Dave and Kalyn's PNW Wedding in the foothills of Mt Baker -Snoqualmie National Forest

Dave and Kalyn are such naturally beautiful, spontaneously fun, and genuinely kind individuals, and their wedding was a PNW outdoor photographer's dream. The whole day, we were surrounded by beautiful scenery and the weather was perfect. Their first look was in a forested area, their ceremony was in the field surrounded by mountains, and their post-sunset walk alone together through a meadow with the moon above them was breathtaking. 

This beautiful venue, Wandering Waters, is nestled in the foothills of Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. It was the perfect fit for the both of them to say their I dos. They wanted to give their friends and family who traveled from all over the quintessential pacific northwest experience, from the food and drink to the landscape. The whole experience was truly a pnw-inspired event. 

Both outdoorsy and adventurous, Dave and Kalyn spend a lot of their time hiking, exploring, and traveling together. Dave spends a lot of his time venturing out to photograph. In fact, I met Dave through instagram. He and I both have a shared love of the outdoors and for landscape photography. The first time we met up in person was for a drive up into the mountains to photograph sunset. This passion for photography served as a catalyst to spawn a great friendship. A few weeks later, he told me he and Kalyn were thinking about hiring Jill and I as their wedding photographers. I met up with them on a trivia night at a local pub and had a blast with the two of them while talking over some details and giving Kalyn a chance to get to know me a little bit. A few days later when they told me they would love to have Jillian and I capture their special day, I was ecstatic. I consider it such a privilege when people we know personally ask us to photograph their wedding. While it seems like we always develop a personal relationship with our clients over the course of our work together, there's something special when you have a connection to a couple prior to working with them. It is not something I take lightly. It's such an honor.

Jillian and I had such a wonderful time photographing Dave and Kalyn, and their adventurous and free-spirited nature was evident throughout the day. Perhaps most of all, their love and passion for each other and their loved ones is the most beautiful takeaway from their absolutely gorgeous day. 

Jillian and I consider ourselves lucky to have had the opportunity to photograph such a special day for these two awesome individuals.

Here's to a wonderful future together, Dave and Kalyn! Thank you for your trust and for this opportunity!

The only thing that gets me to take a break from photography… Puppies!

Venue: Wandering Waters Farm
Bride's dress: BHLDN
Hair: Bride
Makeup: Bride
Bouquets: Triple Wren Farms
Ceremony Musician: Friend - Rob Leo
Officiant: Family friend - Alvah Levine
Centerpieces: Bride
Groom's suit: Nordstrom
Catering: Melissa's Memorable Events
Transportation: Baker Bus
DJ: Whatcom Sound

You're Engaged - Now What!

Congratulations! You both are committing to the most wonderful kind of partnership, vowing to each other for the rest of your days. The day we got engaged was one of the happiest days ever. It was overwhelmingly joyous and we were filled with awe and inexplicable excitement! 

The first thing we did was tell our parents, our siblings, and our bestest friends. We were up in Mt Rainier National Park where service was hard to come by so we hoped they would all get our group texts with a photo of the ring and Mt Rainier in the background. Their ecstatic responses touched our hearts and will be unforgettable to us. 

The first advice we have for you is to enjoy this time together. Embrace each other, think about the journey you both took to get you to this point. Nobody knows your story more than you two and you should take the time to rejoice in this new chapter in your lives.

Next, celebrate with your loved ones! Often relationships are built and strengthened by the people around you. Toast, reminisce, and look forward together. 

Once things settle a bit and you took all the time to relish in this life-changing decision, you can start thinking about the next step: how you're going to get married. Whether you are eloping or having a wedding, here are some things to think about.

1. REMEMBER WHY YOU ARE PLANNING IN THE FIRST PLACE.

Once you get into the rhythm of wedding planning, it is easy to lose sight of why you are having a wedding in the first place: each other. Always take planning one step at a time and remember that though linen colors and centerpieces are adorable and fun to think about, all that matters is you both getting married at the end of the day. 

2. Set a date and start a guest list. 

Arguably, this is the most important way to start in terms of wedding planning. Without your date and rough guest count, it will be near-impossible to book your venue. Your venue will greatly depend on when it will take place and how many guests they can accommodate. This will also greatly impact the next step to think about - budget. 

3. Set a budget. 

Our biggest tip is to only plan the wedding you and your partner can afford and/or are willing to pay for. It's easy to get carried away with all the little details of a wedding but it's important to stick to the budget you set. This ensures that you will not be in debt after your wedding - not a good start to your marriage! If there are others offering to generously gift a certain amount, consider that as well. 

4. SAVE NOW and use some of your living expenses for the little things.

Have a solid savings account accounted for your wedding. Then, to make things easier, use some of your living finances to supplement. What we mean by this is to buy little things here and there so that you're not just pulling from your savings every time. Some of the things you can buy little by little are bridesmaids gifts, thrifted vases, stamps from a post office run... in the grand scheme of things, while you're still spending money, it won't feel like such a huge chunk of expenses coming out of your hard-earned savings. 

5. Planning timelines and checklist. 

This will vary per couple, but once you have the date, guest list count, and venue booked, it's good to stay organized by checking off items one-by-one. To stay calm, we'd suggest coming up with a top three priority list. This prioritizes specific vendors and leaves the others for later which will leave you with less stress. We found online resources like A Practical Wedding to be very helpful. They have free spreadsheets that you can download and they cater towards all types of brides from a variety of budgets! Another tool are physical planners. Erin Condren is always a solid choice for planners, but there are many etsy shops that offer beautiful (and affordable) printable planners! 

6. Focus on one wedding vendor at a time. 

Caterers, photographers, officiants, videographers, djs/bands... the list goes on and it can be very overwhelming if you are trying to book all of them at once. We suggest focusing on your top lists first. If you prioritize photography, focus on getting them first. Then, check of your list one by one. 

7. Try to keep calm, stay organized, and enjoy every moment! 

We highly advise you to enjoy every moment. Being engaged can be fun and overwhelming, but it only comes by once. Keep organized, be resourceful, and get creative. Enjoy every moment. I know we are.