Pike Place Market Wedding

Leslie and Shelby contacted me from Plano, Texas in December of last year. They told me that they had never been to Seattle before and that they wanted to get married here. What a treat for me because I am a native of Seattle and I love helping people find their way around our city. In addition to being somewhat of a tour guide I have the added pleasure of officiating weddings for these Seattle newbies.

I was excited to begin the process of working with Leslie and Shelby which meant finding a fun, private venue for just the two of them to exchange vows. They also wanted to utilize one of my small wedding packages which included a photographer for one hour, a beautiful bouquet for the bride and a matching boutonniere for the groom.

We decided on the Goodwin Library at the Pike Place Market for their intimate ceremony. I met them at the market with flowers from Metropolitan Market and Huoy Chen of Huoy Chen Photography took care of the photos.

Please enjoy the pictures below of this beautiful destination wedding.

Small Seattle Wedding Skyped to Italy!

April 9, 2014/0 Comments/in Last Minute Wedding, Most Recent, Seattle Wedding, Small Wedding /by MissElaine

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!

Seattle Glass Blowing Studio Elopement

March 31, 2014/0 Comments/in Destination Wedding, Elopement Concierge, Elopement Style wedding, Elopements, Same-gender Marriage, Seattle Wedding, Small Wedding /by MissElaine

I 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!

Seattle Wedding Officiants, Elaine Way, Seattle Glass Blowing Studio Elopement, Jeanne Phinney Photography, Elope in Seattle, Seattle Elope

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.

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!

Pentagon Announces Same-Sex Spouse Benefits

September 3, 2013/0 Comments/in Last Minute Wedding, Same-gender Marriage, Seattle Wedding /by MissElaine

I am so proud of Washington state for pushing referendum 74 through in December of 2012, making our state the tenth jurisdiction in the United States (9 states, plus the District of Columbia) to extend the freedom to marry to same-sex couples. Since that time I have had the honor and privilege of officiating dozens of same-sex weddings for couples from all over the country.

Following is an update from the Department of Defense who has voted to extend federal benefits to same-sex spouses of military service members. Congratulations on another victory!

Courtesy of NBC News.com September 3, 2013:

“The Department of Defense announced a plan on Wednesday to extend a range of federal benefits to same-sex spouses of military service members starting Sept. 3.

The Pentagon will extend to legally married same-sex couples the same privileges and programs that are provided to legally married heterosexual couples, including benefits tied to health care, housing, and family separation allowance, compensation paid to military members when their dependents can’t live with them at their permanent duty station.

“The Department of Defense remains committed to ensuring that all men and women who serve in the U.;SD. military, and their families, are treated fairly and equally as the law directs,” the Pentagon said in its announcement Wednesday.

On Tuesday, a senior official told NBC News that service members who are stationed in one of the 37 states where same-sex marriage is illegal will be offered up to 10 days of leave so they can travel to one of the 13 states, plus the District of Columbia, that grant same-sex marriage licenses.

All entitlements are retroactive to June 26, 2013 the date of the Supreme Court’s ruling that a key provision of the Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, is unconstitutional.”

By Jim Miklaszewski, Courtney Kube and Elizabeth Chuck, NBC News

Stephanie & Margaret Share Two Lovely Weddings

January 15, 2013/0 Comments/in Seattle Wedding /by MissElaine

Last year I had the pleasure of meeting Stephanie and Margaret, who requested my services for their upcoming nuptials. Even though the passing of Ref74 was still brewing in Washington State, they wanted to have a wedding — and why not? Their planning included everything but the marriage certificate that gets forwarded to the county auditor post wedding. So we proceeded to plan a wedding!

Stephanie and Margaret chose the Shafer Baillie Mansion on Capital Hill for their ceremony and reception. Located in the heart of one of Seattle’s oldest neighborhoods, the mansion is noted for it’s gracious atmosphere of a bygone era, and is surrounded by large trees and seasonal gardens. Their ceremony and reception were held on the outdoor patio where the guests enjoyed food by Arista Catering and beautiful classical music. I provided my own custom-made “marriage certificate” so they could enjoy this special moment after their ceremony.

But wait there’s more!

On December 6th 2012 same-sex couples were officially and legally allowed to apply for marriage licenses for the first time in state history (finally!). Because state law mandates a three-day waiting period between when you get your license and when you get married couples wanting to make it legal could start holding ceremonies on December 9th. Enter Stephanie and Margaret — again. I heard through the grapevine (ok, it was Facebook) that they were heading down to the courthouse for a 3:00 a.m. (yes, a.m.) appointment with a judge to make their union legal. In addition, they were inviting folks to join them. I immediately called and said, “heck yes,” I want to be there so I can go full circle with you. After all, we shared a milestone earlier in the year and I was hugely honored to be with them then — so I agreed to join them at the courthouse. Not only did I join them at the courthouse — I got to be one of their witnesses. I can’t tell you how great of a feeling it was to join them for not only their legal wedding, but this moment in Washington State’s history.

So here they are, my lovely couple Stephanie and Margaret formally and legally married in the state of Washington on December 9, 2012. Congratulations my dear friends.

Press Release: Seattle Wedding Officiants Awarded 2013 Bride’s Choice Award

January 10, 2013/0 Comments/in Seattle Wedding /by MissElaine

SEATTLE, WA – January 10, 2013 – 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 Bride’s Choice Awards for Officiant in Seattle, WA.

The esteemed annual awards program recognizes the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire Network who demonstrate excellence in quality, service responsiveness and professionalism.

Seattle Wedding Officiant’s selection as a Bride’s Choice Award 2013 winner was selected based on the positive experiences expressed by past clients on WeddingWire, the world’s largest wedding review site with over one million reviews. While many industry awards are given by the host organization, the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards winners are determined solely based on reviews from real newlyweds and their experiences working with Seattle Wedding Officiants.

The WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards 2013 are given to the top local wedding vendors in more than 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, based on professional achievements from the previous year. Award-winning vendors are distinguished for the quality, quantity, consistency and timeliness of the reviews they have received from their past clients. As a Bride’s Choice Awards winner, Seattle Wedding Officiants is highlighted within the WeddingWire network, which is comprised of over 200,000 wedding professionals throughout the United States, Canada and abroad.

“Each year, WeddingWire looks forward to celebrating the success of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Network,” said Timothy Chi, CEO, WeddingWire. “Now in its fifth year, the Bride’s Choice Awards program continues to recognize the elite wedding professionals who exemplify a commitment to quality, service and professionalism. These businesses were chosen by our bridal community for their responsiveness and dedication to their clients over the past year. We are honored to recognize Seattle Wedding Officiants for their impressive achievements with the wedding industry.”

Seattle Wedding Officiants is thrilled to be one of the top Officiants in Seattle, Washington in the WeddingWire network of sites, which include leading wedding sites such as WeddingWire, Project Wedding, Brides.com, Martha Stewart Wedding, and Weddingbee. We would like to than our past clients for taking the time to review our business on WeddingWire. We value all of our clients and truly appreciate the positive feedback that helped us earn the WeddingWire Storefront today at http://www.weddingwire.com/biz/seattle-wedding-officiants-seattle/355963dc6eae85dc.html

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, Project Wedding.com and other leading sites, including MarthaStewarWeddings.com (NYSE: MSO), Brides, com and Weddingbee.com.

Travel-themed Wedding at Thornewood Castle

December 31, 2012/0 Comments/in Seattle Wedding /by MissElaine

On August 19, 2012 I had the honor and pleasure of officiating the wedding of Greg and Tammy. Their venue, Thornewood Castle, is one of my favorites. The grounds are lush with beautiful gardens and rolling lawns. In addition, there is statuary tucked in and around the gardens reminiscent of an old English estate.

Greg and Tammy’s passion for travel inspired a travel theme for their wedding. Travel details included vintage suitcases and postcards on each table. I read one of my favorite stories reflecting their love for each other titled, “Love Monkey”. It’s about two monkeys that travel the world with their hearts in their hands, find each other and fall in love. It was perfect for Greg and Tammy and brought on a few tears and lots of chuckles too.

Greg and Tammy added some details to their wedding that were unique and lovely. They used mason jars planted with seasonal plants for their aisle markers. They offered a selection of yummy cakes rather than one large wedding cake. Tammy works at a dentist’s office and included a jar of toothbrushes on her candy table!

I had so much fun meeting and working with Greg and Tammy to plan a wedding ceremony that would suit them. Congratulations to a fun-loving and passionate couple!