Most Recent – Page 2 – Seattle Wedding Officiants

Small Seattle Wedding Skyped to Italy!

Kimberly 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!

How to Obtain a Washington State Marriage License When Out of State

February 15, 2014/0 Comments/in Destination Wedding, Last Minute Wedding, Most Recent, Same-gender Marriage, Seattle Wedding, Wedding Planning /by MissElaine

Marriage Open

Washington 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:

Click on this link to be taken to the King County Marriage Licensing Dept: http://www.kingcounty.gov/courts/marriage.aspx
When you land on the page, click on Applying for a Marriage License
Next, click on Apply by Mail
Click on Download a Marriage License Application (PDF)
Download the application and print it off
Take the application to a licensed notary (banks usually have at least one notary). Please note: both of you must be present to get the application completed and your signatures notarized. Be sure to bring valid photo ID, i.e. passport, driver’s license.
Mail the completed license application in an overnight envelope with a cashier’s check in the amount of $64 made out to King County to:

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!

February 1, 2014/0 Comments/in Eastside Wedding, Last Minute Wedding, Most Recent, Small Wedding /by MissElaine

Last 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!

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.

Historic Robinswood House Summer Wedding

February 1, 2013/0 Comments/in Eastside Wedding, Most Recent, Wedding Traditions & Trends /by MissElaine

Last summer I had the joy and pleasure of officiating John & Desiree’s wedding at Robinswood House in Bellevue. The color scheme that Desiree chose was stunning with shades of orange and pink. For the ceremony, the couple hung frames from a tree and added beautiful bouquets provided by Ravenna Bloom. Desiree’s son walked her down the aisle and the two couldn’t have looked more happy. During the ceremony the family participated in the tradition of blending sands, which included lots of smiles and giggles. The dinner was held on the outdoor upper patio where tables were adorned with colorful vintage tablecloths. Dessert, provided by Sweet Side Cake & Al A Mode Pies included a traditional cake but also an assortment of pies which fit in perfectly for this fun summer wedding. These special moments and many more were captured by Heather at One Love Photo. Congratulations Desiree and John!