by Scott Johnson
How’s everyone doing this week? We have finally broken through to the Summer season, the heat has definitely been upon us and the fans are being brought out, which only helps bring back memories of last year’s wedding season. It may be that we still have a ways to go in this whole COVID world before things get back to normal, so let’s keep it up with memories of what life was like just a year ago.
Without further ado it’s time to get back to our Favorite Outdoor Weddings of 2019 countdown!
Anderson Wedding - Swiftwater Cellars, Suncadia Resort
Just over a year ago, the Andersons got married at Swiftwater Cellars, the first venue in this series with a return visit! If you missed our first part, be sure to visit the James Wedding if you’re curious! The Andersons lovely day was right at the start of Summer and felt like it embodied the arrival of the new season perfectly.
Once all the suits and dresses were on, that was almost it for being indoors. The first look, group photos, and the ceremony were all outside in the fresh Summer sun. How can we ever forget about the ceremony space, with the jaw-dropping forest extending into the distance? Or the wide open spaces able to accommodate a whole army of people? Alas, the reception took place in the titular Cellars, but that’s alright with us!
Kingdon-Chander Wedding - Fremont Foundry
Shifting gears from very early Summer to mid-Autumn, the Kingdon-Chander wedding was definitely a unique take on the “Outdoor Wedding”: it was on a rooftop! Down in Fremont, where all you chocolate freaks need to make an odyssey to, lies the aptly-named Fremont Foundry. This blast of a day was a matter of world’s meeting, though they had actually been married legally for a few months.
Yet this celebration was just a pure joy from beginning to end. Choreographed dances, vibrant colors, the abandonment of tuxedos and dresses all came together for a day we wish we could go back to. In front of their friends and family, Kanika and Tyler got married, again, and it was like the first time just the same. While a good portion of the partying took place indoors, the rooftop ceremony, in the middle of Fremont, almost felt like a Summer night itself.
Dixon Wedding - Salty's on Alki
A place so very dear to our hearts, Salty’s in West Seattle played host to Best Made Videos® founder’s wedding. Again playing on the idea of an Outdoor Ceremony that isn’t out in nature or a golf course, Salty’s lets you get married out on their dock that hangs out into Puget Sound. With the iconic Seattle skyline towering in the distance, it’s a marvelous sight to be sitting in the audience with so much beauty beyond.
The Dixons’ wedding day didn’t start at Salty’s, but it would certainly end there. After getting ready in the Aloft Hotel, there were plenty of photos taken in the park next to the restaurant. The one scary part of the location of the ceremony space is it is hanging over the ocean, which certainly plays into this wedding when you consider your precious ring could be lost to the depths. The reception was held inside, just off the dock, which meant there was still the opportunity to catch the sun’s reflection in the skyscrapers across the water.
Oluoch Wedding - Lake Wilderness Lodge
If ever there was a name to inspire a sense of the wild and nature at its most basic sense, it would be Lake Wilderness. No, there aren’t rabid wolves or burly bears here, but this is a breathtaking location. to have your ceremony. Peace, quiet, and the natural world all around you, you may forget you are not too far outside of civilization. The Oluochs really knew what they were doing when they decided to get married here, and we are just fortunate to be able to capture the day for them. It may blow your mind to think this is a park, but with where Meg and Phelix got hitched, you might think it is a view that you could charge a million bucks for.
Aligned with chairs, draped in red, and set against an almost entirely natural setting (there were a few paddle boarders that crept by in the distance) it was simply beautiful. After the beautiful outdoor ceremony, the newlyweds made their way into the community center for the reception.
Chavez Wedding - Private Residence, Mukilteo
Last up in this installment of our Favorite Outdoor Weddings of 2019 Countdown is a wedding that could assuredly take the title of “Most Creative.” Titled “Goatstock,” this early August wedding saw the union of Shaylin and Christian, who had themselves met at a wedding years before. From start to finish, this wedding was accomplished by almost everyone in the family, and if you were wondering why it’s called “Goatstock,” it’s because this is an annual neighborhood get-together and there are a number of goat statues that make an appearance. This year, the bride and groom decided to tie everything into what is basically a block party.
It probably does not need to be said, but getting married in a comfortable and familiar place (the bride's childhood home) could make for an entirely different wedding day. To add on top of that, a unique experience and the fact that this whole day is called “Goatstock,” makes this a one-of-a-kind wedding day that we will always remember.
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Thus concludes Part 2 of our Favorite Outdoor Weddings of 2019 Countdown. We will be back with more in this series soon so be sure to check back and see which other weddings made this list! As always, if you have any questions or comments, please leave them below!