Chris and I are so excited to share some upcoming changes to our website and our blog.  We also have some great things planned for our bride and grooms which I hope will bring some tears of joy to our couples whom we enjoyed to work with so much.  Up first, Suryn+Shawn…so stay tuned for that.  But in the mean time, enjoy this beautiful sneak peek!

If there’s one thing for a bride to worry about in the Pacific Northwet, it’s rain (har har, see what I did there?).

It comes up all the time when we chat with brides up here.  Should I shoot for mid or late Summer?  Is September too late?  Where should my backup ceremony location be?  Do I need to pick up cute umbrellas just in case?  Contingency plan.  What locations will we use for portraits if it does happen?  You lied to me Steve Pool.  How can I best keep the rain off the dress?  Is that makeup waterproof?  No, I don’t mean for tears.  Rain is such a fact of life up here that you can’t help but have it on your mind, all. the. time.  And it’s enough to drive your stress level through the roof and back.

That is, unless, you’re Suzanne.

Remember Suzanne?  We shot Suzanne+John this past March for their engagement session, and rain tagged along for the fun.  But it didn’t phase them then, and it sure didn’t phase them this time.  Nerves of steel, these two.

I’ve always known Suzanne to be calm, composed, and refined.  She gave me my first ‘big break’ out of college when she hired me into my first real job as part of her team.  To this day I’ve never worked with someone who rolled with the punches and embraced Murphy’s Law better than Suzanne does.  Or was as thoughtful and nurturing.  She never failed to make sure I was squeezing all the learnings out of my experiences, or getting enough to eat in spite of my not-yet-broken-bad-habit of skipping lunch.  Suzanne was my first work-mom.

On Suzanne+John’s big day, it rained sideways, and they shrugged.  It rained upwards, and they waved it off.  We had lightning and thunder and they ooh’d, ahh’d, and smiled through it.  And you know what happened?

It stopped.  Right on schedule for their first look.

Suzanne+John are at the same time your gorgeous classic couple frozen in elegance, and your quintessential young lovebirds those romantic feel-good movies are made about.  Surrounded by the closest of family and friends, it was an honor to be a part of their celebration.

More from their big day in Suzanne+John’s slideshow below.  To view the slideshow in HD or if you’re on an iPad or iPhone, click HERE.

Today Chris and I had a chance to meet one of the cutest little things in the world, Baby Zoey!  Wai+Tats are our dear friends and I’ve known Wai since high school.  It’s hard to believe that life has brought us here and we’re now welcoming her first little baby girl to the world.  Zoey was born yesterday morning.  She made a grand entrance, surprising both her mommy and daddy by arriving earlier than expected.  But it was a great surprise indeed because it allowed Chris and I the opportunity to meet her just that much earlier.

Just last weekend though, some of us friends threw Wai+Tats (and Zoey) a baby shower.  Little did we know at the time that it would just be one short week before she’d arrive.  Nonetheless, the then to-be parents had a great time and here’s some pics for them (and you) to enjoy!

On a rainy winter Seattle night, Chris+I met up with Suryn+Shawn at a Seattle Starbucks to discuss their wedding in more detail.  I remember getting really amped up for the meeting because I was extremely excited about their wedding location.  This August, Suryn+Shawn will tie the knot in Leavenworth, WA at The Sleeping Lady resort.  Chris+I had previously shot a wedding here before and we just fell in love with this place.  However, after we talked and chatted over coffee with Suryn+Shawn, we fell in love with them even more.

We were definitely excited to work with Suryn+Shawn after postponing our initial shoot due to rain (Seattle…figures!).  They arrived at our first location, Pioneer Square, looking prim, cute, and super nervous.  And as luck would have it, the Sounder’s game had just let out.  Meaning…loads of people were walking around in the area.  It didn’t phase them though, and as these pictures show, they totally brought their A game.  There’s this vulnerability about Suryn that’s hard to describe in words.  But her eyes are fierce, her smile is mesmerizing so it’s no wonder Shawn is crazily in love.  And well…Shawn…I mean…just look at that smile!  These two made our job that day so easy, so we can’t be more excited to work with them again on their wedding day.  For now, take a peek at their engagement photos below.

Check out more of their engagement session below in their awesome slideshow!  If you’re on an iPad or iPhone, you can watch the video here.

They say to find your dream job, find something you love.  To us, the other half of the secret formula is finding people you love to do it with.  Now, I suppose you could say Cindi and I get along pretty well, but we feel incredibly blessed that we have the most awesome couples to work with.  Love ‘em love ‘em love ‘em.

Meeting Kathy+Angelo was like getting together with old friends.  At our initial “potential client” / “potential photog” meeting, they invited us into their home on a typical sprinkly-but-sunny-Seattle-Sunday-afternoon, and we ended up chatting for hours on everything.

It’s no wonder our shoot went the same way.  We spent the day all around Seattle, laughing, joking, and goofing off (you can tell they like to squeeze the fun out of life, and don’t sweat the small stuff — like the threat of rain we faced all week).  We even had a lunch break in between (you can tell they also like to squeeze the food out of life, being a lot like us and planning to-do’s around to-eat’s).  It’s was just like heading out with our besties, except somewhere in there pounded out several gigabytes of photos.

Check out more photos of Kathy+Angelo in their slideshow below.  To view the slideshow in HD, or if you’re on an iPad or iPhone, click HERE.

 

You know those folks that are just fun?  Living, breathing, walking fun?  You know what I’m talking about.  Those people you could describe as good-times, rolled in ohmigawsh, deep fried in LOL oil, wrapped in bacon, and served on a plate of my-cheeks-hurt-from-laughing-so-much?  Yes, those types.

Those types are almost as much fun as Kat+Jeff.  2 of the most genuine people you’ll meet, who are so enjoyable to just be around.

Though we hadn’t met before the shoot, I feel like after a few quick hours we had made fast friends.

And it’s not even because Kat — the bakery manager at the uberdelicious Bliss Bake Shop – left us with tons of itty bitty cakes, or even because Jeff took us through the twistiest, turniest, funnest road I’ve been on in the Evo (Cupcakes and spirited driving?  These two really know the shortcut to my heart!).

It’s because just a few moments with these two and you’ll clearly see how loving and caring they are.  To each other, of course, but also to all those around them.

These are my kind of people.  Congrats you two, we’re so excited for the wedding!

Check out more photos of Kat+Jeff all over the Pearl District, Powell’s Books, and Cathedral Park in their slideshow below.  To view the slideshow in HD, or if you’re on an iPad or iPhone, click HERE.

 

“What’s the worst that could happen?”

That’s what we asked ourselves when we first decided to “officially” take the plunge together into photography.  I think I read once that a little over 50% of new ventures fail within the first year, and something crazy like 95% within 5.  I never felt inclined enough to dig up solid statistics to see if it’s true, but looking back, I don’t think we ever thought we could “fail.”

What’s the worst that could happen? — we’d end up with thousands of photos, bear witness to (and become a part of) some of life’s to some of life’s most intimate and treasured moments, amass some fun toys and hopefully a handful of new friends.  All while doing what we love, with our most loved.

Hard to find a downside when you look at it like that.

One year ago tomorrow, we had the honor of capturing SLM+Ryan’s big day.  And other than remembering it as a beautiful occasion shared amongst some of the most fabulous and loving people we’ve met, we’ll also remember it as when we were proven right.

SLM+Ryan are cut from that certain kind of amazing that makes you glad you have them in your life.  And we blessed to now be able to count them amongst our friends.  One year later, we’re even able to add +1 to that list with their heartmelting baby boy, Reese.  So it only felt fitting that we kick-off our 2012 shoots with sharing more from the family that reminds us, every time we see them, why we love doing what we do so much.

Happy Anniversary SLM+Ryan, and cheers to your first full year of being awesome, baby Reese!

Mosey over to Vimeo to view in HD.

Location:  Sorrento Hotel, Capitol Hill, Seattle
Song:  Joseph Vincent – Bumblebee

Winston+Bear are good friends.  Probably more considered brothas from different mothas.  Winston belongs to Jackie, one of our upcoming 2012 brides, so I’m sure you’ll be meeting more of his fab family soon.  But for now, just his buddy Bear will have to do.  Bear belongs to Jackie’s future mother-in-law, and these two chaps get along just swimmingly.

We took a walk through the University of Washington campus one chilly Saturday morning, and let these two run free amongst the last batch of college folk cramming for pre-holiday finals.  These two fit right in with their purposeful gait, sleepy stares, and in the case of Winston… dashing fall sweater.  So debonair!

And for good measure, my little boy Chewy!  He also came along for the ride and had fun watching his fellow pooches model.

It was probably one of the coldest mornings we’ve had this winter in Seattle.  The air was crisp, the leaves had almost all fallen onto the ground…leaving the trees bare, and our photoshoot miniature models (Natalie, Nadia, and MacKenzie) were quivering out of their socks from being so cold.  These twin girls and little baby Natalie were such good sports, even on the cold early morning, they of course had to be rewarded with Starbucks hot chocolates after the shoot.

Megan+Stefan wanted a family shoot at Mercer Island’s Luther Burbank Park with their three girls.  Although it was a little bit of a challenge to get the girls to focus on solely taking pictures, having them be in their natural element gave us a chance to capture them at their best!  Natalie, Nadia, and MacKenzie were so much fun to be around.  By the end of the shoot, I gave the shivering Nadia a huge hug goodbye.  I think I’ve just made three new girl friends!

Megan, Stefan, and girls…it was so much fun spending a chilly morning with you guys.  We hope you enjoy your slideshow below!

One of the best things about working in the wedding industry is meeting people that are just as passionate about weddings as we are.  When Chris and I met Ashley+Christina of It’s Your Day Events and Expressions during a local wedding event we almost didn’t quite make, we immediately knew they were just like us: just because you’re passionate about your craft, and take your business seriously, doesn’t mean there’s no room for fun.

Best friends for 15 years, Ashley+Christina help brides plan their perfect wedding day.  One thing that sets them apart from other coordinators is that they tag team and plan every wedding together.  They believe a bride deserves the best, and working side by side on every wedding event provides the bride with an extra ounce of sizzle on their day.

Having fun doing what you do and doing it with the person you can have fun with is one of the key elements to having a successful business.  And even before we started our photo shoot, I immediately knew Ashley+Christina were not only the type of girls that have fun together, but they’re the types I could have a blast with.  To call these two wedding coordinators is going to be an understatement by the time your wedding day gets here.  Because I believe, not only will these girls plan the perfect wedding for you, but more importantly, they’ll probably end up being your friends.