Have you ever met someone that you felt an instant connection with? Like you just got each other on a deeper level even though you were total strangers? Well that’s how it felt the night we met Hayley and Brian. We were standing in our booth at a wedding show and this couple came up and started talking about the decor in our booth (live edge tables, mid-century modern style furniture), and only AFTER we had had a good conversation about our shared love for everything warm modern, did we start talking about how they met in middle school (just.like.us) and how they were planning a laid-back Hollywood glam style wedding at AXIS in Pioneer Square (where we had been wanting to shoot for quite some time). All that said, in 20 short minutes, we were pretty sure we had met one of our dream couples and we just had to wait a few months until they confirmed it and sealed the deal. 😉
Fast forward to their wedding day, we arrived to find the room bustling with energy. Excited bridesmaids, with their hair and makeup already done (!!!) were surrounding Hayley with love and laughter as they shared mimosa toasts and sampled custom cocktails made by our mutual friends over at The Meaney Cafe. It was soon time to get dressed, and the girls took Hayley’s breath away when she saw them for the first time all standing together in the dresses she had helped them select, each fully confident and beautiful in a style perfectly suited to them. However, the room came to a standstill when Hayley slipped on her THEIA gown and turned to face her girls. She was absolutely stunning, and even I had to hold back a tear as she transformed into a bride that day.
Not wanting to wait a moment longer to see her groom, we escorted Hayley down to the Library Bar at the Alexis Hotel, where Brian got to see her for the first time. And from then on, Gerald and I faded into the background as these two lovebirds relished in each other’s company and fully engaged in “all the feels” of wedding day more than many couples have a chance to do. Not wanting to waste time in busses or Ubers, they chose to walk from their Hotel to their wedding venue, allowing us to direct them to various spots in downtown Seattle and Pioneer Square along the way. We stopped at our favorite parking garage, in from of a wall of ivy we had been eyeing for weeks, and in alleys and cobblestone walkways around their venue. The visual inspiration was unending, such that even something as mundane as crossing the street became an occasion for unique image creation!
As you can tell, I could write for days and days about these two, but the pictures really do speak for themselves…these two know how to enjoy life to its fullest, and their wedding was a true reflection of all the people and things that they love most in life. Enjoy this vignette; some of our favorite wedding photos to date are shared below. Hayley and Brian, thanks for being authentically You, all the time. You were, and are, a blessing to us. ~ the Popes
Amazing vendor team ~ Planning: Jocelyn from the Invisible Hostess | Floral: Bloom by Tara |Hand Painted Signs: Painted Pallet | Bride’s Attire: The Dress Theory, Shoes – Nudistsong by Stuart Weitzman| Groom’s Attire: Custom Tux by Sew Generously, Shoes by Prada, Bowtie by Dion, Shirt by David Pew | Lighting: Crimson Haze | Photography: The Popes | Dessert: Gina Ogazi | Caterer: Ravishing Radish | Hair: Kate Flynn | Makeup: Salon Maison
