Kate McElwee Photography

The end of fall went off with a big bang - the good kind of big bang, that is!  My last October weekend was spent photographing two amazing weddings, the first being Scott & Cindy’s Columbia City event.  Cindy and Scott got married at the Columbia City Theater, a very cool, crazily dark, but totally awesome venue for a wedding.  There were lanterns, leaves, amazing theater lighting, live music (check out the cool pianist in the black and white shot below) and some of the most emotional and funny moments I’ve ever witnessed in a ceremony.  It was delightful.  And, to cap it all off, Scott jumped and clicked his heels together during the recessional - perfect!

After the ceremony we grabbed a few group photos outside the theater, then made a speedy tour of Columbia City for some couples portraits.  I love how the fall colors and gorgeous afternoon light played against Cindy’s amazing red hair.  Photographic bliss!

The reception was held at the Mount Baker Community Club, another gorgeous spot.  There was a delicious sit-down meal, followed by lots of great speeches (my favorite being Cindy’s sister Kim’s speech which centered around the Valentine’s card that Scott gave to Cindy when they were on the high school swim team many, many years ago), and then dancing a-plenty.  Congratulations guys on finally making it happen and thanks for having me be part of your totally rocking day!

Last weekend was another busy one for me, but my two weddings were so much fun.  I started on Saturday afternoon with Natalie and Scott’s slightly unusual wedding day.  They had a magical sun-kissed destination wedding in Cabo, Mexico a week or two ago (I am so jealous!), and so there was no ceremony this Saturday - just a lot of partying!

We met up in the afternoon for an hour or two of family portraits at the Center for Urban Horticulture, then Scott, Natalie and I went on a mini photo safari for their couples photos, first at the Sculpture Park, then around Pike Place and Post Alley.  We had just an hour to work with, and two fabulous dresses to photograph (I just LOVE her mini dress!), but the weather was gorgeous and I love the photos we got.  So much fun!

At around 5pm, I headed off to The Fairview Club just north of downtown and started on the reception details and set up for some extended family portraits.  The evening was very relaxed, full of great food by Tony’s Catering and a LOT of booze.  After dinner and toasts we used the entryway to the club as a photobooth and everyone went crazy with all the props.  As well as my own bag of tricks, Natalie and Scott had brought along their crazy huge Mexican sombreros - as modeled by Natalie’s sister Andy and her boyfriend in the photos below.  As well as the photobooth, Scott’s dad’s band rocked the dancefloor, and one of my favorite funny men Fred Northup played host and DJ.  Thanks all for a fabulous evening, and enjoy your teaser photos!

Last Saturday I went downtown for Kellie & Dan’s wedding at the recently restored and utterly gorgeous Arctic Club Hotel.  It was really exciting getting to photograph at one of Seattle’s newest venues, and from the beautiful bridal suite where the girls were getting ready to the huge and impressive Dome Room, it was everything I’d hoped for, and more.

I started the afternoon with some overview shots of the space, and I hung out with Kellie and her friends as they got ready.  We had a special treat, too - one of her friends had just rescued a 4 week old kitten, and he joined us for the afternoon.  Isn’t he cute?

Annemarie Juhlian, one of my all-time favorite officiants, was doing double duty as coordinator, and the whole day was perfectly timed.  At around 4pm I met with Dan, his groomsmen and family, for their group shots, then when he was safely hidden back at the hotel I worked with Kellie’s side.  We found some great outdoor spots in the neighborhood, and we had some beautiful weather to work with too.

Both ceremony and reception took place in the Dome Room - and how could you not take advantage of that beautiful space?  During the room changeover, I headed back outside for some final group shots with the combined families and wedding party, then had fun playing with Kellie & Dan in the amazing lobby.  I love all the rich colors and textures, those really cool blue panels in the bar, and of course we had to have some fun with the framed photos of all the original members of the Club.

After good food and some quick toasts, we finished the evening with lots of candids and dancing shots … and by home time for me, the party was in full swing.  Congratulations Kellie and Dan, and enjoy your teasers!