Robb and Ann's Sweet And Intimate Wedding Ceremony At The Edgewater Hotel ~ Sunset, Ferries, Very Happy Faces!

Robb and Ann traveled from California to downtown Seattle to be married waterside on October 22nd at the wonderful Edgewater Hotel on Alaskan Way. They exchanged personal vows that were a surprise and it was truly a hankie moment.

The Edgewater Hotel is a favorite of mine for a wedding ceremony and reception - whether the guest list is 2-10 happy people or 200+ happy people.

The weather was iffy during Robb and Ann's wedding week and on Friday afternoon/early evening, the clouds parted and we had beautiful sunshine on the "wedding deck" overlooking the Puget Sound!

Photo Guy Kier from Firstlight Photography was on hand to capture the moment ~ isn't the smile on Ann's face to the right just fabulous?

Robb and Ann ~ How wonderful to have a "place" to return to celebrate your wedding day and future anniversaries!

First Light Photography (Kier & Mitzi) www.firstlight-weddings.com

The Hidden Life Of A Wedding Officiant ~ Congrats To My 2010 Class of Celebrants/Officiants!

Each Fall, I lead an 8-week intensive program with a dozen Wedding Celebrants & Officiants from all around our Country.

And tonight, as I write this blog, I'm about to lead our last class/program and am so very inspired with the caliber and heart of all that is a "Wedding Officiant/Celebrant."

In this work that I do, it's illuminating to me to really understand the heart and drive of a passionate Officiant/Celebrant ~ one that is fully committed to providing services to an engaged couple at the "perfume level."

As I finish with this group of 12 outstanding Wedding Officiants/Celebrants, I offer this insight into a heart of an Officiant:

~ The best Officiants are passionate about what they do. They are grateful for the opportunity to create and officiate ceremony and everything they do is about a couple and their wedding day.

~ The best Officiants truly freak out once or twice a year. This work can be intense and very personal and we're not perfect. We fall down. We screw up. We forget something. The best Officiants freak out and get over it - or if they mess up, they make it right. Always.

~ The best Officiants know a wedding ceremony is not about them. While a big focus of a ceremony is on an Officiant, the true focus is the couple. And a great Officiant works to showcase a couple and their people/tribe!

A Festive Weekday Wedding for Brian and Ashley at Seattle's Olive 8!

Brian and Ashley were married on a sunny Monday afternoon ~ a most marvelous weekday wedding at a very fun and contemporary venue, downtown Seattle's Olive 8.

Ron Shaw of Always Focused On You Photography captured beautiful images from Brian and Ashley's ceremony and he caught us in the middle of their cocktail hour for the photo at the right.

Brian and Ashley worked to create a ceremony that was truly reflective of their loving relationship (they met working for Olive 8) and one that celebrateed their "tribe" ~ i.e., the people who love and support them.

Brian and Ashley ~ Go take on the world as husband and wife!

Ron Shaw: http://www.always-focused-on-you.com/

Elegant Laughter ~ A Magical Elixir During A Contemporary Wedding Ceremony...

Laughter.

Just take a peak at Lili and Jacob's photo taken by Flowertoss Photography during their wonderful wedding ceremony at Robinswood House in Bellevue.

Laughter ~ giggles ~ big and small smiles ~ all of this has a perfect and elegant place within a contemporary wedding ceremony.

Remarkably, I find that many people have not been to a wedding ceremony where the "joy bar" has been raised ~ i.e., where laughter and appropriate humor are a piece of a marriage ritual.

In most of the ceremonies that I create and deliver, I like to weave in bits of humor and laughter. Of course, this all depends on the couple, their background/traditions and "where we're going with a ceremony."

And overall, I have found that touches of laughter, sweetness and glee add a flourishing touch to a memorable moment.

Children Of All Ages LOVE A Big Job Within A Wedding Ceremony!

Look at this face!

Michael and Lindy Zachau's son, Wake, is just way too cute!

This gorgeous photo, taken by photographer Barbie Hull, in a pew at St. Paul's Church in Port Gamble this year, is one of those "aw schucks" kind of photos.

Involving children within a wedding ceremony is a dance in all things unexpected. Children love participating in a wedding ritual and providing a "big job" to a child - no matter what the age - is an opportunity to create a lifetime moment.

It's not about whether the child perfectly "executes" the job ~ it's about giving a little one a marvelous opportunity to participate in a special day with the adults "rolling" with what ultimately happens.

For instance, during the ceremony, Wake decided to leave his seat with his relatives and explore the back of the church. We saw him at the end of the aisle and called to him during the ceremony ~ he ran down the aisle and into the arms of his parents. Unexpected and unplanned, this was truly momentous and absolutely a lifetime moment for Michael and Lindy!

www.barbiehull.com - photography