interlude | Rehearsal Dinner Joy

As I write this I am frantically trying to be sure I have everything ready to go for the wedding I'm shooting in two hours. However, I just had to post a few of the photos from last night's rehearsal for this same wedding. We met up at the Greek Orthodox Church of the Assumption at 5pm for the wedding processional rehearsal which was then proceeded by dinner at Fare Start on Virginia in downtown Seattle.

What a truly wonderful group of people. Pascal and Georgia's family and friends are from all over the world; Cameroon to Paris, England to New York and every place in between. There were speeches in Greek, French, and English. Pascal's mother sang a song to them in her native language and Georgia's father made up a song about the couple to the tune of Julie Andrews' Favorite Things. Both were amazing!

Today is bound to be a wonderful day full of tears and laughter and TONS of dancing. I don't expect to collapse into my bed until well after midnight, but I imagine I'll come back with some fantastic photos.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone and please enjoy some of the images from last night's festivities.