Blog – Page 6 – Seattle Wedding Officiants

Christmas Wedding at the Salish Lodge

Since it’s Christmastime, what better wedding to write about than a Christmas Wedding at the Salish Lodge. Let me start by saying that Rosa and Joe, the couple whose wedding I am going to share with you, just celebrated their one-year anniversary. Again, happy anniversary Rosa and Joe!

Last year Rosa contacted me to discuss her upcoming Christmas wedding at the Salish. The first time we met, I was impressed at how sweet and lovable Rosa and Joe were. They were so in love and so excited about their wedding. I was also really impressed by how Rosa had thought out each little detail of her vision for her winter wedding, right down to the lipstick! . She definitely knew what she wanted, which was a very romantic wedding that expressed their love for each other. I was able to weave in creative ideas to the ceremony that complemented the romance Rosa and Joe were looking for. One example is that Rosa and Joe are huge movie buffs. I suggested that they each choose a line from a movie to read to each other that was special. We incorporated the lines into the personal statement I wrote for them and this is how it went:

Because Joe and Rosa love to share movie quotes with each other, I asked them — each privately — to share with me one of their favorite movie quotes that best describes their feelings on this day. This will be a surprise for both of them:

This is Joe’s movie quote for Rosa:

“When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible”….From the movie When Harry Met Sally

This is Rosa’s movie quote for Joe:

“It was a million tiny little things that, when you added them all up, they meant we were supposed to be together….and I knew it.” ….From the movie Sleepless in Seattle.

Next, we added a tree-planting ceremony. I suggested a little tiny Christmas tree that they could plant in their yard and watch grow over the coming years. Rosa and Joe and Joe’s two sons planted the little tree together.

Everything about Rosa and Joe’s winter wedding at the Salish represented the love between them. I was honored to be a part of their joy. I have put together some of my favorite photos from their wedding….there were so many! Please enjoy.

The Art of the Small Wedding

I met Sara and Shane early last summer to talk about their small wedding at Willows Lodge in Woodinville. They had made reservations at Willows for the special package called “I do for two.” Willows Lodge is such a lovely place to have a wedding — small or large — and I was excited to be invited to be their officiant.

I have had the pleasure of officiating all sizes of weddings — from 2 to 400 guests, on hiking trails in boots and all dressed up with wedding parties of 22! I am mostly always prepared for surprises and ready to hit the ground running in any situation. I have to say that Sara and Shane’s wedding totally took me by surprise because it was small in numbers but absolutely gigantic in emotion.

Both Sara and Shane had their parents fly in from different parts of the country and they would be their only guests. Sara looked gorgeous in her gown, hair and jewels, and the men wore tuxedos with bow ties. What was so outstanding was that although there were only six of us at the ceremony, it felt like the space was filled with the love of a 1000 hearts. Who says you can’t have a royal wedding with only six people? After Sara and Shane’s wedding, I know I never will. Special thanks to Renata Steiner at Nataworry Photography for capturing the emotion, especially the love, so brilliantly in the photographs below.

Center for Wooden Boats Wedding

October 20, 2013/0 Comments/in Most Recent, Seattle Wedding /by MissElaine

Last summer I had the pleasure of being contacted by Sarah and Paul regarding their upcoming wedding at the Center for Wooden Boats on Lake Union. Their wedding was only two-and-a-half months away, and travelling for work was in Sarah’s immediate future. Needless to say, we needed to get started on their ceremony and wrap up details quickly before Sarah left the country. Fortunately, we had the help of my friend and colleague Kelli Bielema at Shindig Events. Everything was more or less in place except the officiant – me! Sarah and Paul are a laid back couple but they clearly wanted something special and unique for this ceremony. Together, we wrote something they loved and the ceremony turned out perfectly — including random pauses for the planes taking off and landing on the lake. Speaking of planes, family and friends flew in from around the country. One friend made Sarah’s beautiful bouquet (see below). The music was provided by Swing Soiree and the food from Herban Feast. Beautiful couple, beautiful setting, fabulous wedding! Enjoy the photos from Sarah and Paul’s Center for Wooden Boats wedding below.

Kayak Wedding on Lake Union

October 2, 2013/0 Comments/in Most Recent, Seattle Wedding /by MissElaine

A few months back I was contacted by Al and Teya from Lithuania. As we Skyped, they explained to me that they were coming back to the U.S. and wanted to get married in kayaks in Seattle. They also wanted their officiant to be in a kayak to perform the ceremony. Their vision included having a spot where those who didn’t want to kayak could watch from land. I enthusiastically agreed to be their “sea-going” officiant and offered to research some options for them.

The first location that I thought of for a great kayaking destination, and also a location where guests could watch from land was Foster Island in the Arboretum. I have taken many walks on the boardwalk out to Foster Island and I always see people kayaking and rowing through these beautiful wetlands. I took my dogs down there one Sunday afternoon just to check out our options. I saw many charming docks and platforms where guests could watch the ceremony and that we could easily kayak to. I took some pictures and sent them to Al and Teya in Lithunia along with kayak rental information.

After discussing a few small changes we agreed on our route and made plans to meet at a location on Lake Union where we would launch our kayaks.

The big wedding day came and WOW!!! the weather was really bad. It was pouring rain, the wind was blowing and it was cold. I wasn’t sure I still wanted to be a part of this adventure and spoke with Al about a possible plan B. (By the way, I always have a plan B.) He was persistent, however, and after agreeing to shorten our time on the water I decided to join everyone.

Please enjoy the following pictures of this amazing wedding day of Al and Teya!

Happily ever after!

Seattle Wedding Officiants is a Family Affair!

September 26, 2013/0 Comments/in Most Recent /by MissElaine

Two summers ago I was the officiant for Michael and Euneka, who were married at Maroni Meadows in Snohomish. As is usually the case, I meet friends and family members of the couples I marry as well. Euneka and Michael both had lovely families and it was a fun day getting to know all of them.

This past summer of 2013 I had the pleasant surprise of receiving a call from Euneka’s mother, who I had met at Euneka’s wedding the previous summer. It turned out that she was also getting married and wanted to have me officiate her wedding at the Monte Cristo Ballroom. I was so honored to be invited to be the officiant for Harriett and James’ wedding. Even better was that I got to see Euneka and Michael and their families once again.