Melissa & Joe | Pasco Wedding | Stone Ridge Event Center

August is a warm time to get married in the Tri-Cities! Melissa and Joe got married on a sunny day at the Stone Ridge Event Center in Pasco. This is an amazing facility hidden away next to the TRAC. It was our first time shooting a wedding there — we loved it. They have a large gazebo with rows of vines behind it. the bridal party stands underneath, ideal for photos of large groups. We were happy to do both photography and cinematography for them. As it gets toward late afternoon and evening, the venue becomes magical — lots of soft lights to provide ambiance. Guests can visit at the tables scattered throughout the lawn or dance under the gazebo. Melissa and Joe had Platinum Entertainment as their DJ, who always does an outstanding job.

A baseball game was wrapping up at the TRAC just about the same time that the wedding ended, so we stuck around and got a few shots of the fireworks going off — what a way to end the night!

Kim & Aaron | Kennewick Wedding | Canyon Lakes & Howard Amon Park

We started our hot July day with Kim and Aaron at the Canyon Lakes Golf Course. They had their first look by the pond under an etherial willow tree.  The golf course made for an exquisite backdrop for both photos and video. The heat was so intense that we kept the bride and groom in the shade and drinking water as much as possible — we didn't want them passing out! The ceremony was held around a beautiful gazebo that sits next to a pond.  It looked fantastic!  Kim and her bridesmaids had decorated it early in the day.  It was so hot during the ceremony that we had to worry about the cameras overheating — something we had never seen before. But Kim and Aaron, the guests, and our cameras made it through the entire ceremony. The reception was in the club house, which has an amazing view overlooking the golf course.  After the reception, Kim and Aaron jumped in their vintage limo, "Miss Daisy", a 1938 Pontiac from Four Star Limos. We followed them to Howard Amon Park in Richland where we took a few more photos around sunset — what a great way to end such a beautiful day. (If you watch closely you'll notice one of the resident squirrels running across the screen in the movie trailer.)

Jamie & Justin | Richland Wedding | Anthony's & Tagaris

This was another great wedding at Anthony's Banquet and Event Center. Jamie and Justin got married in mid-July, on another warm day in the Tri-Cities. Jamie and her bridesmaids all got ready together at Illusions Salon in Pasco, a bunch of gorgeous girls! Jamie had an adorable mermaid style dress! They shared their first look near a gazebo along the river and then took photos around Richland and Tagaris Winery. We had planned to shoot at Howard Amon Park in, but it was jam-packed so we scrambled. We called Tagaris Winery — they graciously let us take photos. We were thankful, and they turned out to be some of our favorite shots!

The flowers were all gorgeous red roses, and even though Jamie looks little she must have serious muscles to carry around that bouquet — it was much heavier than it looked! They had a really impressive cake by Frost Me Sweet, we really enjoyed watching them put it together. After the ceremony, the bridesmaids did some fun shots with us — it was the first time we saw a pyramid or the bride being held up by the bridesmaids! Just before sunset we pulled the couple out for a few more photos on the path along the river, an amazing time of night for photos and a beautiful sunset.

Blaise & Dustin | Austin Wedding | The Inn at Wild Rose Hall

It was a thrill to shoot this simple, relaxed wedding. Why? It was the 4th of July and we flew to Austin, Texas! It was holy-moly-hot outside, but what a wedding! The couple got ready and took photos in an amazing house rented for the families to stay in. The venue was incredibly beautiful as well — they timed it so that we could take photos just a little before sunset and they turned out amazing. One of our favorite quotes during the day was made by the bride, "I'm in a tree!" It was a beautiful ceremony performed by one of the groom's college roommates, and both the father and sister of the bride sang (wow, talent!). It was perhaps the best ambiance we've ever seen — they'd hung lanterns and Christmas lights all over. As the sun set, the lights made all the difference. And what a gorgeous couple! They enjoyed every minute, and it was our pleasure to capture it.

Cassie & Alex | Pasco Wedding | Columbia Park & TRAC Center

Cassie and Alex's wedding was a sweet, memorable day. We were so glad that the bride and groom traveled with us to Columbia Park for their first look and photos. The park is a beautiful place in the summer with lots of shade, a good thing on a hot day like that! Their ceremony was at the TRAC in Pasco — who knew the TRAC could look so good? The reception next door at the Holiday Inn Express has a great ballroom, a perfect place for a reception. We loved their flowers done by Simplified Celebrations. We've seen their work at many weddings this year and they are always unique and beautiful! Everyone had a great time at the reception; the groom's side had probably the biggest dancing bunch we've seen! This made for a lot of fun footage for us!

Maggi & Eric | Richland Wedding | Anthony's & Columbia Point

We were privileged to take both photos and video of Maggi & Eric's wedding day. It was a beautiful, sunny day in June — not too hot, not too cold.  They got ready at the Marriot hotel in Richland — we know it well. We had Eric walk over to Columbia Point Park next to Anthony's to wait for Maggi.  Maggi walked up behind him in her stunning dress. Maggi has the most strikingly beautiful eyes! When we looked at pictures of her with her mother and grandmother later, we saw where she'd gotten them. We took them to the area near Rosy's Ice Cream & Diner. The staff at Rosy's graciously allowed us to film and take photos while they shared a sundae (oh man did we want a bite). Anthony's made for a beautiful ceremony and the couple had such touching vows for each other — we love it when the couple brings real meaning to the ceremony.

Leading up to the ceremony, they'd been folding lots of cranes. Towards the end of the ceremony they folded the one-thousandth crane together in honor of her grandmother. Tear-jerker! What a great day!

Stephinee & Kyle | Kennewick Engagement | Columbia Park

We met Stephinee and Kyle at an orchard in Kennewick where Kyle works. The orchard offered amazing opportunities to get shots of them having fun together.   They both had great, natural smiles the entire time. Then we sped over to the Columbia Park to shoot some more photos along the river before the sun set completely. The light was starting to reach the perfect "golden hour," so the photos of them looked great. We were really glad that they were willing to try anything — from goofy poses to climbing on playground equipment. We are sad that we couldn't shoot their wedding since we already had that day booked!

Elisa & Nathan | Leavenworth Wedding | Orchards

When it comes to weather, Leavenworth in May can be a difficult time. Elisa and Nate had their wedding at the family's home between a beatiful orchard and the Wenatchee River in Leavenworth, Washington.  The day started out raining — scary for an outdoor wedding! During the ceremony, though — right in the middle of the vows — the sun broke through and made for the most amazing afternoon sunset. The entire day was incredibly special and family oriented — a huge dose of sweetness lacking in most weddings. We loved capturing the special touches like tiramisu instead of cake, a popcorn machine for the slideshow of the couple, and riding off into the night on mopeds! It was one of those days that shows that it doesn't have to be overly elaborate — or standardized — to be special and memorable!

Alys & Robert | Richland Wedding | Christ the King Church & Meadow Springs

Alys & Robert had a sweet spring wedding. The ceremony was Christ the King church in Richland, WA. We loved her bouquet; peonies have always been one of our favorites. We convinced them to stop on the way to the reception for fun shots on some railroad tracks. The reception at Meadow Springs Golf Course makes for beautiful photos any time of the year, but they always have tons of spring flowers. With lots of green grass and several cute bridges over the streams, we had many options to choose from. Alys and her dad had a particularly great choreographed father-daughter dance —lots of fun!

Sarah & Tyler | Spokane Engagement | Riverfront Park & Downtown Spokane

Since Sarah was going school in Spokane, we decided to go there to shoot their engagement photos (we flew ourselves!). We walked throughout Riverfront Park capturing photos and video. (We use the video for the wedding movie — it's a great way to show them outside the wedding day.) They are a perfect couple — they play off of each other so well that it is easy to get photos of them laughing and smiling. (Thanks for making it easy on us!)  The Spokane River was really high, so when taking photos on one of the bridges, we were getting water sprayed on us (and our lenses)! But it was worth it since it allowed for some great photos. We got some awesome photos of them around the Radio Flyer Wagon, the clock tower, and across from the Opera House.

We headed over to capture them riding the carousel; that turned out to be tons of fun — we got some great photos and awesome footage. We look forward to spending more time with Sarah and Tyler at their wedding in July.