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buzzed like a bee all around the lush green maze of vegetation at juntunen farm and gardens at this lively wedding. the day was filled with good-natured competition, delightful details, and plenty of cheerful friends (including a couple furry ones).
hop on over to once wed to see and read more on this little sunny delight. thanks emily for the feature!
these two started their new chapter of their handmade life as husband and wife on a sunny sunday on the beach at golden gardens park in seattle. their reception followed at the bathouse nearby. i read a review online that said it is a unique venue and was particularly good for visionaries. i couldn't think of a more perfect pair to celebrate in this space. their wedding was thoughtful, genuine and creative. their artistic vision and authentic voice infused into every little detail and moment.
jennifer wove their colorful flowing huppa herself. their good friend
strummed guitar and sang as friends joined him in a happy chorus while
the two circled each other. loved ones took turns reading favorite
poems and words of affection and advice. david played his banjo and
serenaded jen. they promised to make lots of artful messes together and not to worry about a perfect tidy home, to always encourage each other in their creative exploration and play.
friends prepared scrumptious food, seasoned with love. david played with his band "awesome" during the cocktail hour ( i have never seen a smile so big). during the winter months, jennifer had sewn hundreds of colorful little birds which hung from the ceiling on driftwood mobiles. she started out sewing each one by hand, then david bought her a sewing machine for valentines day. the bird collection quickly grew. the extra birds spread out onto the tables as centerpieces. guests left with a bird (or two) in one hand and a love quote in the other.
the party ended with a
spontaneous dip in the puget sound as the sun went down. followed with lots of
giggles and shivers, and a few salty smooches.
can't believe this shot that jon got at jen and david's wedding at golden gardens park. oh how it makes me giggle! (when the sun is out in seattle, all bets are off on who will be attending your beach wedding). almost always our favorite images are ones that we could never predict, stage or plan on in a timeline.
many more photos to come from this very creative and artsy little wedding........
when they cut your umbilical cord,
we are separated
and reunited
-lily wang
our yard may not look very good at the moment but it sounded pretty nice tonight.
when i was 19 i told my mom that i planned on marrying a man who played guitar. i told her that i wanted a house full of music. i did not come from a musical home but i always admired that talent in others. the next week my mom gave me my very own hummingbird guitar. she said i should learn to play myself and not wait for a man. this is the kind of mom i am so lucky to have.
at the time jon (my husband) was "just a friend". a friend who had recently began to strum the guitar. his natural talent was quite obvious from the very beginning. while visiting one evening he spotted my guitar with the hummingbirds on it in the corner. he immediately picked it up and began to play. i told him the story with my mom and he agreed with her completely. he quickly offered to help me learn. i asked if he could teach me ""five siring serenade" by mazzy star for my first number. he was a patient teacher and always believed that i could learn just as easily as he had. i did master the first three or four chords of the song, but not without a struggle. at the time i was falling deeply for my camera and i gave up much too quickly on my guitar. it ended up back in the corner only to be played when jon came to visit.
i did bring it out for a photo shoot once, the perfect prop. i asked jon to pose for me and play under one of my favorite tress. i told him that the photographs would be so much cooler if he took his shirt off (and they were). i added chunky rings to his fingers that i found at a pawn shop. i focused on the hummingbirds, old rings and his nimble hands. i enjoyed listening to him strum while i shot. i think this was the beginning of something between us. even though we didn't know it yet. couldn't believe my luck when i found a proof sheet from that day in one of the many photo boxes up in the attic tonight.
fifteen years later and i am still sneaking photos of jon with his guitar whenever i can. his talent is amazing and awe inspiring. his passion admirable and deep. he plays not for fame. attention or money. he plays for himself, because this is what makes his heart beat. he is a true artist in every sense of the word. our office walls are lined with his guitars. when i look up at the row while working or when i hear him strumming while i drift asleep..... i am reminded that i have just what i wished for when i was 19.
have a listen for yourself, and hear how spoiled i am to have this playing everyday and night. i especially love the track titled "outside my head". i think you will too....jon almeda-the one man band.
snapped this one on the "L" yesterday on our way to the airport in chicago. that little travel guitar is so banged up because it goes everywhere we go. am surprised we don't have more nicks and scratches ourselves. what a busy and exciting summer it has been (and it's not over yet)!
i want you to wear me
comfortably,
as you would a dress,
or the silver necklace that you wear
around your neck.
comfortably, so that i am always
next to you:
but most important-
something you decide
each morning to select.
-robert kogan
vennessa and john's fun-loving wedding was at seattle yacht club and was coordinated by the fabulous team at true color events. her good friend made her perfectly simple, pretty little eyelet dress. we had quite the little photo crew, since we shot with jon's talented brother jeremy who makes amazing videos. check out his site endless love productions. can't wait to see the video and see that dress in action again. this wedding had a playful vibe with polynesian inspired details and entertainment. these two are such a fun pair, you can't help but to smile and giggle the entire time you are around them. their wedding matched them perfectly and was one big ball of beauty, jokes, laughter and good cheer!
(and yes if you were wondering, that is a *flower muff that vennessa is holding instead of a traditional bridal bouquet. how cool is that?)
*flower design (including the lovely muff) by lea at florarama modern design
not many people can say that they woke up to an earthquake the morning of their wedding day. but these two can, and i love stories like that. moments that are spontaneous, exciting and maybe a little bit scary yet very memorable. come to think of it that is what most weddings are like. add an earthquake to a wedding day and you have something quite momentous. then add in an amazing landscape centered around the most tender and delightful couple imaginable and you have pure magic!
erin and greg were married at hammer sky vineyards in paso robles, california. they were incredible to work with, we had a wonderful collaboration as artists. they gave us a beautiful backdrop and the time we needed to do what we love most. guess that's what happens when you have fellow photographers as clients. we felt blessed to capture all the beauty and love on that sweet day for them. to see more of our favorites from this wedding, please check out their slideshow.
"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing."
-George Bernard Shaw
guests enjoyed lawn games, live music, delicious raspberry lemonade and fresh chocolate chip cookies at james and cara's wedding at juntunen gardens in mount vernon, washington last weekend. most importantly.... everyone felt like a kid again.
linda and cameron - two very sweet and adorable bookworms!
while on summer break, these two english teachers tied the knot at the beautiful old st. pat's church. celebration followed with a literary inspired reception at the harold library in the winter garden atrium.
"once you learn to read you will be forever free"
-frederick douglas
you may remember this beautiful face from this earlier post
in june. oh how marie loved the camera (and the camera loved her)! we had a wonderful time running around capturing all their smiles, silly friends, and cute personal touches. their wedding was at a private residence on a
small lake in burien, washington. there were tons of playful details
but the sweetest by far was their "sweet shop" stocked full of candy and italian
sodas for all! to see more of our favorites from this wedding, please check
out their slideshow!
