Weddings

for her wedding day lara switched from her green nigerian dress to a perfectly simple white gown. while planning the two special events she would refer to saturday as her white wedding. which i thought was quite cute! lara worked very hard while planning her wedding, but what i love most about her is that she knew exactly when to pass the torch. a few months before the wedding she hired the talented ms. kelly of sweet pea events to help with planning and day of coordination. kelly was so awesome to work with, she was calm, organized and most importantly fun!

lara was relaxed and never ever seemed stressed. she completely knew how to let go of all her expectations and just let the day unfold. she was very thoughtful with her planning and chose her vendors very carefully. she knew we would be her creative team that would help create the day she had been dreaming of for years. meg over at a practical wedding refers to vendors as wedding elves. i really like the idea of this title change. i have always hated being called a vendor. but i have always loved the idea of being called an artist, elf or fairy! so tonight i wave my magic wand, as i do a merry little jig and share some sweet photos from this wonderful white wedding!

 

the day started at lara’s parents house for family photos. the ceremony was at a beautiful catholic church in seattle. the reception followed at the cute and quaint tyee yacht club. during the reception there was a boat and captain available on the dock for their guests. since they had so many out-of-towners, lara wanted them to be able to see seattle from the water by taking mini cruises around lake union. after dinner the happy couple sneaked off for a moment to enjoy a private moonlight love cruise. it was so very romantic…sigh.

in nigeria couples wear matching outfits when they are married. you can always tell who is together by their dress. it’s not at all like tacky matching american tourist couples. no, no, they match in a beautiful dance of vibrant colors and rich textures that make your heart sing.

this summer i was lucky enough to get lost in a swirl of beautiful patterns and laughter. to sway to the beating rhythm of a marriage dance. to enjoy the most darling children i have ever seen. to squeeze my way through a crowded hot living room full of lovely people. to watch an endless exchange of kola nuts, money and beer. to see a fair american girl glow in her emerald green wedding dress as she joined a new family and culture.

this is one of those weddings that i kept talking about and wondering if i was repeating the story over and over again to my friends and family. but it was just so interesting and wonderful i couldn’t stop talking about it! this couple were very organized and started planning their wedding almost two years earlier. they wanted to make sure that all the groom’s family could travel from nigeria to celebrate with them. lara was thoughtful in every stage of her planning, thoroughly thinking through all the little details. the one thing she didn’t plan for was a traditional nigerian ceremony that the groom’s family insisted on. being prepared and organized is a really good thing, but being open to the unfamiliar and unplanned is just as important! with not much warning lara found out that she would be the center of attention in their ceremony three days before her white wedding. i am so happy that she asked me to come capture it for her. to be there as she let go of the familiar and just went with what felt right. it was amazing. something i will never forget. 

love the possibility of new love being found at a wedding. with all the couple’s favorite people in one room, it seems that sparks are bound to fly between guests. precisely the case with these two. while at a wedding last year, these two fell for each other—and fell hard! it was love at first sight. they knew they had found it, what they had each been looking for. it didn’t take long before her best friend and his cousin was toasting this lovely couple on their wedding day and taking full responsibility for this match made in heaven!




and here is the bride, best friend and cousin who’s wedding brought them together. she was pretty excited on their wedding day, as you can imagine.

since jon and i dated for ten years before getting married, i always think it’s exciting when people jump right in. my parents did it quick like terilyn and travis and are still going strong. these two have a special spark that makes you smile and feel warm and happy all over. i don’t think love can follow any set time line. it’s all about finding that special someone that you can always count on to be real, to be honest, and to be true. now that’s something to celebrate!