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Matt and Ashley | Gig Harbor Private Residence Wedding

Jonathan Tung

I’m excited to share Matt and Ashley’s wedding is published and featured on Brides & Weddings! See the post below

This special day between Matt and Ashley is truly unique and unlike any other wedding. Hosted at a private residence by a family friend of the groom, this waterfront property located in Gig Harbor was the perfect choice for an intimate wedding. With just a few close friends and family, everyone who came, was there to purposefully celebrate the bride and groom. Although a March wedding in the Seattle area is bound to come with a level of unpredictability when it comes to the weather, that was not stopping this love story from happening.

I’m always excited to shoot a wedding where I know someone, and in this case, it was the maid of honor, Jamieson, who is the club general manager at Rainier Golf & Country Club, where I shot the holiday ball just a few months prior. When Jamieson referred me to Matt and Ashley, I then found that Matt is the chef at that country club, where I had some of the delicious food. As I learned more about what Matt and Ashley were dreaming up for their wedding during our consultations, I became even more excited; I could tell this is was one where I’d really enjoy capturing.

As I pull up to the property on a brisk winter morning, I was thrilled to find that property looked even more stunning than in the photos and videos I saw beforehand. The interior features tons of natural light from large windows overlooking a beautiful backyard and Carr Inlet. The exterior features a 2nd story backyard balcony overhanging a covered deck perfect for entertaining. The grass area is elevated and leads directly right to the waterfront. “Backyard weddings” typically get a bad rep, but this private residence feels far from “backyard”. With spacious outdoor and indoor spaces, and views that can entertain all day long, this property would have no issues routinely hosting private events and entertaining guests.

I finish familiaring myself with the lay of the land and start on bridal details. The invitations are just beautiful and I had to feature the wax stamp that is similar to Game of Thrones, when each House stamps a letter with their house symbol. The sage green print with a cream background pairs beautifully with the floral trimmings and silver jewlery, consisting of rings, necklace, earrings, and bracelet. The most common challenge for flat lays is spacing and lighting. With a ton of natural light and a wide tabletop surface here, I only had to worry about assembling the details and composing each shot.

As we move into getting ready photos with hair and makeup, I find I have so much to work with. The master bedroom features french doors with direct access leading to the balcony and with en-suite bathroom with huge windows. The space is filled with natural light. With MacKenzie, Jamieson, and the bridesmaids themselves, they all get to work on their hair and makeup which they all look stunning in just their robes. We head out directly to the balcony for some quick robe photos before heading back inside for warmth.

While the bridesmaids finish getting ready, I pull the groomsmen into the living room for getting ready photos along with groom’s gifts for the groomsmen. They each open their gifts to reveal sleek, black pocketknives. I personally love these high quality, high-utility gifts and are perfect for these gentlemen. I send the guys back into hiding and head back to the ladies to catch final touches.

Ashley dons her wedding dress, jewlery and other final touches with the help of her bridesmaids. She then presents a love note to her mom and it’s just the sweetest thing ever. When brides have special private moments like these with family on their big day, it fills me with emotion and reminds me why I do what I do. Well, it’s time for even more heartfelt moments as we move into first looks.

The first first-look is with Ashley’s Dad and brother. I could feel the emotions myself as Ashley walks down the stairs, handkerchief in hand and before she even sees her family, tears start running. There’s no better place to have a first look than in this beautiful living room overlooking the waterfront. With a break in between to touchup on makeup, we do this again with Matt. This second time is no less special than the first time with Dad and brother. The intimacy and connection between them is so heartfelt.

At this point, I give Ashley a break and catch up on some groom details as I was waiting for a few lingering accessories, then followed by groomsmen photos. Getting a breath of fresh air, the day starts to warm up a bit and we grab some group photos in the backyard with views overlooking the waterfront. I actually really enjoy this part of the day as it gets me a chance to interact with the guys more. Running just slightly behind schedule, we move to the bridesmaids photos and I bring them to the backyard while I ask the guests to shelter in the kitchen with the blinds closed to avoid seeing Ashley. The flower girls come along and as we exit through the front door and around the back, we have some great photo opportunities in the main entry, which for the purposes of this public blog, the private residence entryway will not be shown. The wind is blowing fiercely and it is cold but the flowergirls do great for the photos! We snap some group photos of just the bridesmaids.

Running behind schedule, we skip the full wedding party photos for now and move to family formals. It starts raining a bit harder so I take family formals in front entryway of the residence where it is partly sheltered. As we prepare the guests for the ceremony, it starts to rain even harder. The entire ceremony stage is unsheltered, chairs get wet, guests arrive and seats are wiped dry prior to sitting, umbrellas come out, it’s a rainstorm out here. Out of all times in the day, the weather decides to be at its worse during the most important part of the day where we need clear weather. Well that doesn’t stop us. The ceremony commences despite the weather, guests are all wet, and our day moves on.

We all head back inside for cocktail hour for the guests, and marriage certificate signing for the officiant, bride and groom, and witnesses. I eye the weather forecast, looking for the opportunity to resume wedding party photos, but the forecast says rain will ensure for the remainer of the evening. Although I would have loved to capture more creative wedding party photos, I need to deliver something, so we take some at the front entry way of the home. After we are finished, we prepare for the grand entrance and begin reception.

If I were to speak on all details of the reception, we wouldn’t be leaving here. Here’s what I’d like to highlight:

  • The catering is a full taco bar provided solely by the groom. I was so impressed when I learned about this; all the ingredients were so incredibly fresh and for him to pull this off and get married is astounding.

  • In lieu of a bouquet toss, Ashley dedicated her bouquet to her mother. I just love this. Breaking traditions and honoring those who have deep, profound, impact to our lives.

Catching up on bride and groom portraits, we get an chance to do that right before the sun sets. On a typical overcast day of a PNW winter, we can’t see that, but the lighting is guaranteed to be soft and we don’t need sunsets for true, intimate, and authentic photos.

With a full day coverage and 1 hour commute each way, it was a long day, but it didn’t feel like a long day. It went by so fast. Jam packed with so many important moments to capture. I’m reminded of why I love this. Connecting with people, and telling their stories. I couldn’t see it any other way.

Here are all the incredible vendors that made this wedding happen

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