Shelby & Pasquale's Seattle Engagement Session

Always the wedding photographer, never the bridesmaid? That had been the case for me until my beautiful sister-in-law asked me to be the maid of honor (matron?!) in her July 2015 wedding. I am so, so excited!! Last month they flew up to Seattle from Los Angeles for their engagement session, but no fear, I am happy to report that I will NOT be photographing their wedding! They have hired my friend, the talented Anita Martin Photography, for their big day so that I can do my matron of honor duties and be truly present for their wedding. We had typical Seattle weather for their session. In fact, it was raining so hard that we had a hard time being outdoors at all. Even with an umbrella the rain was blowing sideways and soaking all of us to the bone. Luckily we found some great covered areas down by Pike Place Market. Pasquale felt like he needed an adult beverage to loosen up so we stopped by a pub and happened to find a light filled little booth that overlooked the market sign! I love when that happens :) The next day the weather cleared up a bit so we ventured to the lighthouse at Discovery Park which is right down the street from my house. I am so glad we went out that 2nd day!

I had a great time with these two, as always, and am already counting the days until I get to put on a bridesmaid dress and stand next to Shelby as she marries the man of her dreams.

The West Family's Holiday Photos | Seattle Family Photographer

I ate up every bit of this session. I would have had to drive a long, long way to find a location like this while I was living in California. In California I would have also been hard-pressed to find a family which such awesome northwest style. Jami and her family were so, so much fun to photograph!

Ellen & Quinn's Los Altos History Museum Wedding

I've photographed four weddings at the Los Altos History Museum this year. Each and every one of them is unique and yet all four of my couples remind me of one another. They tend to be 20-somethings, in the tech industry (in one form or another), have a family connection to the Bay Area, and know that they want their wedding to represent them, not just a pretty Pinterest board. Ellen and Quinn were my last wedding of the year and my fourth couple at the Los Altos History museum. They are young, fun, intelligent, kind, and yeah, just a bit silly :) I met Ellen for the first time as I walked in the door of her friend's BEAUTIFUL Los Altos Hills home where all of the girls -all 12!! bridesmaids- were getting ready. In the meantime, my second shooter, Heather, was off photographing Quinn and his 8 groomsman. Ellen is the oldest of 3 daughters so this was a big, big day. There were plenty of tears shed by her mom, sisters, and cousins. She was stunning in her lace, low back gown and I found myself photographing her back more than was probably necessary because I was obsessed with the back of this dress. haha. Her 12 bridesmaids ranged from childhood friends to college roommates, Stanford friends, cousins, a sister in law, and of course her two little sisters. Quinn is the co-founder of a software company and since my own hubby is an entrepreneurial techy, I felt right at home around Quinn and his friends.

Ellen and Quinn's entire wedding was filled with joy and laughter. I am so, so happy for them and am so thankful that I had the opportunity to photograph their beautiful wedding.