Timeless and drenched in elegance, every image of this black-tie affair from onelove photography has a hold on me. The father-daughter first look that had me tearing up, a bouquet of creamy white peonies, and a sparkler exit kiss to swoon over for days. And there’s a whole gallery full of even more sweet moments right here in the gallery!
From the beautiful Bride… We dated for 12 years before saying “I do.” Over the course of our relationship we made so many wonderful friends in high school, during our college years (in Boston and San Diego) and our professional lives (in New York and Los Angeles) that we wanted to be sure and include our friends from every phase, since they all played a special part in our journey to the alter. With that said, we had a huge bridal party, 21 people to be exact! Being surrounded by all our best friends on our wedding day was so special and truly made the day unforgettable.
Getting married in Seattle was another important aspect of our wedding. Although Erik and I currently live in Los Angeles, we both grew up in Seattle. We’re high school sweethearts and met at Seattle Prep High School. Seattle is where our love story began and is where both of our families live. Having both families a part of the planning process made every part of preparing for our wedding so special.
We both grew up Catholic and knew we wanted to have a Catholic ceremony. Our faith has always played an important part in our relationship. We both think of each other as God’s greatest gift. The president of our high school, Father Paul Fitterer married us, which was another very special detail since he too witnessed Erik and I fall in love at such an early age.
My stylistic goal was to have a classic, elegant, black-tie affair filled with love, loads of flowers and a twist of southern hospitality. My favorite décor detail of the day was all our gorgeous flowers—a mix of vanilla rose, pink peonies and a touch of greenery. Michael Peterson at Rented Elegance completely understood my vision and made our wedding day more beautiful than I even imagined possible. He went above and beyond on every little detail… the ivory drapery that framed the entrance of the church and all the beautiful signage that he accented with floral arrangements. I’m pretty sure my bridal bouquet of all creamy white peonies weighed 5lbs! It was more perfect than I even dreamed it would be and definitely one of my favorite details.
I loved my wedding dress. On our wedding day, I wore a Monique L’hullier gown from her spring 2013 collection, called the Infinity Dress. I wanted to wear a “wow” dress that made a statement and set the tone for our formal affair. My wedding dress served as inspiration for several of our wedding details, including our invitations, linens and wedding cake. I really wanted to find a dress that was very “bridal”, sophisticated, elegant and a little sexy. It was a strapless sweetheart tulle-gown covered in monochromatic white beading (made up of mostly different size pearls) and a drop waist. I’m obsessed with tulle and anything with pearls so it seemed like the perfect combination.
Our elegant gold-foiled invitations were presented to our guests in a pearly enclosure envelope that was tied up with a large tulle bow. We had ivory sequin table clothes from La Travola and gold chavarie chairs. Our cake was draped with pearls, vanilla roses and our new “TLE” monogram.
The graphic designer we hired to create our Save-the-Dates, wedding website and invitations did a fabulous job. She created an elegant T&E monogram surrounded by a ring of roses. We incorporated our “wedding monogram” everywhere on and leading up to our day. Having a wedding monogram just seemed like a classic and very southern touch that also made our wedding very unique to us.
I was really torn about whether or not we should have a live band or DJ. I wanted the sophistication and presence of a live band, but also wanted our guests to let loose on the dance floor. Our wedding planner suggested both, which was the perfect solution! Jake Bergevin & the Javatown Swing Orchestra entertained our guests during cocktails and all through dinner. They had a lovely, classic Big-Band setup and all the band members wore white dinner jackets with black bow ties. Their presence gave our wedding a timeless feel and helped to create the elegant ambiance that I was hoping to create. After dinner and cake cutting we invited our guests upstairs, where our guests kicked off their shoes, indulged in additional cocktails and danced the night away.
Both venues fit perfectly with our vision. I grew up down the street from Villa Chapel and always pictured myself getting married in a white chapel. Villa is a beautiful church filled with character and gold detail, which also matched our wedding color palette (ivory and gold with a touch of pink). Villa is a beautiful sacred space that we knew would be the perfect place to have our catholic ceremony. Our reception was held at the Seattle Golf Club, where I had grown up celebrating special occasions with my family. My grandfather and father are all members. I loved the idea of having our reception somewhere that was full of so many wonderful family traditions. Not to mention, the Seattle Golf Club is a beautiful venue that also happened to be big enough to accommodate 200 plus guests. The club was built in the 1920’s, which also fell in line with the classic, elegant vision for our wedding.
Another special moment was when my dad delivered my amazing bridal bouquet (of creamy white peonies). He walked up the stairs where all my bridesmaids and I were getting ready, with a huge smile on his face and immediately began crying when he saw me, handed me my bouquet and gave me a big hug. It was such a special moment, especially because my dad isn’t the overly emotional type (he played in the NFL for 6 years). Seeing how much my wedding day also meant to him was truly touching, especially because I wasn’t expecting such an emotional reaction from him. I’m just glad we have that special moment perfectly documented.
Seattle doesn’t always have the most predictable weather, but we had our fingers crossed for sunshine and blue skies. The weather was picture-perfect on our wedding day, which made being outside for photos so fun and even more beautiful. After our ceremony our guests traveled to the Seattle Golf Club for an hour or so of cocktails on the deck. While sipping our signature “His” (Dark and Stormy) & “Her” (The Bubbly Bride) cocktails, they mingled and enjoyed the panoramic views of the Puget Sound. It was truly picturesque (and I think it made several of our guests want to move to Seattle)!”
Photography: onelove photography | Videography: Bogle Productions | Coordinator: Solomon Events | Event Design: Rented Elegance & Design | Floral Design: Rented Elegance & Design | Wedding Dress: Devine Design Bridal | Cake: Bonnie At New Renaissance Cakes | Ceremony: Villa Academy | Reception: Seattle Golf Club | Jewelry: J. Lewis Jewelry | Bridesmaid's Dresses: Ryan Seacrest Distinction | Caterer: Seattle Golf Club | Makeup: Shannon Mercil | Grooms Attire: Dale Dunning Wall Street Clothiers | Ceremony Music: Silverwood Strings | Live Band: Jake Bergevin And Javatown Swing Orchestra | Rentals: BBJ La Tavola | Shoe Designer: Badgley Mischka | Veil: Vera Wang