One Love Photo

Sweet Thing #5 - custom designed dress

Seattle dress designer Chrissy Wai-Ching Leung creates beautiful indie silk dresses, using hand-dyed fabric and funky detailed embroidery. From color to style each wedding dress is custom designed to work with the theme of the wedding and to meet the bride's needs. My friend Kate discovered Wai-Ching while poking around on Offbeat Bride. Kate set up an appointment immediately to discuss her vision for her wedding dress with Chrissy. I was so excited when Kate asked Ember and I to join her for the final dress fitting up at Chrissy’s studio in Pioneer Square. Once we arrived at her cozy studio we waited eagerly as Kate slipped on the dress. Upon first sight there was a big "Awe" moment-It was so beautiful! Then the hyper brainstorming girl talk started immediately, "what shoes, red or gold? hair up or down? flower in hair? what kind? make-up, shimmer eyelids, what do you think? What time does the makeup counter close?" While we discussed the details, Chrissy worked on the dress a little more to perfect the fit and I snapped some photos of her in action. Then the three of us headed off with the lovely dress in hand to find the perfect shoes and shimmery eyeshadow. The day of the wedding the dress looked so awesome, Kate's bridal “glow” and sweet smile brought it all together!

Own it Kate! To see more photos from this fun wedding click here or here.

Sweet Thing #4 - DYI runner

Here is some Do It Yourself (DIY) inspiration from the awesome modern wedding of Kallie and Mike. I was pleasantly surprised when Mike rolled out this awesome graphic aisle runner created by Kallie's Mom to start the ceremony. It was stunning! The runner worked perfectly with the modern theme of their wedding. Their wedding colors were black and white with bursts of bright yellow, so the black runner tied everything together! Kallie had bought some white laser-cut paper screens to hang as decorations. Her clever Mom took the screens and made a stencil which she used to paint the runner. It was made from a black denim fabric, which was heavy enough not to blow around or to get wrinkled when Kallie walked on it.  Honestly at most weddings I have shot the fabric runners cause more problems than they are worth. They blow around, the get bunched up and look wrinkled in the photographs. The fabrics for the runners that are sold at wedding supply stores are too light and not designed for outdoor weddings. I would highly encourage creating your own runner for your wedding but would suggest using a heavy fabric like this one from a fabric store. In addition to having an awesome runner, Kallie had her two sweet flower girls pull little wooden ducks instead of carrying traditional flower baskets, it was adorable!

Sweet Thing #3 - succulent bouquet

One of my favorite parts of shooting weddings is the flowers! I think deep inside me there is a little florist wanting to be released. I enjoy arrangements that are unique and use unexpected textures and colors. This fall my client Sarah had a bouquet created by  VanLierop Garden Market that took my breath away! I could not stop taking photos of the bouquet. At the end of the day I really wanted to stuff it in my bag and take it home with me. The coolest part was an unexpected yet beautiful succulent right in the center!  I think more people should incorporate succulents into their bridal bouquets. The succulent in Sarah's arrangement was an echeveria which is a tropical species. As I did a little research on succulents and bouquets for this post I found some great stuff! One of my favorite discoveries was a bouquet created by Livia Cetti for Martha Stewart Weddings (delicious!) Also check out this Sea bed garden created with lava rock and succulents. Oh how I wish I lived in California so I could have a sea garden!

Floral design by VanLierop Garden Market in Sumner WA /  Photos by me... One Love Photo! 

Sweet Thing #2 - sand ceremony

At a lovely outdoor wedding ceremony this summer I witnessed my first sand ceremony. Chris and Tracy decided to have a sand ceremony instead of a unity candle. This is the perfect alternative to a unity candle for an outdoor ceremony. With the sand ceremony you don't have to worry about the wind blowing out your symbol of commitment! I loved the vows that were read during Chris and Tracy's ceremony. All you need for the ceremony is some sand and three vessels. The bride and groom have two separate vessels filled with sand, they pour their sand into one keepsake vase while the vows or explanation of the sand ceremony is being read out loud.  Here are some great examples of vows. More info here

Chris and Tracy were married at her Aunt & Uncle's home, which overlooks the beautiful Puget Sound in Gig Harbor Washington. There was a breeze up on the bluff so the sand ceremony was perfect!

To see more weddings......

Sweet Thing #1 - assorted cake collection

I will be posting "Sweet Things" from weddings that I photograph. If you are not a Martha Stewart fan then you may not be familiar with what a Good Thing is...but a "Sweet Thing" will be a similar to a Good Thing but with a One Love Photo style spin. My Sweet Things will be clever & creative little things that people do to add a personal touch to their weddings. These ideas could also save you a little money! For a wedding this fall Kate (the bride) decided to bypass the traditional wedding cake. She ordered an assortment of cakes from a local bakery in Tacoma called Corina's Bakery (Learn more).  She had the cakes arranged on a buffet table over looking the grounds at Lakewold Gardens. Kate and Brian selected a mutual favorite RED VELVET out of the bunch to display on a sweet little cake stand with a vintage wedding topper. During dinner I saw people coming by the table and checking out their options. Certain people looked like they were devising a plan, to insure they got a sample of their favorite flavor. I did witness a little girl finger swiping the coconut cake. At most weddings people wait patiently to have their piece of cake delivered, but not this time. After Kate and Brian cut the first slice, a crowd formed quickly around the table. I am pretty sure there were a couple of elbows thrown for the German chocolate. The cakes were a huge hit and a fraction of the cost of a traditional wedding cake. I liked the homemade quality of the cakes and they looked adorable in the window.

After feeding Brian some cake, Kate was on a roll and starting feeding her friends samples. Open Wide...

Yum! Yum!