Last month, I had the opportunity to be a photographer at an event called The Big Fake Wedding. To be honest, I never considered doing a wedding show. But this was different. The premise of the event is putting on a fake wedding so you can see vendors in action. Instead of being to a show where there are dozens and dozens of different vendors and you are just shaking hands behind a display table - you are only seeing a few (or one!) of each kind of vendor. Seeing them in action. Seeing their real work on tables. Watching them work and seeing them do their thing. The Big Fake Wedding's philosophy is to inspire local businesses AND inspire committed marriages, which is something I absolutely stand behind. The "wedding" is an actual vow renewal between a real couple, which reminds all the couples planning weddings out there that the most important part of being engaged is laying the foundation for your MARRIAGE, not just planning a wedding day. I absolutely love this company and their heart for what they do. Not to mention, it was SO fun collaborating with all these other vendors putting their best work forward. I felt like I was in a photographers play-land. I felt so honored to be one of three photographers shooting this incredible event. This day in Seattle was pouring, absolutely downpouring the whole day, which made the neon/bright color theme so fun. I loved the contrast of the gloomy day and the party full of bright colors happening inside. I'm all about bright and bold color palettes (not usually seen in the PNW!) and I was so excited when I saw the inspiration board for this event. I am so impressed with all the vendors and everything they created!

Check out the event featured on Ruffled Blog and the Big Fake Wedding website! I am so excited to finally be able to share my favorite images from the day on my personal blog. Check it out!

ALSO - I will be a photographer at the Big Fake Wedding in SAN DIEGO in just a few weeks! I am so excited and I can't wait to share that event with y'all.

Kevin & Rachael | Woodland Meadow Farms Wedding

Kevin + Rachael

Venue: Woodland Meadow Farms / Second shooting by Maddie Takata / Makeup by Shalonda Peguero / Hair by Azalee Gracier / Florals by Flourish Floral Design

Caitlin & Colten | Rainy Tacoma Engagement Session

Colten + Caitlin on a rainy day in Tacoma.

Danny & Reesa | Snohomish Wedding

I contemplated pretty tough whether or not to blog this. Not because I don't *love* these images (because I definitely do), but because this wedding was SO fun and so full of joy. It's hard to explain, but it was such a special day it was like I wanted to keep it to myself. The kind of day I came home and cried about later because I had so much fun. I felt like I was leaving my own bff's wedding. These two and their friends and family made me feel like family and I didn't even want to leave at the end. I was like "I don't want to share these because no one will know how much fun it actually was or how much we all smiled and laughed!" These two have been together since middle school, so naturally they have the most amazing friends and family who have been supporting them for a decade. The energy and joy surrounding this day was unlike anything I've ever experienced. It was such an honor to be apart of and I can't help but look back at this images and smile. I hope they make you smile too.

Jordan & Cody | Chehalis Engagement Session

Jordan + Cody in Chehalis /// When I got Jordan's wedding inquiry, I was pretty stoked to say the least. Jordan is photographer based in the Chehalis area who I had the opportunity to work with back when I was offering videography services at weddings. It's always SUCH a trip to be hired by other photographers; it is seriously such an honor and the biggest compliment and I'm not sure I'll ever get used to it. Not to mention they are a gorgeous couple so selfishly I love photographing them. When they got engaged, I immediately thought "damn, it would be so dope to shoot that wedding," never expecting to actually get an inquiry from her. Needless to say, I am pretty stoked to be their wedding photographer and can't wait for their wedding next year!

I was thrilled to meet them in Chehalis for their engagement session. I got to see and shoot in some of their favorite spots and the place he proposed. Some of my favorite engagement shoots result from me having no idea what to expect or where we are going; I love just being along for the ride and stopping somewhere that speaks to me.

Enjoy, and keep your eyes peeled for their wedding next year because it's going to be dope and amazing.

Ben & Emily | Hurricane Ridge Engagement Session

Ben + Emily. We spent a gloomy day at Hurricane Ridge and it made for a seriously dreamy engagement session. I am so thankful for the adventure day I spent with these two! I can't wait for their wedding!

Alex & Courtney | Olympia Wedding

Venue: Albee's Garden Parties; first look/portrait location: Tumwater Falls

The Grussings! This wedding was so fun and special to be apart of. Courtney is one of my friends from college and barista days, and her wedding day felt like a reunion. So many wonderful friends and people supporting these two. Rain was on the forecast for the whole day, but instead we got sunny skies and dreamy clouds that rolled in during the ceremony.

This wedding is a really great example of what a difference a good getting-ready space can make. Courtney got ready in our friend Brenna's home near the venue and I was in photographer heaven. Big windows, lots of natural light, neutral colors and tones... this was the perfect space to get ready in and resulted in stunning images from that part of the day. I always try to encourage my couples to find places to get ready with lots of light and a clean space, because it's SO worth it.

Whitney and Dan | 3 year anniversary session (it's my anniversary too!)

About 4 years ago, a friend from church asked me to shoot her wedding. At that time, wedding photography wasn't even on my radar. I had been doing makeup at weddings for years, but never had any interest in wedding and portrait photography. At the time I was studying photojournalism at Western Washington University, mostly doing live music photography and working for music blogs and small publications. For some reason, I said yes. Now looking back that seems crazy - if I knew how hard wedding photography is and how in-over-my-head I was, I probably would have said no. I had never even second-shot or assisted anyone, I was going in totally blind and completely just following my intuition on how I should do things. Luckily, I had about 9 months to prepare, so I spent that time learning everything I could about portrait photography and working with couples. I shot their wedding, it went great, and people saw those original images from their wedding and I ended up booking more weddings. And all of a sudden I was a wedding photographer.

I feel extremely lucky for that opportunity and for their trust. I know photographers who try for years and years to book their first wedding. Trying to get a couple to trust them with that task. I always kind of joke that wedding photography happened to me rather than me pursuing it. I feel like I owe my whole career to Whitney and Dan. If it wasn't for them, would I have become a wedding photographer? I have no idea. Maybe wedding photography still would have found me one way or the other. But the way I see it, I owe it all to them.

I took them out to their wedding venue on their 3-year anniversary, set them up with a hair and makeup team, created a bouquet for her, and re-created some wedding portraits for them. To celebrate their love and give them the wedding portraits I wish I knew how to create back then. Also as a celebration for me - that day was also my anniversary! The anniversary of my first wedding. And that's a huge day for me. There's no other way I'd rather be celebrating that than shooting with these two: the two who started it all for me.

Thank you, Whitney and Dan, for seeing something in me that I didn't see in myself back then. For giving me my start and trusting me to capture your most intimate moments. I owe my career to you.

Huge thank you to Shannon Mercil Makeup + Jamae Wiederhold hair for coming along and being my dream-team glam squad. Thanks to Jeremy Millar for coming along and assisting! He also got some gorgeous images of the day, check out his work to see what he created.

Matt & Lexi | Queen Anne Engagement Session

Matt & Lexi

Kenny & Olivia | Pioneer Square Engagement Session

Olivia + Kenny

Kellen & Toni | West Seattle Engagement Session

Kellen + Toni // this session was my first of the year that really felt like spring and I couldn't be happier.

Chase & Kelly | Anniversary Vow Renewal + Portraits

I can't think of a better way to spend your anniversary: dressing up like it's your wedding day again and renewing your vows in front of your closest family in your church. They did the whole huge wedding thing a few years ago and wanted something more intimate to represent and include their faith that is a huge part of their relationship. Kelly took her original wedding dress from two years ago (awwwww) and altered it to fit the new occasion. I am obsessed with her whole bridal look created by Ceann Cherry; the vintage waves, the dark vampy lips... she looked AMAZING and it was so inspiring as a photographer to capture her elegance.

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