Nondenominational Minister – 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!

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

Press Release – Seattle Wedding Officiants Awarded 2014 Couple’s Choice Award

January 17, 2014/0 Comments/in Wedding Planning /by MissElaine

CHEVY 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.”

2014 Wedding Wire Badge

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).

Christmas Wedding at the Salish Lodge

December 18, 2013/0 Comments/in Eastside Wedding, Wedding Planning /by MissElaine

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.

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!

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!

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