Rathbone Images Blog: September 2006

Happy Anniversary, Christy and James!

Christy and James got married at Discovery Park, and had their reception at Rock Salt. But, before the ceremony, I spent the day with the girls and Bob spent the day with the guys, going to several places for portraits and group pictures, riding in some really cool limos. It was a fun day.

Congratulations on your one-year anniversary, and on the birth of your new baby Connor. We are looking forward to seeing you in November!

-- Priscilla

Amanda and Mike, August 5th

Amanda and Mike got married on August 5th on The Islander. Although Amanda and Mike live in Arkansas, Mike grew up near Seattle, and the couple want to move here. So, after Mike proposed to Amanda in Gasworks Park, Amanda started planning her perfect wedding in Seattle.

Here is Amanda getting ready at the elegant Hotel Vintage Park, in downtown Seattle:

And Mike at a friend's apartment with a great view:

Amanda, boarding The Islander, in infrared:

Amanda and Mike had a crystal bowl full of Hematite stones. Their guests were to choose a stone and infuse it with their best wishes for the couple. The newleyweds keep this crystal bowl on their mantelpiece to remind them of the support of their friends and family for their union. It was a meaningful way to include the guests in their celebration. Here is Grandma, showing off her stone:

The ceremony:

Amanda and her Prince Charming:

During the toasts:

The first dance, as reflected in the ship's window:

Amanda and Mike enjoy a moment together at the end of their wedding:

A little still life portrait I created using Mike and Amanda's stones:

The wedding was planned and coordinated by Keri of Bliss Events, who did a beautiful and professional job, as usual. The flowers were all from Seattle's Pike Place Market.

Congratulations to a very sweet couple. I hope you make it out to Seattle again someday!

-- Priscilla

Happy Anniversary, Katy and Aaron!

Katy and Aaron got married at a beautiful Bed and Breakfast in Trout Lake, WA, called The Farm. They raved about the hospitality of the owners, Rosie and Dean, and said that it was a great place to have their wedding. We thought it was a great place to take pictures.

The reception and dancing were held in the barn:

And fun was had by all. Congratulations on your first year as a married couple, and here's to many more to come!

-- Priscilla

Genie and Heidi, July 22nd

Genie and Heidi got married on Bainbridge Island, at Genie's mom's place. Their beautiful ceremony was very touching-- Genie wrote a poem which she recited for Heidi, and Heidi sang a song that she composed for Genie. Their dogs, Toby and Flea, were the ring bearers. It was a wonderful place for a ceremony.

Thank you so much for including us in your celebration. Congratulations, Heidi and Genie!

-- Priscilla

Top Ten First Things To Do

You did it! He proposed, you accepted, now what?

Top 10 First Things To Do:

10-- First, congratulations! Call all your important people and tell them. Start thinking about who you might want to include in your celebration (everything from the invitation list to the wedding party to speakers/singers/etc).

9-- Sit down together and choose a date.

8-- Think about the theme or mood of your wedding. Jot down some words that appeal to you: beauty, romance, tropical, unique, etc. These will help you choose everything from venue to florist to photographer.

7-- Start checking out your resources-- buy bridal magazines (e.g. Seattle Bride), surf websites, get ideas. If a wedding show sounds appealing, there are lots of local ones throughout the year. Start a file of things you like, actual and/or digital. Make a planner if you want to. One of the greatest things about getting married now is the incredible amount of creativity and uniqueness you can express through your wedding. You have so many choices and opportunities (for example, you can get married in a church or a park, you can light a unity candle, pour sand, or do something else that no one else has thought of, to symbolize your love for each other). I will be talking in a later entry about some of the original things our clients have done.

6-- Make a rough budget, realizing that it may need to be adjusted later. Decide which items are the most important to you, and allocate more of the budget towards those items. Think of the future (after you are married), and what will be most important to you then.

Here is a website that you might find helpful in this process: Budget Planner.

5-- Decide whether to use a wedding planner. Here is an article describing some of the advantages and disadvantages: Wedding Planner? If you would like any recommendations, we have some great ones.

4-- Start researching sites and check venue availability. Usually, the venue is the first thing you want to book. When I planned my wedding, there was no web (I know, we got married in the dark ages!), but now researching sites and everything else is just a click away.

3-- Ask friends for recommendations and contact anyone whose work catches your eye.

2-- Set up meetings and ask lots of questions (questions to ask your photographer—that’s a whole ‘nother topic). Always ask to see samples--remember your key words in your decision making process.

1-- Lastly, but not leastly, keep in mind the most important thing through this whole process—your wedding photography! Just kidding. ;) No, what I mean is that it is easy to get caught up in the details (and sometimes the stress) of planning a wedding, and forget the real reason you are doing all this. So, sometimes it helps to step back and remind yourself of the big picture—it’s not really about the wedding, it’s about the marriage, the bond that you two have together and that you want to declare in front of all the most important people in your life. My favorite thing at my own wedding was not the flowers or the cake, or my dress, though I loved all of those—it was having everyone I cared about in one place, and feeling their support and love as Bob and I joined our lives together. There are lots of big decisions to make, but at the end of the day, it is about the two of you, and the life you will share.

And if you are reading this article, and you are planning to propose to your partner, think about having a photographer on hand to capture the action. It’s a really fun way to start the story of your wedding.

Happy planning!

-- Priscilla

Marcella's La Boutique Sample Sale

Here is some information about Marcella's La Boutique, who is having a sample sale the next two days. I have heard great things about Marcella's and used them for my own bridesmaids dresses for my wedding. Bob and I got married in August of '97, right in the middle of a UPS strike. Although the bridemaids dresses did not arrive, Marcella's service was great, providing all the dresses off the floor and altering them without a hitch. Everyone over at Citysearch seems to love them too:

Marcella's Sale

Good luck and happy dress hunting!

-- Priscilla

Happy Anniversary, Bobbie and Ryan!

Bobbie and Ryan got married at the Robinswood House in Bellevue. We did a little impromptu engagement session in the park outside the house the night before after the rehearsal. Ryan and Bobbie were very cute together. From the engagement session:

And the wedding:

We hope you had a great year together, and have many more to come. Happy anniversary, Bobbie and Ryan!

-- Priscilla

Jeannine and Mike, July 15th

Mike and Jeannine got married at the scenic Bear Creek Country Club on July 15th:

They had a first meeting before the ceremony:

Jeannine had the most beautiful eyes:

Mike and Jeannine pledging themselves to each other:

We got to do a little portrait session with the happy couple on the golf course after the ceremony:

During the reception, they had some romance and some karaoke going on. The DJ (a very friendly and professional Matthew Woolman from Puget Sound DJ Services) really kept the party going, and was great with the karaoke tunes.