Monthly Archives: November 2008

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Hello, Strangers …

I’m back!  I’ve been back from Europe for two long, sleepy days, in fact, but what with Thanksgiving and jet-lag I’ve been out of the office.  Don’t worry, I’ll be officially back to work on Monday, but I figured I should let you all know that I’m alive and kicking, and gearing up to post lots of vacation snaps over the next week or two.  Yay!

In the meantime, here’s a gorgeous sunset from my last night in Exmouth, Devon, where Josh and I spent a few days with my parents.  See you soon …

© 2008 Kate McElwee Photography

Trashing the Dress, London Style

Last Sunday, as well as a mini couple session with Chris and Gen, I took a few shots of Gen in her wedding dress.  I was excited to show off the architecture of her dress against some of my favorite European architecture, around Bank and St Paul’s in the City of London.  We didn’t get the best weather, but when you have a beautiful bride and amazing buildings to work with … well, it doesn’t really matter!  Here are a few teasers … and now I’m back to vacationing and hanging with my best buddies in Dorset.  Holiday snaps coming soon!

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Couples Portraits: Chris + Genevieve

As many of you no doubt know by now, I’m officially on vacation for three weeks!  I’m currently back in London where I lived before moving out to Seattle, and it is so nice seeing family and friends, ogling the gorgeous architecture and shopping at all my favorite old haunts (Topshop, I missed you so!)  Of course, I had to bring a camera and a couple of lenses with me, and yesterday I met up with my good friends Chris and Genevieve for a quick trash the dress session (which I will hopefully post in the next week or so) and a mini couples session.

We grabbed a couple of shots in their very cool flat in the east end while Gen was getting her wedding dress, then at the end of the afternoon we braved the rain and gloomy clouds for a few shots in a square off Roseberry Avenue before heading into a pub on Exmouth Market for a quick pint.  Thank you guys for a really fun afternoon and I hope to see you both again before heading home!

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A Winter Wonderland: Jody + Aaron

My last wedding before vacation was a picture-perfect winter wonderland with Jody and Aaron.  I started the day at The Greenlake Church where throngs of family and friends were decorating and preparing for the day ahead, and Jody was excitedly prepping in the small bathroom downstairs with her bridesmaids and lots of little ones.  The atmosphere was perfect - busy and buzzing.

The ceremony, just after sunset, was beautiful.  The church was covered in candles, and gorgeous flowers made by Jody - she even made each bouquet by hand, and they looked amazing.  It was emotional, but also fun - I love the shot of Jody turning around and flashing us all her beautiful big grin, while Aaron is bent over double with giggles!

After the ceremony we braved the torrential rain and headed down to Court in the Square in downtown Seattle.  The decor was, again, beautiful - and Aaron and Jody pulled off a grown up elegance while still catering to the many kids who were there to celebrate with them.

After some good Mexican food and lots of crazy dancing, Fiona and I set up the photobooth lighting against one of the brick walls - what a great backdrop.  We had a lot of fun working with Aaron’s daughter Morgan as she helped us with the ‘booth’, and she even took some of the photos below - she did such an awesome job!

Thank you all for a fun and love-filled evening - I went home feeling very much at peace with the world.  Enjoy your teasers!

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Fall Magic at Lord Hill Farms: Nathan + Jenna

The second of last weekend’s magical weddings was out in Snohomish at the beautiful Lord Hill Farms.  It was a long, crazy, beautiful day, full of laughter, tears, long embraces and cupcake stealing … although the less said about that, the better!

I started out the day with Jenna in the teeny tiny dressing room.  Emotions were running high, and despite the ugly lighting I love the moments we captured in there.  Jenna looked serene and beautiful throughout - such a perfect bride to photograph!  We held Nathan & Jenna’s first look just outside the barn, then moved on to the formals and wedding party shots.  I couldn’t resist playing with Jenna’s amazing veil in the breeze that had picked up - and the wedding party was definitely game for some fun.

Around 4pm, we all headed upstairs into the magnificent ceremony space.  They had a traditional American service performed by one of their good friends, followed by a very fun and slightly chaotic Chinese tea ceremony.  I love this tradition, and it makes for great opportinites for candids.  Just before dark, we headed out for a few final couple portraits, then it was straight into a very fun reception with lots of dancing and photoboothing - huge thanks to my awesome assistant Fiona for manning the photobooth all night and getting some of my favorite shots ever!  Huge congratulations to Nathan and Jenna, and thank you for introducing me to the most amazing videographers ever - Danielle & Kasey at MindCastle Studios - check out their awesome video here.

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