Jen and Aaron | Outdoor Seattle Wedding

I can't say enough about Jen and Aaron.  They're fun, spontaneous, intelligent, and caring people.  It was our pleasure to get to work with them both on their wedding day and their engagement session.

They were married at Ray's Boathouse in Seattle and Steven Moore Designs provided the amazing decor. This wedding provided many firsts for Mindy and I as well: It was our first time shooting at Ray's, the first time we had a camera break in mid-portrait session (don't worry, we had a backup), and the first time we've given the bride a voice here on the blog.  After all the pictures, keep reading to get the low down on all the details that made Jen and Aaron's day so unique.


Here is Jen's take on the wedding.  (Thanks, Jen, for taking the time to do this!)  We hope it will be really helpful and inspiring to other brides.

Venue| The Northwest Room at Ray's Boathouse. 

Jen's Dress & Shoes| I was lucky to find my dress at Belltown Bridal which sells designer samples at discounted prices. There was no tag on the dress just a number, but the seamstress who did my fittings and works closely with Belltown Bridal surmised that it was a prototype by Amy Kuschel that never when into production. I found my shoes (by Glint) at Nordstrom. My veil was made from the cathedral length veil my aunt wore on her wedding day. I was really happy to wear this family heirloom for my wedding. The cameo pendants I wore around my neck and on my bouquet belong to my mom. I found the antique Chandelier earrings at a gorgeous antique and gift shop in Ballard called Curtis Steiner. 

Aaron's Suit, Tie & Shoes| Aaron wore a Hugo Boss Navy Blue suit from Nordstrom. The striped ties were from J.Crew and the shoes were Allen Edmonds from Nordstrom.

Bridesmaid's Dresses & Shoes| The bridesmaid dresses were handmade by my Bridesmaid Brittany Freeman. She agonized over every stitch and came up with a beautiful design from scratch that was flattering for all the girls. She found the fabric at Nancy's Sewing Basket in Queen Anne. Brittany and her husband Scott have started a new venture making custom raincoats (an untapped market in Seattle) http://freemanseattle.com/ 

Design| Steven Moore Designs helped us create a summery, organic, handmade feel for our wedding. It turned out beautifully. We emphasized from the beginning that we really wanted to use florals that were in season and so in keeping with the season, Stephen used summer peaches in the decor.

Coordinator| Rachel Loews of Steven Moore Designs and Amy Stevens of Ray's Catering.

Flowers| Steven Moore Designs

Caterer| Ray's. I should add that we chose Ray's because of the way they source their ingredients -- as locally and organically as possible. They also have a strong commitment to sustainably caught seafood. 

Cake| A friend of the couple, Jeri Seamands, made the wedding cakes in her own kitchen. She made a vanilla buttercream with Peach mousse, a lemon buttercream, and a Mexican chocolate cake. She also created a surprise groomscake displaying the Utah Jazz logo (Aaron's favorite NBA team) made of spice cake. Since we were her third set of friends for whom she made wedding cakes, she created business cards with her info and the tagline: "Cakes that taste better than they look!" In this case, I think her cakes looked as gorgeous as they were delicious. She really did an excellent job.

Band| Over a year ago, we begged The Dusty 45s to play our wedding. They don't usually play weddings, but they were touched by our desperation and agreed. Luckily, our wedding was on one of the few nights they weren't OPENING FOR ADELE while they were in Seattle. And everyone agreed they rocked the house! I even got to light the trumpet. If you haven't been to a Dusty 45s show, you should do so immediately.
 

Hair & Makeup| Kelly Mclain of Bocz Salon 

Stationary| I created all the stationary for our wedding with a hand-cut woodblock print I made of all our wedding flowers. There were no two identical invitations because the ink changed with every print. We also used the same design to print our programs and the handkerchiefs we gave our guests as favors. I got a lot of compliments on the personal touches that went into the favors. We found a font that we loved on a french artist's website and used the closest font we could find (for free!) as our signature font. 

DIY Highlight|When our guests arrived at the ceremony, we had hand printed handkercheifs waiting for them.  We printed them using the same block we used for the invitations so that they would have a memory of the day.  We really hope our guests will be blowing their noses into them for years.  Reusable canvas totes passe.  why not reusable hankies? 

We really wanted to make our guests feel appreciated so we made all of the favors from scratch. A favorite appetizer of ours is pickled red onions and marscarpone cheese on top of crostini. So we bought dozens of 4oz canning jars and set to work making canned pickles. They are beautiful when canned and you can use them on almost anything. We also made rosemary roasted almonds to tie in with the herbal, garden party feel of the wedding. Most guests ending up tearing into their almonds before they even left the reception. It ended up being a nice snack to refuel after a turn on the dance floor.