I’m really excited to write about this one. I just moved to the Seattle area with absolutely zero connections so I was hungry to rebuild my brand and clientele. Fortunately, Taze and I connected on a facebook photography group and asked me to second shoot with him. I immediately jumped at the opportunity and haven’t looked back since.

The venue is at Rein Fire Ranch, in a small town called Ravensdale, which is around 30 minutes outside of Tacoma (where Seattle’s main international airport is - SEATAC). When I arrived, it was nothing short of incredible. There is a beautiful farmhouse style building for wedding prep and another main larger building for the reception area. The outside was literally a ranch with live horses and even a tractor! It’s very open with beautiful trees and mountains in the background providing a very nice frame to the overall venue.

The groomsmen hadn’t arrived yet so I took my time scouting the area and planning shots. I met the Bride, Olivia, and her bridal party. Soonafter, the groom, Brett, and his groomsmen arrived. I went around the venue for some more venue shots as the groomsmen got ready and when it was time, I went on in and got some nice shots of them getting ready. They were all looking sharp! There so much that I want to share but I’m not going to overload this blog post with countless images. All I can say is that there’s something to say about a group of guys helping each other get ready and look their best. I don’t know what it is exactly, but that type of brotherhood of and level of vulnerability is not something you see everyday, or ever really. I’m sure I can speak for myself and a lot of men out there when I say guys have a hard time asking for help and we want to do it all on our own. Well it’s true.

I did some more pre-ceremony photos of just the groomsmen and also had an opportunity to interact with Brett’s best man, Kevin, and his son. Got some more photos of just them. That’s one thing I really like about pre-ceremony photos; the opportunity to interact more with family and take some casual photos to get “warmed up” for the ceremony but also get to know the bride and groom’s family more. I’m really glad Kevin took me up on my offer to capture individual photos after I got the group shots of the groomsmen. These individual portraits are so meaningful and really add to the wedding story.

My favorite part of the wedding day to capture is the ceremony. It’s just an unplugged period of time where no one is on their phones. Just soft music in the background, and all the attention on the family and wedding party. Brett walked in first carrying his newphew. It was so adorable. the wedding party followed, the flower girl, and finally Olivia, accompanied by her dad. The flower girl was amazing; she represented purity and innocence so flawlessly. Olivia followed looking really incredible. Her dress had a beautiful train coming through. Every single eye in the ceremony was watching her as she walked down and it was so surreal to me just capturing her walking down the isle.

The short speeches and wedding vows were so memorable as well. Although I tried my best to fully focus on my photography, I couldn’t help but listen to the speeches and vows. They were so meaningful, deep, and heartfelt. Olivia expressed such a wide range of motion. There was joy, laughter, tears. It was all there.

As the ceremony concluded, we moved into cocktail hour. I really like this part of the day as well. I get more candid shots and it’s really fun to see the wedding guests interact with each other. Old friends seeing each other for the first time in years and also new friends being made through mutual introductions.

We did some post-ceremony family photos as well. These were really fun to do and I loved that we were able to do them outdoors. The scenery in the background was just so gorgerous and made these family so unique. Then after a time of marriage license signing, which is not as exciting for photographers (but exciting for the couple!), it was time for the reception.

The decor and ambiance of the reception came out so well. The farmhouse theme continued throughout the decor wiht these white benches and wood tables. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Taze and I were placed at a guest table! I love it when this happens as I get to feel more engaged with the celebration (although I understand there are seating limitations so not every couple can offer that). Not only that, we were invited to get food with the first wave of guests. So thoughtful of Brett and Olivia! The remainder of the night just went by so fast. The wedding party walked in, followed by Brett and Olivia. We had dinner, speeches, liquid nitrogen ice creamand other sweets for dessert, the boquet toss, the show game, father/bride and mother/groom dances, more dancing and even popped out for some sunset photos. It was an action packed evening!

After an incredible day, I say my goodbyes and begin my long drive home. Long day but it was all worth it. It’s not over for me though! I still have to go through and edit all the photos. Well I shouldn’t say “have to”, I really mean “get to”. Editing the photos helps me relive the day. So many good memories in a single day. Sometimes, I feel like I have more fun than the wedding guests. Just kidding. It’s actually all the time, not just sometimes.