Steve Smith Photography | Seattle wedding and portrait photographer

Michelle and Darin’s wedding took place at one of my favorite venues, the lovely Willows Lodge in Woodinville.  The weather was still cool, and was overcast for most of the day, but as photographers know, that always makes for great photos.

When we arrived the florist was just setting up the flowers, and when she was done, they were nothing short of amazing, color was everywhere.  We checked in with Michelle and Darin for their final preparations and then we went outside for their first look by the wishing well.  

The ceremony took place outside under the gazebo, and then cocktail hour was outside on the patio before moving indoors for a fabulous dinner and the rest of the celebration.  Jenn and the staff at Willows made sure everything was perfect.

Thanks Michelle and Daring for sharing your wedding day with us, I can’t think of a nicer bunch of people to spend the day with.

One of the things I love about being a wedding photographer is going to new locations.  Crystal and Steve’s wedding near Hoodsport was such a location.  It was a long, but beautiful and scenic drive to Steve’s parents’ house located on the shores of Lake Cushman.

In August the weather is usually decent, but this year the weather around here is anything but predicable, we dodged rain showers for most of the day, but thankfully we didn’t have rain for their first look on the dock, portraits, the entire ceremony and their final departure. Fortunately there was room indoors and under the deck for people to gather during the bouts of rain.

At the end of the evening the couple descended the stairs to the dock only to be assaulted by bubbles, then left on a float plane to a nearby resort.

Thanks Crystal and Steve, I was honored to share in your special day.

Samantha and Bryan wanted a simple wedding, with only family and close friends in attendance.  They set up for their ceremony at Seattle’s famous Kerry Park.

Their ceremony was quick and shortly after, we assembled everyone for a big group shot.  It will be printed up as a panoramic shot later. After all the photos, we headed up the cozy Uptown Hideaway for the reception.

One of the great things about photographing weddings is traveling to unique and interesting locations.  Melissa and Aaron’s wedding was no exception.  It took place at the scenic Port Ludlow Resort. I first met up with the guys at Port Ludlow Golf Course for some photos, when we arrived they had three golf carts ready for us. They said we could go anywhere and allowed us to drive through the entire upper course, catching a few photos along the way.

Back at the resort I then captured the final preparations with Melissa before the ceremony taking place overlooking the water. The colors were very summery, Tiffany blue and yellow.  Melissa Bryan of Lush Parties and Events made sure all the details were covered and everything happened as planned.

A couple interesting things about their wedding is they had two receptions, one right after the ceremony and then we did family and groups portraits, then came back for the evening reception and the fabulous dinner. Also there were four of us named Steve at the wedding, which made things a bit confusing at times (someone thought it would be fun if we all had a photo together, so I’ve included the photo of us, and it should be pretty obvious who I am!).

Melissa (the bride) made some delicious Swedish Crème cookies as favors, let me just say they were melt-in-your mouth, amazing.  It’s been a family tradition to make them at Christmas time, and from what I heard they had to be put in a secure area prior to the wedding, so they wouldn’t be eaten.  I can see why after tasting a couple of them, where do I get there recipe??

Thanks Melissa and Aaron for sharing an amazing day with me, it was a long day (especially by the time I got home) but so worth it!

I first met up with Therese and the ladies at Willows Lodge where they were finishing final preparations and then moved outside for their “first look” and portraits in the gardens at Willows.

After we finished there, we headed down the street to the ceremony and reception location at the Hollywood Schoolhouse.  This is one of my favorite locations to shoot at because there are so many great outdoor locations on the property, and inside schoolhouse has great lighting.

Thanks Therese and Adam for a great day, it was a pleasure working with you both!