Friday, December 31, 2010

Annie + Danny | Inglewood Always Up to No Good.



Now who can resist a little 2Pac reference when it presents itself so clearly?  Oh, in case I forget, Annie and Danny were married at Inglewood Gold Club in Juanita. Hence my 90's rap reference.

The first time I met Annie, for our bridal consult, was at Starbucks.  We talked for two straight hours before realizing at the end of the conversation that we should probably spend little time talking about her wedding. Annie is a very good friend of my cousin's very good friend, Gretchen.  What I didn't know is that vicariously that makes her my very best friend.

I didn't actually get to meet Danny until the rehearsal a couple nights before the wedding.  I had been told by Annie that he was not a smiler.  This was sorta funny to me because Annie is a uber-smiler and I just couldn't picture her groom stone-faced while she was cheesing in all the photos.  So I braced myself for a difficult groom and was instead plesantly surprised with not just one but a whole party of goof-offs.

To be honest, while Annie is super laid back and fun, I thought this wedding may be a tough one for me.  I had just shot Cassie and Matt's wedding the day before and had the image of a grumpy groom imbedded in my skull from their rehearsal two days before.  I was of course delighted to be met with great family, a fun wedding party, and a very no-nonsense bride and groom.  I had a wonderful time, devoured some fabulous food, danced a bit myself, and left the night with more than one smiley Danny photo.  Now that is a good wedding.

Annie and Danny, you were all about getting the party started and for that, I thank you.  :)

Let's party again soon,
ames


















Thursday, December 30, 2010

Cassie + Matt | Top O' The Market to ya!


Well, we're getting down to it.  For some reason I still have this crazy idea that I'm going to get all of this year's weddings blogged before the end of the year.  This means I may have a big Fire-Sale-Everything-Must-Be-Blogged posting extravaganza tomorrow.  Then again I may not.  I do have a wedding tomorrow evening after all.  You'll just have to wait and see.  For now, enjoy this lovely Seattle wedding from a rare pristine November Saturday.

Matt and Cassie were married at the spectacular and quaint Top Of The Market which is located shockingly above Pike Place Market.  Theirs was one of my shorter wedding days, which turned out to be just the right amount of time to capture all of the fun and whimsy and also had me in bed at a reasonable hour, which is nice.

The couple got ready at the Inn at the Market, a lovely hotel just North of the main market. I always think of it as the place they pass in Sleepless in Seattle's cute-butt scene with Tom Hanks and Rob Reiner.  You may know the scene I'm talking about, you may think I'm a bit mad.  Both are valid options. Don't ask where all this Sleepless in Seattle comments are coming from, I have no idea.  Other than the fact that I've seen it a trillion times. There I go getting off topic again...

Let me be honest...it's sorta that kind of day for me...the off-topic kind I mean.  This was a beautiful wedding with a beautiful couple, one of those weddings you don't need to sit here and read me yap about. So why don't we just get to the photos?

Cassie and Matt, it was such a pleasure to spend such a gorgeous November afternoon with you.  Congrats and much love and best wishes to what is sure to be a marvelous future together!

xoxo,
amy



























Pesarakphorn + Nick | Ballroom Blitz!

"I know things. For instance, there are 108 beads in a Catholic rosary and there are 108 stitches in a baseball. When I heard that, I gave Jesus a chance." -Annie Savoy, Bull Durham



I began writing this blog before I actually began editing Pesarakphorn and Nick's wedding photos.  I talked about how these two seemed so opposite in appearance but how they are actually completely perfect for one another. While I still totally agree that they were MFEO (that's a Sleepless in Seattle reference...), once I went back through the images from this amazing day I was reminded of just how awesome it was and basically started over.

As any of you who read my blog regularly know, I have had several weddings this year, each one unique and special in its own way.  This wedding was no different. We met that morning at Nick's grandmother's for getting ready pics and their first look.  Side note: Nick's grandma officially gets first place in my book for the sweetest family member of my 2010 wedding season.  I was there about 5 minutes before she popped into the room as I was shooting the wedding dress to ask me if I'd like any pancakes. That's right, would you like some pancakes? SO incredibly gracious and sweet!  Sadly I did not partake in any pancakes that morning, but I have no doubt they were delicious.

After leaving Grandma's the whole bridal party headed over to the University of Washington for a few fun photos in the weight room and some of my mandatory jumping pics.  These guys had some of the best jumps I've seen all year, although I shouldn't be surprised since their party was full of athletes. 

After the U, we made our way over to their venue.  The Georgetown Ballroom could possibly be my favorite venue of the year.  There have been lots of cool spaces (you'll see a couple more in the next few weeks) but this one is just so unique, eclectic, and funky. It has a ton of character and personality, and you guys know I'm all about personality.  :)

The wedding ceremony itself was quick and simple, beautifully stated yet concise.  The food was wonderful as were the speeches. Nick's dad quoted Bull Durham which is one of my favorite movies of all time.  While everything leading up to this point was wonderful, my favorite part of the evening was the official announcement of the Bride & Groom.  All of the bridal party came out from behind the curtains like a starting line up.  It was completely awesome, from MLB theme and smoke machine all the way down to the huddle and confetti toss.

The rest of the night was a bit of a blur with tons of great music and lots and lots of fantastic dancing! Thanks to Pesarakphorn, Nick, and all of their friends and family for allowing me to share in this incredible day.  I had such a blast with you guys and am super excited to follow Nick's journey to the Big Show!

Congrats and much love,
Amy