(Before I go further, click here to see the slideshow of the wedding!)

Allysen and Joey managed to combine typical Halloween funkiness with class and style, however, as evidenced by the absolutely stunning bouquet Allysen carried.

And I adored the cake from Starry Night Events with Corpse Bride cake toppers. 

You can’t do a Halloween wedding without costumes.  It’s just not possible.  Allysen donned angel wings for the first dance at the reception, and Joey had some very becoming devil horns.  Opposites attract.

All in all, it was a fantastic night with plenty of laughter and love and good times.  If I can’t be with my sweetheart on our anniversary, I can’t think of a better way to spend it than photographing another couple in love, celebrating with all their friends and family.  Allysen and Joey, thanks for the opportunity, and I wish you a future full of many happy hauntings. 

-Libbie

They put on their wedding clothes and had a barbecue lunch catered by Dave’s Famous BBQ (yum!!).  Friends and family were in abundance, there was music and dancing, really delicious cupcakes, and all the kids (and Jake!) played soccer, football, and volleyball on the sports fields.

I put together a little slideshow of the afternoon’s highlights here!

And here are a couple of my favorite shots from the day.  Cassandra and Jake re-enacting their first dance for their guests, and a very cute cake featuring a ladybug and a “cuddlebug.” 

Amy and Brandon are so much fun.  Always laughing, always having a good time.  Check out a few highlights from their wedding!

Flowers grown by Dad!

There is a slideshow here!

Emily wore a gorgeous, classic dress, and with her blonde ringlets I thought she looked like a 40′s-era movie star.

Four-year-old Marilyn was the flower girl and took her job very seriously.  She was very excited to be taking part in a wedding and wearing such a fancy dress, as all little flower girls are!  I thought she was the epitome of cuteness.

Emily’s uncle traveled all the way from the midwest to officiate at the ceremony.  He gave a very inspiring and animated service!

I got tons of pictures of these cute little looks Emily and Damian kept giving each other.  They are so adorable together.  You can tell they have a very strong friendship.

Loved this cake from Hillcrest Bakery.  It was gorgeous and extremely delicious.  And do you love this color scheme, or what?  Chocolate brown with dark teal.  So classy.  Love it.

AWESOME flowers, too.  I loved the bride’s bouquet of ivory roses and stephanotis blooms.  Yet more to remind me of the simple elegance of the first half of the 20th century.  I kept expecting Audrey Hepburn to walk around the corner.  I have the florist’s business card in my car, and as soon as I have a chance I’m going to put a link to her web site here as well as on my web site.  She was awesome.

Guess who else was attending the wedding?  The future Little Harpel!  Awwww… 

Emily and Damian, congratulations and thanks for choosing me as your photographer!  I look forward to seeing what the future brings you.

-Libbie

Patrece wore a gorgeous champagne dress with an ivory sash.  It turned out to be exactly the right color since the sky was an unbelievable platinum grey that day.  Lovely!  She was attended by her two adorable sons, Aidan and Mitchell, who are big fans of Jason and seemed very excited to see their mom get married.  They may have been equally excited about drinking the sparkling cider out of champagne flutes and looking like bad boys in their shades and swanky beach outfits.

I don’t know who made these cupcakes, but they were amazing.  The wind was blowing their delicious smell all over the beach.  I couldn’t escape the smell of cupcake, no matter where I went.  (Not that I minded…)

Patrece, Jason, and I sneaked away from the reception to do some photos on the sand bluffs above the beach.  I just love how they turned out.  So moody and fun!

The bride’s name tattooed on the groom’s arm:  That’s commitment!

What a great wedding – Patrece and Jason, thanks for including me in your wedding day!

-Libbie

ANSWER: No.

Though the day was roasting hot, there was not a cloud in the sky and all the flowers were in bloom at DeLille Cellars Winery, the location of Stephanie and Chris’s wedding.  As always, I’ve made a slideshow which you can see right here!

The winery is a truly gorgeous place.  It combines elements of the rustic (white-fenced sheep pastures, old barns, and a charming apple orchard) with the modern (a gorgeous stucco mansion, manicured lawns and gardens, and ponds and fountains.)  Overlooking the wineries and breweries and farmlands of the valley between Redmond and Woodinville, this spot is a photographer’s dream, as evidenced by the photo-heavy blog post you are reading right now.

Steph and Chris scheduled plenty of time for some great photos before their guests arrived, and we made the most of it, touring the winery grounds and capturing lots of memorable and romantic shots in various locations.  I love this one of Stephanie sitting in the wheat, against the backdrop of an old barn and fence.

There is a gorgeous bride’s room at the winery, and I couldn’t resist having a little fun with the bride’s bouquet and a friend I found in the bride’s room.  I had maybe a bit too much fun with this one.  It required some potentially dangerous acrobatics to get the shot, but I had to make it happen.

Stephanie wore a very special garter:  This was worn by her grandmother and her mother at their weddings.  It’s beautiful!

We set up a “first look” for Chris to have a first special glimpse of his gorgeous bride in her beautiful gown.  Afterward, Chris and Steph stole a kiss behind the flowers.

The afternoon ceremony was timed perfectly:  The shade of several old cedar trees stretched across the ceremony area, cooling off the guests (and the photographer.)  A simple altar made of a table and a few wine barrels topped with colorful floral arrangements framed the scene but didn’t out-do nature’s glory.  After the ceremony, Steph and Chris walked together through the cedars, and the wind picked up her veil.  It was enchanting!

One of the best parts of my job is capturing little moments like this one.  The wedding party found some seclusion behind a garden bed, and best man Mike (a.k.a. “Tim”) and co-maids of honor Jenny and Kristen looked on as Steph and Chris got a little teary-eyed together.  What a great wedding!

Another amazing cake from Mike’s Amazing Cakes!  I love the colors on this one.

Steph and Chris sneaked out of the reception with me just before the sun went down for a few last intimate portraits.  Photographers refer to the hour just after sunrise and just before sunset as “sweetlight.”  You can see why….

Stephanie and Chris, thanks a million for choosing me as your photographer!  This will be a wedding to remember for the rest of my career, I am sure.  Many happy wishes to both of you!

-Libbie

Amy and Brandon are getting hitched on August 23rd.  I’m looking forward to it even more now that I’ve had a chance to hang out with them.  They are so funny.  It’s always fun to work with funny people.

Enjoy the photos!

Equally in the spotlight was their cute little boy, Garrett.  Garrett has an obsession with cell phones, which came in handy for bribing him to hold still and be a good boy for pictures.  Everybody had a cell phone to wave at him when he started to get fussy!  He especially liked mine (it’s pink, and therefore awesome.)

Garrett’s friend Lamby was also in attendance and shows up in several photos in THE SLIDESHOW!

Sheena is stunning and looked amazing.  I’m not sure which designer did this dress, but it’s one of my favorites out of all the many lovely wedding gowns I’ve seen over the last couple of years.  Look at that back!  The bouquet was stunning, too:  All red and champagne roses with bright gerbera daisies, hypericum berries, and dangling eucalyptus leaves.  The bouquet was created by Lawrence the Florist in Bellevue.

Sheena was escorted down the aisle by her dad (who’s one of the funniest guys I’ve ever met) and Garrett.

Check out this awesome cake.  It’s a photo cake from Mike’s Amazing Cakes.  What a cool idea!  It looked beautiful with black-and-white scenes from Sheena and Greg’s life together.  Sheena said she didn’t want to cut into it.  I don’t blame her!  Apparently Sheena is into scrapbooking.  Is this not the perfect cake for a scrapbooking bride?!

Another dress (from White House Black Market) was waiting in the wings for the dancing, which went on all night long and was way too much fun.  Great play lists and a super DJ.  Even Greg got down to the funky beat, as evidenced by this photo.

My favorite shot of all is this one of Sheena dancing with Garrett.  They had a father/daughter and a mother/son dance with parents of the bride and groom, but of course the little guy couldn’t be left out!  The song was “I Hope You Dance,” which is always a tear-inducer.  Sheena picked Garrett up and spun him around and around to the music.  I hope that’s a memory he always has:  His beautiful mommy in her pretty white dress, dancing with him on such a special day.

Sheena and Greg, much thank for choosing me as your photographer.  I had a great time and we made some awesome photos together!  Wishing you every happiness in the future. 

-Libbie

I know Suzanne from the zoo, where I volunteer.  (She actually works there, because she’s not crazy enough to do it for free!)  We got together at the rose garden outside the zoo, which, strangely, Suzanne had never visited before!  You know how it is when you actually work in a place.  You never really get to know it.  How many Louvre employees have seen all the artwork there?

The rose garden is a lovely place, even when the roses aren’t yet in bloom, as was the case this May.  Come to think of it, I’m not really sure when roses do bloom.  I guess I’m not much of a greenthumb.  But I do love how Suzanne’s senior pictures came out!

Anyway! On to the real story here.

On May 14, I met up with Stephanie and Chris at the Arboretum to shoot their engagement session. I’d never been to the Arboretum before – at least, not since I was about ten years old – and I was instantly in love with the place. I got so many cool ideas for future photo shoots there!

Stephanie, Chris, and I walked around the park for a couple of hours, exploring and stopping to grab a photo wherever a scenic opportunity presented itself.

It was a bright, sunny day, which is fun for walking around but sometimes a challenge for a photographer, especially in the dappled light of the Arboretum. Still, I think I managed to get a lot of great photos that really show off this couple’s personality.

These two are very funny, and were always laughing. We had an awesome time. I can’t wait for their wedding, which is in July. If the engagement shoot was any indication, the wedding will be a blast for everybody!

We decided to be Arboretum rebels and sneaked off the path and into a hilly little thicket for a fun shot or two. I love the bright colors in this one!

And I couldn’t resist a cheesy set-up shot:

Stephanie and Chris, thanks again for spending the afternoon with me at the Arboretum! I’m looking forward to your wedding. I know you are, too!

-Libbie