7.11.2009
Hollywood Schoolhouse, Woodinville WA

When we met for the first time, Jim warned me that Holly was not big on pictures.

“You’ll see when you meet my family,” Holly had concurred. “We’re stoic people.”

I must say this made me a little nervous, photographing a bride who on the best of days did not like to take pictures. Which is the oddest thing because for one, Holly, a teacher and Jim, who works for Gamehouse (a company I’ve spent many a good penny on), are an attractive couple. I’d even go as far as to say magazine-worthy looks, but I wasn’t sure if they’d take it as a compliment.

The original plan was, according to Holly, a private wedding and that was it. But being Taiwanese Chinese – and I’m Chinese so I knew where this was going – there is no such thing as a private wedding. And so, a compromise was made. Holly and Jim did have a quiet ceremony of four: the bride, the groom, the officiant and the inn owner who witnessed their union, at the beautiful Gig Harbor. And Jim could throw a party for family and friends a few weeks later. That was how I came into the picture, pardon the pun.

It was a beautiful reception. The theme was purple, black and white. Centerpieces were assembled by Holly’s sister Erika from freshly picked flowers bought from the local farmer’s market just that morning. Handmade boxes of handmade chocolates and truffles as favors. A scrumptious buffet catered by the restaurant at the venue. And what a venue. The Hollywood Schoolhouse is a venue made for weddings, with its vintage furniture and antique knick-knacks. I’ll let you see for yourself.

This was my first garden wedding at Gas Works Park, one of my (and a few thousand other photographers’) favorite spots to shoot. Liz and Sean did not want many portraits, just some with family, so this is probably the most photojournalistic wedding I’ve done so far, which was pretty fun. Liz and Sean wanted a casual, laid back wedding and these pictures reflected the intimate, stress-free atmosphere of their day.

Love her shoes and the color of the stairs of their home in Seattle where Liz was getting ready.

Liz’s beautiful gown.

Liz rocking the bathrobe.

My assistant Amar shadowed Sean and took this beautiful shot.

Liz’s friend made these lovely bouquet and corsages.

All ready for the ceremony. Can you believe they set this up in all of 15 minutes?

Liz’s mom bought these colorful brollies for the guests, anticipating rain. They worked pretty well against the hot sun too!

Bagpipes, now that’s original! Amar took this as well.

Another wonderful capture by Amar.

A lovely poem by one Sean and Liz’s close friends.

The ringbearer was the cute little Katie.

A few of the portraits we snuck out to take after the ceremony.

After the ceremony, Sean and Liz walked to their reception at the Lake Washington Rowing Club, accompanied by bagpipes.

Two Buck Chuck, the best acoustic duo in town!

Liz and Sean rocking their first dance.

Congrats, Liz and Sean. I wish you all my best!

I met Samantha through my old blog www.theimperfectmom.com (yes, I was a mommy blogger!). A fellow Malaysian, she married her then-fiance Denny who lives, whaddya know, in Seattle and she moved here a year ago. They finally got the chance and time to put on a gown and a suit for some wedding pics.

It was a cloudy, overcast day, which makes it perfect weather for portrait photography. Adds drama to the scene and what a beautiful scene it was at Gas Works Park, a popular spot for wedding photos – and weddings!

A cute little “storytelling” collage for a cute couple.

GWP has a lot of colorful pipes. Love this dash of red.

We then proceeded across the bridge to Fremont for some casual pics.

Thanks for the opportunity, Sam and Denny. Wish you two all my best. xo, Jenn