About Me
Let me help you create lasting memories on your wedding day. Call me today to schedule your free consultation! (206)406-7919.
I now also offer free Zoom consultations. Email elaine@seattleweddingofficiants.com
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Connect & Contact
Connect & Contact
Small Seattle Wedding Skyped to Italy!
/0 Comments/in Last Minute Wedding, Most Recent, Seattle Wedding, Small Wedding /by MissElaineKimberly and Gerardo contacted me in February for their upcoming wedding in March. I guess you could call this one of my “Small, Last Minute” wedding inquiries. But there was certainly nothing small or last minute about it. One of the funnest parts of orchestrating a wedding of this size is that you can weave in many of the elements of a large wedding without all the months of planning that go hand-in-hand with having a large wedding.
We started out by talking about a venue for their wedding that could accommodate 20 of their friends and family. I have a — sort of bible — that I pull out for requests such as these. Kimberly and Gerardo chose the Lakeside Room at Chandler’s Crabhouse on Lake Union for their Seattle wedding. They also decided to add a photographer from one of my Wedding Concierge Packages, which I was happy to provide.
Kimberly decorated the small private event room with beautiful little touches, such as little bags of goodies that had a sweet Winnie the Pooh saying on the outside. There were several yummy pies in place of the traditional wedding cake. But the funnest touch was that Gerardo set up a Skype session with his family in Italy. His brother in Italy even provided the music as we all walked into the room. And just before we began the ceremony, a large beautiful arrangement of flowers arrived from the family and friends who were watching via Skype. They got to see the bouquet they sent and watch the entire ceremony. We got to see their faces filled with joy on the big screen and hear the violin music coming all the way from Italy.
Please enjoy the lovely photos that my friend and colleague Jeanne of Jeanne Phinney Photography took of Kimberly and Gerardo’s sweet wedding. Congratulations Kimberly and Gerardo!
Seattle Glass Blowing Studio Elopement
/0 Comments/in Destination Wedding, Elopement Concierge, Elopement Style wedding, Elopements, Same-gender Marriage, Seattle Wedding, Small Wedding /by MissElaineI was first contacted by Tammy and Patrice in early 2014. They live in South Carolina and wanted to have their destination wedding in Seattle, Washington. I asked them what they had in mind for a venue — indoor? outdoor? They expressed a love of nature and I assured them that we had many beautiful parks and beaches that they would love. They also expressed a love of glass blowing. I immediately recalled a glass blowing studio that I often pass on my way through downtown Seattle. I contacted the Seattle Glass Blowing Studio and inquired about doing a small wedding ceremony within the studio and adding a glass pouring ceremony. They were enthusiastically on board for a Seattle Glass Blowing Studio elopement.
If you are familiar with the traditional sand pouring ceremony in which two different colors of sand are poured by the couple into one vessel — imagine pouring two different colors of glass crystals (referred to as “frit”) into a center vessel, which is then later blown into a beautiful sculpture. Tammy and Patrice were on board and I worked out all the details with the operations manager at the studio.
We had the studio to ourselves for approximately 30 minutes at which time we had the ceremony. The ladies poured their frit and I got to sign my first Ketubah – a Jewish wedding tradition. I brought in my friend and colleague Jeanne of Jeanne Phinney Photography to shoot the wedding and what follows are the lovely pictures of two very happy ladies. Congratulations Tammy and Patrice!
How to Obtain a Washington State Marriage License When Out of State
/0 Comments/in Destination Wedding, Last Minute Wedding, Most Recent, Same-gender Marriage, Seattle Wedding, Wedding Planning /by MissElaineWashington State marriage licenses are only valid for 60 days. Therefore, you do not want to begin this process until you are within that 60-day period. For example, if your wedding date is August 30th, don’t mail your application until June 30th. That puts the arrival and processing of the application within the 60-day valid period. If you send it more than 60 days before your wedding date it will expire and you will have to re-apply.
Here are the steps:
King County Marriage Licensing
King County Administration Building
500 Fourth Ave., Suite 311
Seattle, WA 98104
Please call the courthouse (206-296-4021206-296-4021) approximately 5 days after you have mailed your application to ensure they have received it. Next, shoot me an e-mail and let me know it’s ready to be picked up and I’ll swing by and get it and bring it to your ceremony.
Chinese New Year Wedding!
/0 Comments/in Eastside Wedding, Last Minute Wedding, Most Recent, Small Wedding /by MissElaineLast night I had the pleasure of officiating the wedding of Emma and Jay. I only met them a few weeks ago and it was definitely one of my “small, last minute” weddings. They had rented a suite at Willows Lodge for the evening and then chose to use the library at the lodge for their small, intimate wedding. Honored guests includes friends and Jay’s uncle but most importantly, the couple Skyped their wedding so both sets of parents could watch from Shanghai, China. You see, Jay and Emma met in China when they were only wee school children and their families have known each other for years. All four parents in China were very excited to watch their son and daughter get married from so far away. Emma had on a lovely Vera Wang gown and looked like an angle. And Jay could not keep from smiling almost the entire time. Their vows were beautiful and I was honored to be a part of their Chinese New Year wedding! Congratulations Emma and Jay!
Press Release – Seattle Wedding Officiants Awarded 2014 Couple’s Choice Award
/0 Comments/in Wedding Planning /by MissElaineCHEVY CHASE, MD – January 13, 2014 – WeddingWire, the nation’s leading online wedding marketplace, is thrilled to announce that Seattle Wedding Officiants has been selected as a winner of the prestigious WeddingWire Couples’ Choice Awards 2014 for Officiant in Seattle, WA. The esteemed annual awards program, formerly known as the Bride’s Choice Awards, recognizes the top five percent of wedding professionals in the Wedding Wire Network who demonstrate excellence in quality, service, responsiveness and professionalism. The WeddingWire Couples’ Choice Awards 2014 distinguish the top local wedding vendors in more than 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding officiants, based on their professional achievements from the previous year.
Unlike other awards in the wedding industry, the Couples’ Choice Awards are solely based on reviews from real newlyweds and their experiences working with their wedding professionals. Wedding Wire has quickly become the world’s largest wedding review site, with more than one million consumer reviews of wedding professionals. Approximately 72 percent of consumers trust online reviews as much as a recommendation from a family member or friend, therefore such reviews on WeddingWire help give consumers valuable historical information about wedding businesses and their experience.
Among the more than 200,000 wedding professionals in the WeddingWire Network, the award-winning professionals are determined based on their quality, quantity, consistency and timeliness of the reviews they received from their past clients. For thousands of engaged couples, the award symbolizes legitimacy, reliability, and a proven track record of success.
“There’s no better way to start the year than by honoring the hard work, commitment and success of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Network,” said Timothy Chi, CEO, WeddingWire. “It is exciting to embark on a sixth year recognizing those who engaged couples believe are committed to quality, professionalism and all around top-notch service. We celebrate this group of excellent wedding professionals for their impressive achievements within the wedding industry.”
About WeddingWire, Inc.
WeddingWire, the nation’s leading marketplace serving the $70 billion wedding industry, is the only online wedding planning resource designed to empower both engaged couples and wedding professionals. For engaged couples, WeddingWire offers the ability to search, compare and book over 200,000 reviewed wedding vendors, from wedding venues to wedding photographers. WeddingWire also offers a comprehensive suite of online planning tools for weddings, including wedding websites and wedding checklists, all at no charge. For wedding professionals WeddingWire is the only all-in-one marketing platform for businesses online and on-the-go. WeddingWire offers one simple solution to build a professional network, improve search visibility, manage social media and reach mobile consumers. Businesses that advertise with WeddingWire appear on WeddingWire.com, ProjectWedding.com and other leading sites, including Brides.com, MarthaStewartWeddings.com (NYSE:MSO), Weddingbee.com and Celebrations.com (part of the 1-800-Flowers family of brands, NASDAQ:FLWS).