Remember this couple? We photographed their engagement session at Volunteer Park and on Capitol Hill way back before the crazy Seattle Snowpocalypse of 2010. We knew we were in for a treat with their wedding because not only were they super cute, amazingly sweet, and really fun to photograph, but they also had an amazing sense of style. We were right! Their wedding last year at Hotel 1000 blew us away.
Jessica and Steven planned a beautiful spring wedding overflowing to the brim with pink peonies, a cake bar with 5 miniature 3-tiered wedding cakes, a pink and white candy bar with Chinese takeout boxes, and handmade pink tulle poufs hanging from the glass ceiling of the Hotel 1000 atrium. A white and black motif including their handmade silhouettes complimented the pink to give their wedding a soft, romantic look. Jessica is Chinese and wanted to incorporate some elements of her heritage into the wedding. So J+S designed their own invitations using the traditional ‘double happiness’ character to create a repeating pattern and then incorporated the double happiness character into the programs and other paper goods. Traditionally, Chinese brides wear red dresses and gold jewelry. As a nod to that, Jessica wore red shoes under her gorgeous, lace wedding dress (the groomsmen wore Converse All Stars!) and changed into a cream dress with metallic gold embroidery for the reception. I was really impressed to learn that Jessica and Steven pulled off their youthful, elegant, metropolitan wedding within a budget of only $15,000 by using lots of local vendors and creating some items by hand with love.
Just because the main events of their wedding day were scheduled at Hotel 1000 didn’t keep them there. We wandered all over downtown Seattle taking pictures so they’d have an iconic reminder of their Seattle love story long after their wedding. First, J+S had a very special first look in the lobby of the Seattle Art Museum, framed by the “exploding cars” art exhibit. They had a big wedding party– 12 in total– so we asked their friends to hang back and meet us at a pre-determined location and time. This gave Jessica and Steven a few quiet moments together to really savor the impact of the commitment they were making. It was beautiful to watch them fall speechless and tear up as they saw each other for the first time.
We walked them across the street (Jessica wore those crazy-high heels the whole time) to the Pike Place Market and Post Alley to kiss and play in front of famous scenic Seattle landmarks. Then, we cabbed to the downtown Seattle Public Library to capture these bookworms and their wedding party at home in the stacks … some of my favorite images from all of our weddings last year!
Back at the Hotel 1000 atrium, framed by Seattle’s biggest skyscrapers and surrounded by family and friends, Jessica and Steven exchanged heartfelt vows. Instead of dancing after dinner, we set up a photo booth and crammed as many of their friends and family in there as was possible. Jessica and Steven kept the cocktails flowing and the photos got crazier and crazier. In fact, I think I need to dedicate a separate post to just the photo booth!
We’re so glad to have become friends with these two over the last year. Looking at their wedding again brings back so many happy (and hilarious) memories of our time together. Thank you two for every wonderful moment!
The Wedding Rundown:
Photographers: Persimmon Images
Venue: Hotel 1000
Gown: I Do Bridal
Flowers: Adeline’s Peonies
Cakes: Central Market
Officiant: Rev. Greg Turk
Invitations: Catprint.com
Accessories: Modwedding (etsy)
Hair and Makeup: Swink Style Bar
