At first glance, this soiree from Katie Parra Photography pulled me in for it’s utter romance… sweet blues for the bridesmaids, modern touches scattered about the gorgeous Rainier Chapter House mansion, Fena Flowers‘ lovely blooms and of course, the sweet stacks of books and lettered table numbers for the book-loving couple. I dare say you’ll fall in love with this gallery darlings!
From the beautiful Bride… Stephen and I met the summer before our sophomore year at the University of Washington. We were instantly attracted to one another and became fast friends. Dating in college was a blast and we shared so many new and fun experiences together. After we graduated, moved off campus, and found careers we went through some trying times and thankfully stuck together. Six years after we first met we decided to move in together and knew it would be the final test to find out if we were going to make it as a couple. Luckily we found living together was easier than not! Stephen proposed soon after and we began the planning process.
We wanted our wedding to feel relaxed and romantic, and also have a touch of the simple life that’s easily forgotten. Books seemed to fit perfectly with this theme, plus we both love to read, we met at school, and Stephen used to work in a library. Seattle doesn’t have any old libraries that host weddings, so finding a venue proved to be difficult. We stumbled across The Rainier Chapter House on Capitol Hill and instantly fell in love. It’s an old mansion built as a replica of George Washington’s Mount Vernon home and it had the olden day décor and architecture we were going for. There wasn’t much decorating we had to do for this venue, but we were lost when it came to bringing our vision and ideas to life. So, we hired an amazing wedding planner, BreeAnn from Pink Blossom Events, to help us. I wanted to have color everywhere and, being April, we went with a pastel pallet. We used letters instead of numbers for the guest tables, and we chose gold and cream colors to accent the soft, romantic feeling.
The day of our wedding was absolutely flawless. We were pleasantly surprised that it was a gorgeous, warm, sunny day, which is unheard of on an April day in Seattle! We were so happy that we were able to take pictures outside that day because the neighborhood around our venue is beautiful. Katie, our photographer had all the prime photo locations spotted beforehand, so we ended up getting the most amazing shots.
After the ceremony, our guests enjoyed the delicious food of Pyramid Catering, dancing with the very entertaining Michael Benson Band, and hilarious photos at the Giffy Booth. Stephen and I were so overjoyed with everything. We turned to each other the next day and said, “Let’s get married again!” It was such a blast and such a great way to start our life as a married couple together.
From Katie Parra… Sara and Stephen were a joy to work with from start to finish. They were so relaxed and trusting which for any vendor is a complete treat. The entire day felt very effortless. Nothing was overdone. From the stunning flowers, to the stacks of library books each individually covered with sparkly crate paper, to the adorable bridesmaids in their perfectly coordinated color palette. Some of my favorite details from the day were the lovely Kate Spade bangles Sara gave to each of her bridesmaids, the gorgeous wedding cake made by the bride’s sister and the dessert bar stocked full of goodies made by the bride’s grandmother and cousin. There were lovely homemade and personal touches everywhere you looked at this wedding. The Rainier Chapter House was the perfect venue for them. The charming and comfortable surroundings were the perfect backdrop to all the tasteful design choices made by Sara and BreeAnn Gale of Pink Blossom Events.
I loved that it was so obvious that Sara and Stephen are a complete team. The love and support I witnessed from these two tell me that not only are they madly in love but that there is a deep and powerful friendship there. I know their future will be filled with tons of joy, endless laughter, and lots and lots of love.
Photography: Katie Parra Photography | Wedding Planner: Pink Blossom Events | Floral Design: Fena Flowers | Invitations: Valerie's Invites | Bridesmaids Dresses: BHLDN | Catering: Pyramid Catering | Hair & Makeup: Megan Bingham - Off White | Bride's Belt And Hair Piece: Maria Elena | Ceremony & Reception Music: Michael Benson Band | Ceremony & Reception Venue: Rainier Chapter House (DAR) | Getting Ready: Alexis Hotel | Groom & Groomsmen's Suites: Macy's | Photo Booth: Giffy App | Rentals: ABC Rentals | Second Photographer: Adrian Busse | Wedding Dress Boutique: Marcella's La Boutique | Wedding Dress Designer: JLM Couture, Inc