by Scott Johnson
What a weird and oddly dreary summer it is we are having here in Seattle. Aside from a sprinkling of nice, toasty days, our weather has mostly consisted of low-70s and rainy mornings. Which may be all for the best since there is still a pandemic going on, keeping a lot of us indoors anyway! Whether you are out sitting in a park or cozied up indoors, we hope you are staying safe and healthy. It is time to return to our Favorite Outdoor Weddings of 2019 Countdown; this time around we'll see urban paradises, quaint lakesides, and a blast of winter air you probably weren’t expecting. Why don’t we take a look!
Degginger Wedding - Trophy Lake Golf and Casting Club
The secret to golfing in Washington is to wait until the tail end of summer and take the twilight hours to get discount play, empty courses, and all the time in the world you need to go far over par. The Degginger wedding happened on the first weekend of October, and still had that late-summer feel, if not just a touch chilly. Down at the Trophy Lake Golf and Casting Club in Port Orchard, the day was spent roaming the greens, kissing on bridges, and getting wed with a most wonderful backdrop.
Out in a little clearing, the bride and groom met for their ceremony. Surrounded by their loved ones, a babbling brook, and the serenity of a golf course, it was as picture perfect as one could get! It wouldn’t be a wedding at a golf course without golden hour shots of the newlyweds pacing through the empty fairways. Of course, all golf clubs come with plenty of space to host a big reception, and Trophy Lake is no exception. The newlyweds and their loved ones boogied the night away.
Lopez - Atherton Wedding - Washington Arboretum
If ever there was a place to make you forget you are within one of the biggest cities on the west coast, the Washington Park Arboretum would be it. Covering many acres, there are so many unique little environments around the massive green belt that you could find yourself lost in for hours. The numerous trails lead to new discoveries every time you walk through. We can’t wait to get back to the Arboretum and enjoy nature again!
Annie and Dave’s big day got started with a first look on the bridge overlooking the main thoroughfare of the park, making it seem more akin to Central Park than anything. After traipsing through the greenery, the bride and groom were itching to get, well, hitched. Their wedding ceremony was held in a delightful courtyard that let the end-of-summer sun shine down on the guests. Once the sun went away, the reception was held in the same courtyard and everyone danced the night away.
Anderson Wedding - Rosehill Community Center
There is something about that resounding ferry horn that calls out across Puget Sound at all hours of the day, each time announcing the arrival or departure of the iconic boats. Up in Mukilteo, this is ever the more apparent, especially by the Rosehill Community Center where Danica and Cody got wed back in August. Gorgeous is an understatement: from the marvelous architecture to the plentiful photo-ops, the whole of the Rosehill Community Center is just superb. We had a splendid day getting photos and video of the bridal parties, looking stunning as they gazed out to the horizon.
The ceremony was nothing short of perfection either; standing with the backdrop of the Sound, the bride and groom stood poised with their entourages as they eagerly waited for the magic words to kiss. Soon enough, they did. The rest of the afternoon was spent in the Community Center itself, with everyone grubbing on cupcakes and shaking their booties on the dance floor.
Flom Wedding - Mountain Springs Lodge
In what must be our most contrasting wedding to the rest of the bunch, at least for the time being, the Floms decided for a wintry, white wedding day. Over at the wonderfully named Mountain Springs Lodge in Leavenworth, it was one of our first weddings of the year...as this was still the dead of winter. And up in the mountains, boy are you going to get chilly.
Nevertheless, Sarah and Caleb were not going to let the cold bother them, anyway. Not with the fire of love burning warm in their hearts! Their first look was down a snow covered road, looking like something you only see in magazines. Talk about a white wedding.
There might have been some shivers here and there, but on a wedding day there always is! Out in a windswept field, the two got wed with sleighs streaking across in the background. You could not possibly imagine a more serene sight. Winter wonderland? You betcha!
Would you ever want to get married in the snow?
Mackie Wedding - Green Gates at Flowing Lake
Last up this week is another blissful piece of pure nature. Green Gates at Flowing Lake in Snohomish is honestly drop-dead gorgeous. The natural surroundings are enough to leave you breathless, especially if you get hitched there in the fall with the magical leaf colors exploding in vibrant arrays. After an adorable first look, we followed the bride, groom and party around this amazing place as they got ever-more excited to get married.
Pumpkins filled with flowers lined the aisles, friends and family filled the seats, and the lake was utterly still in the background. It was so peaceful that all the worries of the day slipped away in the Autumn wind. Alas, the reception was held indoors, but once this pandemic ends you cannot deny yourself a visit to this little paradise!
______________________
There you have it for another installment of our Favorites of 2019 Countdown! Do not worry, we have plenty more where that came from, and even more categories to follow after that! Have any questions? Comments? Think something was particularly great? Leave us a comment below; we love hearing from you!