Seeing a bride and groom who march to the beat of their own design drum is a MAJOR breath of fresh air in wedding blog world. And when that couple just so happens to have Finch & Thistle by their side? Boy, is it going to be good! From the urban rooftop venue to the rich, textured florals and every eclectic detail in between, trust me when I say the gallery from Chantal Andrea is not to be missed.
From Finch & Thistle Event Design… This was a far from traditional wedding – no sit down dinner, no bouquet toss, no cake cutting and a fullly professional stage setup for the band (with musical cameos by the Groom, Groomsmen, both Fathers, and the Groom’s grandfather)! Half the guests had flown in from the UK and Kristin and Gary really wanted to ensure that everyone had a wonderful time and got to experience a real Pacific Northwest atmosphere.
They wanted the wedding to reflect their cultural differences – Gary is British and Kristin is a Washington native – and show off the beautiful city where they had made a home together. They picked a very urban, warehouse style venue with a rooftop deck, their favorite local tapas bar to cater, Macrina Bakery (a Seattle institution) to provide the desserts and Kristin’s dad’s pub in Anacortes provided the beverages, Rainier beer included.
Kristin and Gary’s wedding was a dream to design because the couple was so open to pushing the envelope design-wise. We wanted to highlight the urban feel of the venue, Within Sodo, but also bring an air of glamour and elegance to the space. We picked a color scheme of navy, cream, red and burgundy so we could use the beautiful local fall flowers and foliage that Kristin loves. The ceremony backdrop we created out of a Magnolia leaf garland hung with industrial bulb lights and decorated with garden roses was a design highlight.
We also decorated the buffet tables and dessert buffet with the same magnolia garlands and large, overflowing gold urns filled with garden roses, crabapple branches and dahlias. The centerpieces alternated with gold urns on the larger tables and a smokey grey glass vase on the bistro style seating near the stage. We hung giant greenery chandeliers in the main room and Polish glass lanterns twinkled above the dessert table.
From the Bride… I’d have to say one of my most favorite moments was when Gary’s grandfather played Paul Simon’s “Still Crazy After All These Years” solo/acoustic on stage. Such a touching moment. I also loved the ceremony – both for design reasons and otherwise. My uncle performed the ceremony which was special. It was a quick ceremony, very simple and non-religious as he is a judge, but I thought it was perfect. That room was amazing too – perfectly lit, the lights at the altar gave off the most gorgeous glow and the magnolia garland was wonderfully simple and elegant. I also LOVED the dessert table decorations – the lanterns, the garland and the bouquets on the table were gorgeous.
The overall feeling of the event was very romantic and elegant thanks to the candle lighting, the floral arrangements, the vintage furniture, and really even the style of the food that we served. It felt very classy and luxurious but the starkness of the venue and the music and bar vibe all kept it feeling casual and lively. One of Gary’s friends told us he felt like he should be paying a cover charge to get in. Other friends of ours have told us it felt like an awesome party that a wedding crashed. I think people just had FUN and that was the point!
Photography: Chantal Andrea Photography | Floral And Event Design: Finch & Thistle Event Design | Catering: Pintxo | Makeup: Kristen Nicole Lawson Project Makeup | Hair: Lisamarie Hardan | Bar: H2O Anacortes | Desserts: Macrina Bakery | Event Venue: Within Sodo | Linen Rental: BBJ La Tavola | Other Rentals: Pedersen's rentals | Vintage Furniture: Vintage Ambiance