Rachel and Ihman’s Wedding at the Seattle Aquarium

The couple started their wedding day by getting ready at their condo in the heart of downtown Seattle. For her something borrowed, the grooms grandmother graciously offered heirloom diamond and pearl drop earrings.

The bride also wore a veil from her co-workers successful marriage of 5 years. Coincidentally, I did the engagement photos of said coworker and that’s how the couple found me. It was such a treat to see Sophia and at the wedding.

“LOVE IN THE TIME OF COVID. The story of our meeting is a tale as old as time. We both swiped right on a dating app.” – the bride

While spending the weekend with her family on what was supposed to be her brother David’s wedding (that was postponed due to the pandemic), Rachael began messaging with Ihman.

Taking advantage of the last days of summer in Seattle, and the relaxed restrictions on drinking-in-public, we had our first date at Gas Works Park and had our own picnic with carryout margaritas.

Our next few dates continued the trend of outdoor drinking in public areas (in our defense, there was a pandemic–so outdoor dates were the way to go). It ends up, those outdoor date limitations worked out just fine because one of the first things we connected over was our shared love of the outdoors.

From there, we continued to find things in common–amazing and loving families, politics, favorite books, and the list goes on and on. We feel so lucky to have met each other–and especially lucky given that this was such a hard time for some many in the world.”

Rachael and I share very similar wedding dresses. Both sweetheart neckline and natural waisted bargains. When I was looking for my get back 2012, I remember looking for exactly the dress Rachael wore. Not necessarily the designer, but a satin gown with box pleats and cloth buttons all the way down the back. It is just the classic Bridal. Good choice Rachael!

If I could describe an ideal couple to photograph, it would be Ihman and Rachel. They are so full of affectionate love for each other. Ihman is patient and thoughtful. Rachel is joyful and sincere. They both share the virtue of being exceedingly kind. From the creation of their photography timeline to the posing & lighting suggestions on the wedding day, the trusted me implicitly to create their wedding photos. Having this trust from a bride & groom means they were able to soak in their wedding day and I had the unhindered freedom to capture their characters and their love story.

The couple arranged for a private SUV to transport us from the various locations. Seattle is notoriously difficult to find parking at some of these hotspots. In order to make the most of our photography tonight, having this transportation was imperative. After we wrapped up the bride and groom portraits, we headed over to the SEATTLE AQUARIUM.

During portraits, we bonded over a mutual love of Disney princess vibes we were creating with the twirly photos we created overlooking Elliott bay at the sculpture park. We did their bride and groom photos at Olympic sculpture park then we made a quick stop at Pike Place market for a few photos of the iconic Seattle sign.

We met the bridesmaids and groomsmen in front of the Seattle Aquarium and walked over to nearby Pier 66 for bridal party photos. Rachael suggested we do their bridal party photos on the floating dock below the pier with a view of the aquarium in the background. It was an incredible photo location! The light was perfect- the sun created beautiful hair light on the bridal party and the pier in front of them was an ideal natural reflector. The waters of Elliot Bay were a rich blue that paired so well with the couples navy and coral color scheme.

The couple had their ceremony on the waterfront behind the Seattle aquarium. We had the most brilliant sunset on Pier 59 overlooking Elliot Bay! The bride walked down the aisle to a strings instrumental of the Taylor Swift song, Wildest Dreams. The song felt curiously familiar. Then I realized it was from Bridgerton, the regency era Netflix series that I’ve binge watched three times!

After the groom finished his vows, the bride was so overcome with affection that she tried to Kiss him. Only to remember that she wasn’t supposed to yet. She froze and pulled back with the biggest grin and the guests collectively awed.

They signed the marriage license in the underwater dome, surrounded by puget sounds sea life. When we arrived the underwater dome was lit by dozens of candles and the faint glow of the sea. The bride and groom arranged for their guests to have a private otter feeding experience. The otters at the SEATTLE AQUARIUM are so intelligent! They are so used to these private feedings and understand what’s happening that they get all jazzed up about getting fed! As soon as the aquarium announcer did his mic check, the otters started to make repeated squeels like little tiny girls. It was so adorable! We all thought that the grooms nieces/flower girls were nearby and making noises. We were all delighted to know that the otters were making these angelic sounds.

Their wedding reception was held in front of the floor to ceiling fish tank in the Puget Sound Great Hall.

Their cake tasting during the wedding planning process looked a little different. Prior to the wedding, the bride and groom went to Top Pot on a date with the intent to sample every flavor. They settles on old fashioned pumpkin, old fashioned maple glazed, old fashioned lemon glaze, cookies & creme, vanilla cake pink feather boa & a big round raspberry glaze. I can personally vouch for the pumpkin & the maple flavors tasting FANTASTIC!

The first dance was chocked full of emotion and beautiful choreography. There was even an epic lift at the end. The brides ballgown was MADE for spinning! Although, because it weighed about 15 pounds, she was concerned that this might make the lift tricky. She joked with her maid of honor that she definitely should have warned Ihman first about the extra weight. The extra weight of the dress made no difference to Ihman, he executed that ballroom lift flawlessly!