Kelly Chandler

Michael and Kelley chose Robinswood House in Bellevue for their wedding and I can’t think of a place that would have suited them more perfectly.  This couple had a classy affair with a rustic down home feeling. 

I often witness some pretty special moments.  Michael and Kelley wrote their own vows to share with each other when they saw each other for the first time that day.  They both were very emotional during the exchange of very tender words.

The kids were adorable. 

The ceremony itself was in the perfect setting, complete with decorative touches everywhere.

 This wedding had 2 firsts for me.  It was the first time I’ve ever had a former United States President as a guest at the wedding.  JFK was standing around during photos and right next to the bride and groom’s table during toasts.  He was even on the dance floor later that night.

The other first for me was sliders and french fries.  Kelley and Michael’s favorite food was served (along side two other tables with elegant displays of crab claws, huge prawns, pasta, salads, etc).  I love french fries….so this was right up my alley too.   I thought it was great that Michael and Kelley made this wedding their own.  It was full of personal touches just like this that made it THEIR day!

Another favorite spot for guests was the Sweet Shoppe candy table.  There were party favor boxes to fill to the brim for each guest to take home.  Kelley let me take a few to my kids so they were thrilled the next day.  I think they ate pink milk chocolate maltballs for breakfast. 

Thanks Kelley and Michael for your patience in getting this posted.

I’m making progress on the mounds of photo processing.  4 more weddings to post and I just keep shooting.   The kids go back to school next week so I’m hoping to get caught up between shooting my portrait appointments and next weekend’s wedding.  Wishful thinking I know but at least I know I will make progress. 

I had the pleasure of photographing one of the Seattle’s most elegant events….Mike and Elizabeth Berg’s wedding.  Their album design is complete and you’ve got to see it.  Click on the photo below to play and enjoy the slide-show!

Special thanks to April Greer for her creative eye and helping me photograph this day for Mike and Elizabeth.

Ceremony: Holy Names Academy     Reception: Seattle Tennis Club

Florist: Kendra Yaples Love Me Flowers

Video: Aaron Horton Productions   Cake: New Renaissance Cakes

After 15 years of dating, Heidi and Samy tied the knot.  I was really excited for this wedding.  I met Heidi over 20 years ago through her sister Amy, a college sorority sister of mine.  Over the years Heidi has referred numerous friends my way for family portraits and weddings.  It was finally Heidi’s turn and when she asked me to document the event for her I was elated.  From the moment I met Samy, I was enchanted.  He was charming with beautiful eyes that twinkle bright blue (I’m a sucker for beautiful eyes).  Most importantly, he was adoring of his bride Heidi.  

Sometimes, I have to work hard to get brides and grooms to be playful and have fun….with these two the fun stuff came easily.  There was a dog bowl full of water that I removed before Heidi sat down…..but not before she cracked some jokes about how it looks like the dog went pee on the concrete. 

The Monte Cristo Ballroom in Everett recently opened for weddings and WOW what a treat. Fun art (that rotates so you never know what you are going to see on display), beautiful curved walls in the foyer for cocktails and a ballroom that works perfectly for the ceremony and transfers into an elegant dining room.

Heidi’s nieces and nephews and Samy’s grand-kids were all in the wedding.

Congratulations Heidi and Samy.  It was a long time coming…but worth the wait.   

I had the pleasure of shooting for my BPF (best photographer friend) April Greer this weekend at the wedding of Kurt and Sarah.  April and I had a blast at this super swanky event.  Every detail was fabulous.  Sarah has an amazing look about her…I could have photographed her for days!  Here are a few of my favs of Sarah.

April ordered up these big balloons as a surprise for the couple.  I LOVED the pop of color and playfulness they added to photos.

The reception was at the Seattle Aquarium.  The fish tank and the purple/pink up-lighting on their groovy wavy wall was a beautiful backdrop for the reception photos.  I love the peacefulness of this empty room photo before the guests entered.

What a FUN night to be part of!  Thanks April for having me along!

Both Angel and Lisa are self-described as “camera shy”.  I was told I’d have my work cut out for me as neither one of them like having their photos taken.  I spent some time with Lisa in the tiny dressing room of Windmill Gardens.  She looked so peaceful as she got ready to see her groom. 

The colors at this venue were amazing.  Bright, vibrant, rich….lovely.  Color was everywhere!

This pile of pots made for a fun background.

 Angel and Lisa were willing to trust that I’d pick the right spots to get fabulous photos….but I did see an eyebrow raise when I asked them to come across the street into the grungy parking lot of an auto repair shop.  The tall grasses made a nice contrast to the colorful gardens we had been shooting in.  It paid off don’t you think?  

Well,  you may be camera shy…but you are both beautiful to photograph!  Thanks for letting me be part of your day.

Chris and Amy were married Friday night in a quaint little one room church in Snoqualmie.   There were stained glass windows on all sides and up in the balcony which created a glowing atmosphere inside the church. 

We ventured outside nearby and found this old garage door….so dramatically in contrast to this fresh faced young bride. 

You can see the entire church from here…I’m standing outside the front doors.  I love the way the doors frame this shot.

One final good night kiss before Amy and Chris were heading off for their honeymoon…..April, Stacey and I thank you for having us along on your wedding day as your own personal paparazzi.

I had the immense pleasure of working with the super talented April Greer for one of her weddings in Chelan this past weekend.  I go to Chelan often for weddings but I have never photographed at the Tsillan Cellars Winery.  I was thrilled to work at this venue with April to photograph Brad and Kim on their wedding day.

I always love a challenge….this little ring barer moved faster than Flash Gordon.  His mom and dad were chasing him around all afternoon and into the evening.  At one point, he lost his shoe in the waterfall, never to be recovered.  So he walked around in just one tux shoe.

Kim’s father was so proud of his little girl.  You can see it on his face in these two photos where he is struggling to keep his composure to walk her down the aisle and give her away to Brad.

The ceremony was set overlooking Lake Chelan.  It was a spectacular view and an emotional ceremony complete with touching vows written by the bride and groom.

A few years ago, April photographed a night venue shot like this for me at one of my weddings.  I loved it so much that it inspired me to capture a beautiful night shot at each wedding I shoot.  Depending on the time of the wedding, I might not be at the venue to capture the precise moment when the sky is magnificently lit.  For this event, April and I were there until the DJ stopped playing so I was able to capture this shot.

These girls know how to PARTY!

April, it is always a pleasure to work with you!  Thanks for having me along on this event. 

I decided to look up the definition of BEAUTIFUL (byoot’e fel)….having beauty; very pleasing to the eye and mind.  That which has beauty or pleasure.  Those who are beautiful. 

Yes, that pretty much summed up the wedding of Mike and Elizabeth…..BEAUTIFUL.  Everything about their day was spectacular.  My team included the super talented April Greer and Breanna Meldrum.  We photographed 11 hours of coverage, but there were so many details and such terrific venues that we never tired.

This raven haired bride was sizzling & sexy and her groom was handsome & gracious.  Elizabeth had a classy and tasteful touch on everything throughout the day from her Luly Lang Couture shoes to the party favors.  A New Chapter wedding planning helped orchestrate the event so that Elizabeth’s vision could become a reality and she could just enjoy being the bride.  Mike delivered a touching speech in which he commended Elizabeth for planning the event of the year and promised Elizabeth’s parents he would take care of her forever.  Awww………his parents raised a true gentleman!

Holy Names Academy is always such a treat to photograph inside and out. The decor is ornate and the warm light that comes through the windows is inviting.   Mike’s Uncle flew into town to officiate the wedding.  He even did some of the service in Spanish. 

The flower-girl (Mike’s niece) was precious as she intently watched the bride and groom taking communion.

 They were off to the Seattle Tennis Club for a fantastic reception.  You can’t beat being on the water in Seattle on a day like this.

One of the guests offered $50 to these boys if they could keep their tongue’s on the ice sculpture for an hour…..I checked back in 20 minutes and they were still at it. 

I saw the boys walking around with blue tongues later in the evening. 

Mike and Elizabeth, enjoy your honeymoon.  April, Breanna and I had a blast photographing every last detail of your day.

Sabrina and Jared were a referral from a wedding last September.  When they came to me and talked about their wedding in Chelan Falls (10 minutes outside of Lake Chelan) I was super excited.  Not only are they a beautiful couple, but the electric energy between them is amazing.  These two are so smitten with each other it was beautiful to watch. 

The day before the wedding, I went to see the locations I’d be working with the next day.  I took the drive and scouted out fun spots for photos.  I LOVED the train tracks and trestle.  I talked to Sabrina and Jared about using this as one of our backgrounds for photos and they were game….despite the “Unauthorized Personnel Prohibited On Railroad Tracks and Bridge” sign that we passed getting onto the trestle.  What is the old saying, “Go for it and then ask for forgiveness”. 

At this point, we are all about 100 feet in the air over shallow water below.  It was freaky to look down between the rails and see fish swimming about.  I could barely look down without feeling sick.  While out in the middle of the bridge some crazy driver on the road that runs parallel to the tracks honked his horn right when he blew by me.  I about jumped out of my skin thinking it was a train.  It made for a good laugh after the fact. 

Back on land, I felt much more comfortable.  Thank goodness Sabrina was not in heels but rather in sparkly flip flops.  I had her trekking around like a mountain goat.  She was super adventurous and ready for anything to get a great photo.

Sometimes, the grungiest places make for the most interesting backgrounds.  When I was scouting out the sites, I came across an old abandoned warehouse that offered some edgy places to work with rich textures and great lighting. 

America’s Next Top Model could take some pointers from Sabrina.  She knew how to work the camera and posed like a pro!

Jared couldn’t stand back and watch anymore….he had to come get a squeeze!

The ceremony took place right along the water.  The weather was fantastic….a welcome change from the Seattle drizzle we have had all spring long!  Notice the little ring barer.  He decided to take a nap during the ceremony.  He even placed his head on ring-pillow he carried.  He laid there for a good 5 minutes before he sat up and played with his shoelaces. 

What a celebration.  The family and friends that gathered all clearly adored these two.  Their dog even came along to celebrate. 

Sabrina and Jared, thank you for the privilege of photographing your day.  You two are FABULOUS!

So what do you do if you want a winter wonderland wedding……put twinkle lights and crystal snowflakes everywhere!  Monica turned Lord Hill Farms into a magical setting for her wedding.  No matter which angle I shot from, the lights were magnificent!

Snowflakes sparkled as they hung over the dance floor from the beautiful exposed beams of the venue.

Even the cake was completely surrounded by lights.

These two love birds were so genuinely happy to be married.  They couldn’t stop smiling.