There are versions of history often told through different spigots of truth. College. Neighbors. Parties. He saw her washing her car in shorts. She thought he was charming. Laura and Billy were friends. Laura and Billy kissed at a party. He'd peek out his window across the street when she'd pull up in front of her apartment. I saw Billy staring at me through his window shades, but he'd pretend he wasn't! His response? Why was Laura looking at MY window to see if I was checking her out, huh?!
There are always two sides of the story. Or ten, depending on the couple in love.
Laura transferred to Brooks Institute of Photography her junior year of college. She left Oregon, home, and Billy in hopes of following her photography passion. What she didn't expect was to reel from the loss of her best friend, Billy. They dated just two months before she left, but decided to stay in touch. Billy soon realized Laura was someone different. A girl who removed the zest of life when they didn't share the same zip code.
One weekend Laura drove 17 hours to spend the day with Billy and his family for a family reunion. That's when the gravity of her love struck him. Billy moved to Santa Barbara and lived with Laura…and remained together for seven years before he proposed with a vintage ring she coveted for months. There are versions of history often told through different spigots of truth. College. Neighbors. Parties. The single most important factor in this love story is just that….love. Two friends promising to stay in love.
Laura and Billy…what an adventure!!! Thank you. Thank you. Thank YOU for being absolutely amazing. I've never felt so supported from a couple, and I can't express how much this means to me. Your friends and families rallied behind this crazy idea and, in turn, made me and JD believe we could do anything we put our minds to. Thank you for your trust, allegiance, and willingness to embrace…and let go. We love you to the moon. And back. xxxo…. j*
The wedding day started impeccably well…anytime there's a Priscilla of Boston wedding dress, the day can't help but be perfect…
…once you add a pair of Jimmy Choo heels to your wedding day, you're walking on sunshine…
Laura was made up at the Chase Jarvis Studios, with help from the amazing Glen at 7 Salon and Rayna Coleman of Gene Juarez Salon
Some of the crew at Chase's studio saw me shooting the following photo and asked if I'd like for them to clean the whiteboard behind Laura. I declined for two reasons: 1. What if that text was Chase's late-night brainstorming and he discovered some photographic theorem that remedied lens flare…or something like that…if we erased it, he might hate us. Forever.
2. I actually liked the text. It makes the photo less perfect, and more revealing…
Many thanks to Jenny of Jenny Bowker Makeup for making Laura extra gorge on her wedding day…
Like always, I loveloveLOVE when a couple decides to see each other before the wedding ceremony. A First Look provides for more time for wedding photos, a relaxed environment, and plenty of time for candid and details photographs. Lucky for us, the ever amazing Theo Chocolate in Seattle provided the perfect spot for Billy and Laura to share their first moments together…
One of my favorite wedding photos of the day…
Laura…seriously?! You're so fierce I can't even handle it…
Special thanks to Brooklyn Grace for Laura's earrings…
We were relegated to using areas around Theo Chocolate Factory, but it's amazing what you can find if you just see past what is traditionally considered as beautiful…
The morning of the shoot it was pouring rain. I, of course, was panicking (cut me some slack…I'm a California girl!), but we were so blessed when the skies parted and the rain paused…
Fierce. Fierce. Fierce!!!
JD's detail photos…
Many, many (and then some more) thanks to Daniela Faget of Bella Signature in Seattle. She started with a factory, and transformed it into a wedding venue…in four short weeks! The day wouldn't have been possible without her help, dedication and expertise. We're so incredibly lucky to have her on our team!
Laura and Daniela scoured every nook of Seattle to get various chandeliers to hang from the Theo Chocolate Factory ceiling…
Ceremony time…
The newly minted Mr. and Mrs…
More pretty details…
Paper goods by Bella Vita…
The First Dance…
The highlight of the evening were the toasts and watching Billy and Laura's outtakes video. For those who are new to the blog, this amazing couple entered the creativeLIVE contest. In a nutshell, if they allowed the crew to broadcast their wedding live on the internet while I photographed it, they'd get a free wedding in four weeks. They entered the winning video (and were undoubtedly the most perfect fit for this overwhelming project!), but they showcased the outtakes from their video the night of the wedding. It was…hilarious.
Laura looks positively radiant…no, really, she's gorgeous. And, as a fellow photographer, I know she wouldn't mind sharing a little geeky photo data…all photos were shot without flash. I used my ever amazing Canon 5DMII, 50mm 1.2, f/1.2, 1/60th, 2500iso.
To see more of Laura and Billy's Seattle wedding, feel free to CLICK HERE for a slideshow! The music used–as denoted on the slideshow–was generously provided by Jubilee, the band that performed live the evening of her wedding…they're awesome!
Lastly, special thanks to…
*Chase Jarvis (and his uber fab wife, Kate), for this opportunity and endorsement.
*Craig Swanson and the entire creativeLIVE crew…they're the backbone of this project and an anchor during my weakest moments.
*Christy Weber of Junebug Weddings for her insight and expertise.
*Sachin, Nate, Audrey, Stephanie, and Victoria for being the Fab Five and amazing third shooters…
*JD…for being the better half of me.
