After an hour or so, I met up with Tom and we headed over to the Seattle U campus (where Sara got her law degree) for the first look.  The sun was sparkling and the leaves were just beginning to turn.  Love!  Their first look was cute and emotional (of course) but it was the couples photos that followed that became my favorite shots of the day.  We stayed on campus for the bridal party and family shots, then just as it was getting too chilly to be outside we headed over to the DAR for the ceremony.

It was a gorgeous evening – Tom and Sara’s friends and family were friendly and fun (I loved the dancing to DJs Jeff Hill and Sean Denard‘s party mix); the details were picture perfect (check out the amazing program that Sara designed and hand-sewed … yes, there really are 3 shots of just the program in the slideshow!); the gorgeous cake was unique and delicious; the ceremony was touching and heartfelt.  Thank you both so much for having me back to Seattle to photograph your amazing celebration – I hope you enjoy the teasers below and the slideshow (click here).

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© 2009 Kate McElwee Photography

This was a special day for me – it’s not often that I arrive at a wedding and get introduced as “Josh McElwee’s wife”, but I loved it!  My husband Josh was once a grad student on the Molecular + Celular Biology program at UW.  It was there that he met Alex, our British groom (yay, a fellow Brit!) and his gorgeous bride Laura.  Go pretty science lady!  The crazy thing is, that’s not how they found me …  I’m pretty sure it was a google search of their venue, the fabulous DAR Rainier Chapter House on Capitol Hill, that led Laura to my photos (and they were doing this search from Sheffield in the UK where they both currently live).

Anyway, when we finally met a few months ago, it felt like seeing old friends, and I was beyond excited to be photographing their special day.  There were so many things I loved about their wedding …  Laura’s amazing smile; Alex’s emotion during their first look; the three beers brewed especially for the day by their multi-talented officiant friend; the delicious food by Ravishing Radish; the fascinators worn by many of the ladies (we Brits love our head gear); the mini burgers and mini fish ‘n’ chips served during cocktail hour; the amazing first dance – yeah, salsa!  What I loved most was how they brought together such a fine mix of British and American traditions, and how well it all gelled.  And I guess most of all it reminded me of my own wedding day, and that alone is pretty darn cool.

Thank you so much, Alex and Laura, for your amazing patience with the teaser photos, and for including me in your beautiful celebration.  Oh, and be sure to check out your slideshow, over here.

Click on the thumbnails to view the full images, then navigate with the arrow keys.  Don’t forget to check out the slideshow!

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© 2009 Kate McElwee Photography