Sometimes we forget that weddings should be part of our lives. Not Hannah though. She was still putting the finishing touches on her homemade wedding dress as she built the cake she had made the night before. And if that wasn’t enough, she married David at the Church next door to the school where she grew up on South Hill in Spokane. The ceremony was beautiful, followed by the reception with some of her grade school friends in the school gym. I have yet to find better light during a first dance.

These two came to me only a few days before they were to be married, but they didn’t seem to mind. Adam and Heidi both have a spirit that is not easily ruffled – open to what the world brings. Even when part of her dress had been forgotten an hour away, Heidi was calm.

My good friend and great photographer Tyler Tjomsland gave me a hand on this one, and it was a good thing. We had our hands full with the shortened schedule of a winter wedding – the light is nice, but it goes quick.

Tyler’s Photo:Tyler’s Photo:

Tyler’s Photo:

Tyler’s Photo:

Eric and Alexandra had their first date where many couples do – Starbucks. But most of them don’t end up like this. Nobody can be certain if it was the double shot americano that sparked their relationship, but it was strong enough to bring them back only minutes after becoming husband and wife. Personally, I was expecting the barista crew to be a bit more excited to be serving the newlyweds, but apparently for the matchmakers of the 21st century, its not that big a deal.

Wedding days are never perfect, but it’s in the unexpected where the stories are born. This day started and ended with two perfect moments.
As Kristin was getting her hair done on the day of her wedding, a woman came into the salon with a lost kitten hoping to find her a new home. And what better a day to adopt a new member into your family than the day you’re officially starting your own.

The wedding went as planned; tears, kisses, dancing, cake etc…  but the new couple had saved another surprise for their guests. Their favorite band, No-Fi Soul Rebellion had happened to be traveling through town that night and was playing a show at The Red Room across town. The wedding party packed the place for an all out dance party. At the end of the night, the band asked Kristen and Marcus to the floor for their final song.

It wasn’t until their wedding day that I met Talia and Brett. They had come a long way from New York City to be married in Brett’s hometown of Lewiston, Idaho. I was impressed to find they were able to put together the entire wedding from two thousand miles away, with a little help from Brett’s family of course.

Talia and Brett are two people who are always giving back to others. So it was a perfect end to the night when their closest friends and family revealed a handmade quilt they had made for them in secret with personal jokes and messages sewn into the squares. One had been designed by Talia’s grandmother who had passed away recently.
It was embroidered with this message: “May the love you have for each other keep you as warm as this quilt will keep you”.

Yes, it’s that time again – engagement season, and Jacqui and Scott were lucky enough to be the first victims of the year. We headed out to a trail they had hiked a few weeks earlier just outside of Spokane and watched the sunset. Then we cruised into town, stopping for a moment at an old theatre and laundromat to scare some locals before heading downtown. By the end of the shoot we were dreaming up more spots for wedding portraits. Such an inventive and fun couple – can’t wait ’till next year to put some of those ideas down on film.

First, you should know that for their wedding night, Gus built Laura a tipi. Yes, the original dwelling of our Native ancestors. He spent months planning it and visiting the site where they were to be wed outside of Twisp, Washington to get it prepared. Laura admitted she was skeptical, but after a night under the stars she was sold.
If there are two better people in this world, I have yet to meet them. Laura and Gus are two of the most genuinely kind souls, so much so that I’m sure they’re sick of hearing it in the countless toasts and roasts by their friends and family.

Sometimes wedding stories are a bit too cute.
Ben and Jessica met where many couples do – at work. And like most office romances, they were trying to keep in hush. But every morning, a co-worker would come into work singing “Benny and The Jess”.  Somehow, nobody caught wind until Ben took a job in Wenatchee and Jessica talked of following him.  Ben always knew he wouldn’t live in the city long, he wanted to be closer to family and away from the bustle.  As they planned for their wedding, they were also building a house away from everything on the breathtaking Desert Canyon Golf Course.  Ben’s friend and boss married them on a putting green just a three wood drive from the house they built together. Surrounded by co-workers and friends they walked down the isle to their song, “b – b- b – Benny and the Jets”

Kim’s Photo:

Paul knew he liked Ann a while ago – back when he asked her to Homecoming in high school. Fast forward through more than a decade of school and new families and world travels, and life has brought them back together. Paul spent months building a pop-up book that chronicled their journey and how they found their way back to one another. He proposed to Ann with a ring at the end of the book. They celebrated their wedding with a ring ceremony in Ann’s parents’ backyard. The next day they had a party with with their close family and friends at a park on the Columbia River.