Breanne & Ben | Wedding Movie & Photos | Promise Garden | Pasco, WA

We love shooting military weddings…and Breanne & Ben both serve in our armed forces. (Did you know we provide military discounts?) Breanne and Ben are both even-keeled, but Breanne also have a lovable quirkiness about her. We enjoyed Ben's loving speech to his new bride, where he praises her for having a "mischievous twinkle" in her eye. Now that's a couple who can go the distance!

Promise Garden in Pasco provided the picturesque backdrop. Many details on their grounds means we have more to shoot — which we love. We took the guys to Chiawana Park to knock out the portraits, but otherwise we stayed at Promise Garden. Pizza Hut catered — it was fun to see so many pizzas in one place!

Bridgette & Quinn | Wedding Photos | Shadowlake Ranch | Prosser, WA

This couple is stunning. Lovebirds for a long time, it was our honor to capture their fun — and uniquely "them" — day. We'd shot their engagement photos, so we already knew their wedding would be relaxed and enjoyable for their guests. And Shadowlake Ranch in Prosser somehow forces everyone to slow down a bit. (The 100° day didn't exactly speed people up though.)  Pacific Pasta & Grill treated everyone to a fine array of food. (One of the perks of being a wedding photographer is the food…even though we end up scarfing it down to limit downtime!) And we weren't disappointed that they insisted we visit the s'mores table before we departed.

Bridgette, a nurse, was unfortunately sick on her big day. But she's a trooper and made the absolute most of it. We're thrilled for them and hope to shoot for them more in the future! (No pressure, but we do baby photos too.)   :-)

Sami & Tino | Wedding Photos & Movie | Tacoma, WA

Sami & Tino know how to party. From the family fireworks in Tacoma the day before, to the zip lines and ropes course at Northwest Trek, filming them was a blast! We were fortunate to capture their engagement photos, where we took them to shoot pool (watch out for Tino — he can hustle you!), share an awesome sundae at Rosie's Ice Cream Shop in Richland, and wade through the Columbia River.

And for the wedding, this was our first shoot in Buckley, WA. Tracy Castle provided a perfect setting, adding a touch of class. And it made for awesome aerial establishing shots — you've got to see their movie to see what we mean!

Ashleigh & Rodney Wedding Trailer | American Homestead on Chinook Pass

It can be painful to make a wedding trailer. Let me explain: we had so much amazing footage from Ashleigh & Rodney's wedding that distilling it into a 3-minute movie means stellar shots sometimes go unused.

This was our first time shooting at American Homestead on Chinook Pass, and we already hope we get to go back. There are loads of shooting opportunities with the open fields and aspen trees around. And D&Z Events did their usual stunning decoration work, providing us many detail shots.

But what really shined at their wedding was the bride and groom. Sure, the ceremony had 30 MPH winds, but you wouldn't know it when watching Ashleigh and Rodney in the ceremony; when this couple looked into each others' eyes at the altar, everyone knew this marriage was built to last.

Kelli & Cody's Engagement | UW Arboretum, Pioneer Square | Seattle, WA

We began their shoot at the University of Washington's Arboretum. One of the Arboretum's designers gave Ryan a private tour of the grounds before the shoot — it was helpful to learn about the less-traveled spots. Then we headed to Seattle's Pioneer Square for dusk…and Pioneer Square delivered! It wasn't too busy (the Mariners were playing, but it was only the bottom of the 3rd). We found a beautifully-lit alley  that we'd shoot in any day! (We had to remove some trash cans in our editing process, but it was well worth it.)

We're enamored with what they gave us to work with, and we can't wait to shoot Kelli & Cody's wedding, coming up here soon!

Shelby & Chris' Wedding | Camp Dudley | Naches, WA

Not every wedding goes according to plan. OK, almost none do. But construction on the only road into YMCA's Camp Dudley caused hours of delays! Instead of panicking, people just decorated more! Who knew a YMCA camp could make such a stunning wedding venue? The ceremony had a beautiful lake as the backdrop, there was plenty of room for guests to roam and socialize, and Shelby & Chris took advantage of the kayaks at sunset. Seriously — a bride with a cute umbrella during a stunning sunset? Love it.

Shawna & Liem | Wedding Photos | Clover Island | Kennewick, WA

OK we admit it: taking photos of someone with such stunning eyes and a natural smile makes our jobs easier. And having a couple so obviously relaxed and in love makes our job even less stressful. Shawna & Liem had a beautiful ceremony at the Clover Island lighthouse in Kennewick. A good indicator that this couple is well-loved: there were many, many people who wanted their photos taken with them.

The Clover Island Inn provided the reception (and the prime rib was excellent!). Platinum Entertainment provided outstanding DJ services as usual, and Simplified Celebrations did those amazing flowers you see in our photos — see their wedding page to check out how they match her eyes!

As the reception began, firetrucks arrived! Fortunately it was a false alarm. So what does a photographer do? Take advantage! She donned a firefighter hat and posed on the truck with Liem. So stinkin' cute. Love this couple!

Robin & Justin | Engagement Photos | Wenatchee

When a storm approachers, take advantage! Robin & Justin are a couple of ambitious characters. (They'll get married after she's taken the bar exam!) They're both super-sweet together. They joke around, laugh, and genuinely enjoy each other.

We weren't sure if we'd get poured on by Ma Nature while we were in Wenatchee, but we got lucky and only had a few sprinkles. They were tons of fun to work with, and they were up for just about anything. (Yeah, she really got on the front of the bike and rode along.)

They'll be getting married sometime around August 2014, and we couldn't be happier to be shooting their wedding photos and movies!

Proposal Caught on Camera: CJ & Ross' Inspirational Story

Ross has cystic fibrosis and wasn't supposed to live past 16 — he just ran a marathon at 29. The Proposal Ross proposed to his girlfriend, CJ, as they crossed the finish line together at the Wenatchee Marathon. I happened to be in the area and saw him on bended knee — as a wedding photographer, I had to capture the moment. It took a while to track them down — his race number helped!

1° of Separation We've learned that CJ had worked alongside Emily at Kadlec Hospital, AND she takes Emily's aerobics classes. Then we learned that CJ took dance classes with my sister! (By now you should have "It's a Small World" running through your head.)

Go-Forward What strikes me about them is their unflinching go-forward attitude. He may have Cystic Fibrosis (CF), but that doesn't keep them from living now. CF causes breathing difficulties, yet he's finished a marathon. (CJ says Ross "kicks ass at life.") And these best of friends will be married soon.

We hope they are an inspiration to you, too.

Dana & Jay's Wedding Trailer | Kennewick First Methodist and Bookwalter Winery

We knew Dana & Jay would be a fun couple to film after they suggested we film them rock climbing for their engagement footage! Cold and windy weather didn't deter their adventurous spirits, and we got some fantastic footage using our helicopter — and helmet cameras. Dana & Jay had us all day, which meant we could capture them getting ready in a relaxed atmosphere. The girls sipped Starbucks while dressing in style at Cadwell Laboratories. Jay and his groomsmen got ready at a beautiful house overlooking the Tri-Cities.

The wedding at Kennewick First Methodist went flawlessly. Dana had chosen perfect music for them — including Chariots of Fire during the candle lighting ceremony (wherein Jay showed off his inner pyro).

But the best part of all was the reception. The heartfelt speeches showed just how loved this couple is. And the unreserved, joyous dancing by so many people — young and old — properly reflected Jay & Dana's carefree spirits. And their glow stick exit was perfect for them!

But did we ever get lucky — it snowed! (Those of you from the Tri-Cities know how rare it is.) We got our first ever dancing-in-the-snow footage with some soft overhead light provided by the Bookwalter Winery entrance. It was stunning.