Seattle Wedding {Becky & Deric} 02.13.10

One look at this fun-loving couple and you can't help but smile! I hit it off with Becky instantly last summer when we met - and knew I had made the cut when I was asked to be photographed with Becky and her MOH at the end of our first meeting :) Deric is the calm and collected balance to Becky's whirl of energy - they just make the PERFECT couple!


Margaret Dybash of Poppy Artistry at work doing the bridal makeup - what gorgeous lighting here - and a gorgeous bride to work on!

This photo may be one of my favorite wedding dress photos EVER. I love the texture, the shape, the ruffles...it makes me swoon! Major props to Kate McElwee, the amazing photographer, for accomplishing this because I have seen my fair share of wedding dress pictures.

Becky and Deric got ready at the new and wonderful Hyatt at Olive 8 downtown, which makes for some great photo ops. The flowers were done by my good friend and wonderful artisan, Susan Snyder of S*Scents Design. I do believe that this was some of her finest work to date...




The wedding ceremony was held at the stunning Holy Names Academy Chapel. Not much is needed here for decor, so some simple flower-wired branches were just added to draw the attention down the aisle towards the altar.


The reception was held at Pravda Studios on Capital Hill, which is always a wonderful "blank slate" venue to work with. Here, we really wanted to work with color - deep purples, reds and oranges - without making it feel like you were in a club. Three different types of centerpieces helped create interest in the space, and a separate lounge area was used for people to relax and chat away from the buzz of the dance floor and dinner area.




There seemed to be a theme going on, whether Becky knew it or not, that leaned a bit towards a subtle "Moulin Rouge". After I saw the wonderful and unique invitations she had selected from Oh So Suite on Etsy, I knew that we had to incorporate some feathers and sparkle in her other decor to pull this look together!


Choice Linens had the perfect combination of colors for the under- and over-lays on all of the tables...a punch of color but still subtle and sheer enough with a slight sparkle to them.



What Seattle reception is complete without crab cakes? The delicious food and lovely dessert display were courtesy of the catering team at Ravishing Radish, with the centerpiece cake being done by none other than the mother of the groom! I thought it was just the sweetest little cake ever!!




None other than the Michael Benson Band brought the whole party to it's peak with their music - he also made sure to follow up with Becky afterward to let her know that it was one of this TOP weddings EVER!!


Needless to say, it was a super-fun evening for everyone - complete with a non-stop crazy photo booth AND a late-night hot dog stand from Dante's Inferno Dogs - love his cream cheese gun!!

Seattle Wedding Planner {Back in the Swing of Things!}

Well, as some of you may have noticed it's been about a year since I've blogged. Let's just say that along with focusing on my clients and my family that health and LIFE got to be part of the priority-mix during this time. But I've gotten the chance to work with so many inspiring people during this time that I thought - I need to tell somebody about them! So here I am , promising to try my best to be a good blogger. I guess that means you'll be hearing from me regularly...so check back every week to see new pictures of wonderful weddings and to get great practical tips on everything you wanted to know but didn't think to ask about the wedding industry. Cheers!

Why Simply Wed?

I've had people ask me why by business name is Simply Wed. Aside from it just sounding great rolling off the tongue, and the fact that my family held court with me to figure out the best way to convey my idea, it does stand for something that I find very important. And, no, it is not the 80s band "Simply Red." (yes, I've seriously been asked that multiple times). It is so easy to get wrapped up in all the information overload available out there today that it isn't long before couples get overwhelmed and just kind of shut down. But planning a wedding should be fun, with as little stress as possible (let's be real, there's always gonna be a little bit!). Simply Wed's philosophy is that there is a way to be wed...simply. I keep my packages simple. I keep my documents simple. I keep my processes simple. I tend to keep my decor ideas simple. I just feel like, why complicate things more than they inherently are? So hopefully when people decide to work with me they get that feeling - that it's really not that hard to plan their wedding after all with a little Simply Wed guidance!

We do it for the LOVE!

Well, I just completed my first 2-week wedding planning bonanza! I have to admit, there were a lot of details to be done and very little time, but the challenge of it all kept me going to make this wedding the best it could be. Jaime and Aaron are friends of friends, and they had some really fun and quirky ideas, so I just really wanted to do a good job for them and make all these ideas a reality. And you know what? It was quite possibly the hardest I've ever worked on a wedding day - but at the end of the night I was in good spirits and smiling. Because I got the greatest compliment possible - the bride and groom telling me it was the best wedding ever, everything was perfect, and that they couldn't have done it without me. And the cutest thank you note on a piece of coloring book paper - appropriately quirky just like they are. How could one not smile at that love! And their love for each other was so apparent, it just makes you want to keep on packing and cleaning up into the night. Because it's so worth it. I think us wedding planners...well, we do it for the LOVE! Stay tuned for pictures of this fabulously fun affair.

Simply Wed Wins Best Wedding Planner 2008!

Thank you to everyone who supported Simply Wed by voting during the recent Evening Magazine Best of Western Washington contest. Simply Wed was voted the Best Wedding Planner of 2008!! It is a great honor to be recognized by all those that I’ve had the opportunity to work with throughout the years, and I look forward to working with you in the years to come as well.