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A Purple + Grey Vintage Wedding at Seattle’s Sodo Park



Tiffany and Jon’s spectacular details started well before their purple and gray winter wonderland wedding, when Jon, a product designer, proposed with a children’s book he created featuring turtles in love!! The personal touches carried on throughout their Victorian-esque nuptials, from wedding bands imprinted with each other’s finger prints, to a wedding dress hanger featuring their names, to coffee favors for their guests (all from Etsy!). Their caffeine love was further embraced with a reception espresso cart from Espresso Elegance. The bride’s breathtaking necklace and veil were found at Anthropologie’s swoon-worthy wedding shop, BHLDN, and the groom and groomsmen’s ties and belts were from the couple’s favorite spot…. can you guess? Costco!

Family and friends were at the forefront of the day with a friend acting as officiant, the groom’s sister singing during the ceremony, all the guests extending hands over their rings in blessing (in an adorable ring bowl by none other than the trend-setting Paloma’s Nest), and a guestbook quilt made up of their loved ones’ signatures. The pair, who met at a swing dance class, started their rockin’ party (quite appropriately) with a waltz. Tiffany and Jon’s whole day exuded their love for each other and the people closest to them, totally the perfect start to their marriage.

Tiffany first found us through the famed style blog, Style Me Pretty, so we were ALL elated when we heard the good news that their wedding was picked up and published on the front page!!!! (click through for more images)

Now, without further ado, some images from their gorgeous day!!!

Congrats to you both… it’s been so fun getting to know you over the past few years!!!!!

And thank you to the wonderful team of artists and beautiful details who completed Tiffany and Jon’s vision for the celebration of their love!

 

3 comments

Nicole Gleason via Facebook - Thanks for sharing Laurel!

Lindsay - Beauteous captures!!

A Stunningly Modern Turquoise + Yellow Affair at the Palace Ballroom… and a Little Press on Style Me Pretty!

black and white wedding photography

We were elated to hear that one of our favorite modern weddings from last year was going to be picked up by the one and only Style Me Pretty this week!!!!! We could hardly wait to show you this STUNNING modern yellow and grey affair! Hop on over to their style blog if you want to see it there, otherwise, read on!

We were so excited for Kristen and James’s downtown urban wedding in Seattle this October. They love and live in the city, so they wanted their celebration to feel like a Saturday night out downtown instead of a wedding, and the Palace Ballroom was the perfect choice. The affair was peppered with their love of art, music, and fashion: Kristen couldn’t wait to wear her fashionable Chie Miharas under her dress (they were a secret just for her and those who shared her affinity for amazing footwear, then she donned TOMS for the reception), the cake topper was a sweet touch of handmade whimsy found on Etsy, and their save-the-dates resembled concert tickets, one of the couple’s favorite hobbies.

getting ready pictures at hotel 1000 in seattle
sparkly photograph of a wedding band with sapphires and engagement ring
funky white wedding shoes by chie mihara
yellow boutonniere of billy ball and white flower
blue wedding shoes by toms
wedding photography of yellow and white bouquet
modern bridal portrait at hotel 1000
wedding photography at hotel 1000 in downtown seattle of bride and groom
a bride spins in her enzoani wedding gown in front of a historic building in downtown seattle for her wedding photography
a modern grey and yellow wedding in urban downtown seattle where a couple is in a loading dock
urban wedding photography on a loading dock
funky wedding shoes for a fall seattle wedding
yellow wedding pictures in fall in downtown seattle of a bride
candid wedding photography in black and white of a bride and groom walking
grey suit and yellow tie and boutoinnere for an urban fall wedding in seattle
palace ballroom wedding downtown seattle with the wedding couple kissing under the monorail
letterpress invitations with yellow and grey accents
Mercury votive holders, translucent shell chandelier, chic pottery vases and long white fabric curtains brought her love of Anthropologie to the wintery and cozy ballroom. Modern acrylic ghost chairs were chosen for a touch of glam for the guests during the ceremony.

wedding decor at the palace ballroom of ghost chairs, capiz shell chandelier, and ivory flowers
a wedding ceremony in the evening at palace ballroom in seattle
turquoise and yellow wedding reception decor at the palace ballroom
For their “fabulous cocktail party” wedding (direct quote!), Kristen and James chose food stations boasting the delicious food of famous chef and restauranteur Tom Douglas. James was most looking forward to the artisan grilled cheese with ingredients such as chanterelle mushrooms and Mt. Townsend Cirrus cheese. They each had a signature drink that was so very them: James chose a delicious microbrew, and Kristen chose a swanky cherry blossom martini with cranberry garnish.
signature cocktails for a wedding at the palace ballroom in seattle, a microbrew beer and a cherry blossom martini
kids table at a wedding with toys and shirley temples
grilled cheese at the palace ballroom

wedding toasts at the palace ballroom
wedding cake and cupcakes at a yellow and grey wedding
And finally, the cake. This cake NEEDS an introduction. White, smooth, and modern on the outside, it was everything beautiful and classy a wedding cake should be. Surrounded by little bite-sized deserts, it made for a beautiful arrangement, topped with a whimsical piece of art — a love tree (they LOVE handcrafted local art!). But inside? It’s a party! Kristen loves rainbows, so she couldn’t WAIT to unveil this little piece of happiness to her guests. She actually compared her cake to a mullet: business on the outside and party on the inside.

a rainbow cake and whimsical cake topper for a hip wedding in seattle
first dance photos at the palace ballroom
wedding reception photography of the dance floor at palace ballroom
black and white silhouette of a wedding couple at the palace ballroom entrance

The celebration was beautiful and fun at the same time, and it was so VERY them! An urban cocktail party set in the heart of their beloved Seattle during the most romantic season of the year… fall! Congrats, you two! It’s been incredible having beers with you, shopping for tacky fridge magnets to swap, and being inspired by your art and concert poster collections! Can’t wait to show you my latest- I hope to pick up a good one at the Black Keys show next month;)

Kristen and Jame’s wedding was made up of talent from the following event peeps and designers:

Wedding Photography: Laurel McConnell Photography assisted by the lovely Rebecca Ellison

Wedding Planning + Design: Married & More with Michelle

Floral Design + Decor: Bella Rugosa

Getting Ready Hotel: Hotel 1000

Officiant: Rich Sclafani

Wedding Venue: Palace Ballroom

Catering: Tom Douglas

Wedding Cake: Divine Confections

Wedding Invitations: Brittany Troxler

Save-the-Dates: MaeMae Paperie

DJ: Injoy Entertainment

Ghost Chairs + Linens: Pedersens Rentals

Accommodations: Hotel 1000

Wedding Dress: Enzoani via Luly Yang

Hair, Makeup, and Lashes: Erin Skipley

Groom’s Suit: Nordstrom

Custom Rings: Green Lake Jewelry Works + Fremont Jewelry Design

 

16 comments

Kelsey Hunsinger via Facebook - So, so beautiful!

Tara Bliven - I love the cake – awesome!

Heather Driscoll via Facebook - Those shoes are all over Pinterest today!!

Ashley Bennett via Facebook - I, too, have seen your images all over Pinterest today. Amazing as usual! <3

Melissa McFadden via Facebook - Absolutey stunning!

Nicole Gleason via Facebook - Gorgeous Laurel! And I agree, the shoes were fab!

Rachel Bowes via Facebook - Fabulous! Palace Ballroom can be soooo dark and I love the vibrant colors and lighting against all the brick. Julie is a floral genius and your pictures are stunning as always :)

Barbie Hull via Facebook - CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! Laurel McConnell!!!! – we are SO proud of you!! Such a talented lady!

Barbie Hull - These images are AMAZING!!!! Great work – beautiful wedding!!!

Eldad Efendi - Congrats!!! You do awesome work!

Howie Sennet via Facebook - This is really STUNNING! You have such a unique talent and a keen eye, Laurel McConnell. Congrats! Your technique of lighting and angles are a feast for the senses. Great Job!!! ;)

Amanda Mays via Facebook - Amazing! Congrats girl, you totally rock!

321 FOTO | photo booth rentals via Facebook - Stunning! We NEVER get tired of looking at your pretty pictures!

Holly-Kate Foss via Facebook - I love this wedding, so
Beautiful!

KIPPLES - Noice werk, mate!

Our Photography Promo Video is HERE!!

It’s been so hard waiting, but it’s finally here!!!! A few months ago I schemed with some super talented people to produce a simple and fun promo video during Catherine and Michael’s anniversary shoot in the Queen Anne neighborhood of  Seattle.

The recipe that yielded this delicious marketing muffin:

  • Get Hitched Give Hope- I won the video through their silent auction. It raises money to grant wishes to those whom the cure can’t come soon enough
  • Edit 1 Media- the cinematographers. They split their time between Seattle and Hawaii. Lucky ducks!
  • Floressence- Anne Bradfield is an amazing florist and her quirky happy designs were perfect for this shoot.
  • Jenny Bowker- How can you not love her style? One of Seattle’s best hair and makeup stylists, for sure.
  • Catherine and Michael- thank you thank you thank you for allowing me to photograph you for your anniversary, and letting me plaster your faces all over the interwebs and beyond!!
  • Triple Scoop Music- music licensing for photographers

I hope it conveys to you a clear message of what we love to do: HAVE FUN while making great images. And now, without further ado…..

17 comments

Catherine Abegg - Oh my lordie… so super CUTE!!! I love it… and you are fantastic. I miss the spring sunshine and your super cute purple hair! xoxo.

Michelle Loretta - LAUREL!!!! It’s AWESOME! Perfect! It totally captures the ‘fun’ your bring. (Nice work, Edit 1 Media for capturing Laurel’s fun-ness!) Wooohooo!!!

Jessica Hanaumi - Oooooooh weeeeee! I smiled the whole time watching that!

Becca Ellison via Facebook - Fabulous!!!! And oh so you!

Barbie Hull - LALALALALALALAUREL!!!!!!! You are awesome and talented and this is RAD – just like YOU!!!!! Edit1Media.com – you guys did a FABULOUS job!!

Barbie Hull via Facebook - AGREEED!!! Love the music, love the editing, LOVE the subjects!!!!

Dani Weiss - FREAKING ADORABLE! So cute and perfect music!

Alicia Nickerson - WOW! this is so super adorable!!

Anne Bradfield - Perfect!! I love seeing the “backstory” of you in action, Laurel. And it was really good to see those little flowers move in the breeze, too. :)

Floressence via Facebook - So perfectly fun fun fun!

alice hayes - Love it- perfect music! tra-la-la

Christine Hines via Facebook - Fantastic job!

Arisa Rukavina - Laurel this is amazing! love it!

Kate - Holy goodness! I Looooooooove it! Totally shows your crazy fabulous personality, and the pics are beyond gorgeous of course. And the ducks!!!!

Jessica - love love love it! :)

Featured on Nikon’s Website?? That’s Me!

    Nikon World photography magazine feature on seattle photographer laurel mcconnell

I know, pretty crazy, right??? I’m beyond excited, and have been pretty speechless about it- I mean, it’s a huge honor to be chosen by your own industry for something that you love to do and work so hard at. They’re Nikon, they KNOW photography. Our studio has had such an amazing shooting season this past spring/summer/fall that it’s been so hard to find the time to blog about this! I didn’t mean to NOT tell you… I just… got sidetracked! (oh, that Photographer’s A.D.D….)

article in Nikon World photography trade magazine about seattle wedding photographer laurel mcconnell

 

The short of it: the camera company that I chose 11 years ago, to make my images with, knows who I am (Eeeee!). Better yet, they like my work enough to feature it in their breathtakingly printed industry magazine, Nikon World, as well as on their photography equipment website, NikonUSA.com (“I die,” a la Rachel Zoe). You can read about how some of my images came to be in the article, and on their website you can even hear me dissect how the images came to be, touching on alternative cropping, inspiration behind a few shadow images, reflections, and using the scene to anchor the shot.

Go check it out, but mostly, keep reaching for your dreams!!

(special thanks to my clients for being so rad as to trust me to shoot they way that makes me feel happy, and for my bestie Babs McGee for shooting my mug!)

13 comments

Alice G Patterson - Congratulations… looks great!

Katie Scharer via Facebook - Fantastic and congrats! You are amazing, my dear!

Eldad Efendi - Congrats!! This is awesome, great job!!

Phil Holden via Facebook - yeah :)

Keenan Sanders via Facebook - WOooOt! Go Laurel!

Shannon Wing Bishop via Facebook - you are amazing!

Andrea Roth Meisgeier via Facebook - Woo hoo!!!

Kerri - That’s Bananas! (in a Raceh Zoe voice) huge congrats my friend you are totally amazingly awesome!!!

Marisa Josephine Lown via Facebook - A well deserved honor, congratulations!!

ron storer - ya you!!!!!!!!!!!

Barbie Hull - Laurel!! You are so awesome and we are so proud of you!!! XOXOXOXO

Letterpress and Photo Cards For Holidays and Anydays!

We love getting cards in the mail for the holidays and special occasions. What a fun way to give your friends and family a little update on you and yours! We have two stunning lines of cards to offer our clients this year: press photo cards and our new letterpress photo cards!!

Text and colors are completely customizable, so any of these cards are perfect for birth announcements, save the dates, holiday cards, thanks you’s and more! Please allow up to 2 weeks for design and delivery to our studio (one extra week if we need to ship to you)- we suggest swinging by to pick them up to give you more time for sending!

 

 

PREMIUM LETTERPRESS PHOTO CARDS

Yes. You heard us. We couldn’t believe it either: photography and letterpress have finally come together! We’re delighted to present to you these luxurious cards for when you want to send the best. You can order your letterpress cards in our online storefront here, and we’ll begin on your design consultation either over the phone, in person, or via email. Click below to take a peek at some of these ideas….

 

 

HOLIDAY, THANK YOU, AND ANNOUNCEMENT PHOTO CARDS

All flat and folded cards are customizable with text and colors, and you can order your cards in our online storefront here. These are simply a springboard to jump off with your design- we’ll customize the design around the image and format you choose, and we can help you with the message if you’re stumped on what to say! Click below to browse our current designs.

 

 

Don’t wait to order yours until it’s too late (well, that would be mid-December….. ), click on through to get the ball rolling by placing your order and then we’ll begin working on the custom goodies- don’t fret, we have lots of ideas and are here to to do it alllll for you.  Except address ‘em and send ‘em. That’s your job.

If you want to get in touch with us to schedule a shoot STAT, fill out our inquiry form here and we’ll get you some info instantly!

(note, not all images are by Laurel McConnell Photography. Many are on loan from the other awesome contributing photographers at Miller’s Design Lab and Design Aglow)

1 comment

Wild West Photobooth and Hope Brew Beer Tasting?! What Could Be A Better Way To Spend Your Thursday?!

Throw on your boots, don your cowboy hats, and come on down to Get Hitched Give Hope’s very first beer tasting event, Hope Brew!!!! As if raising nearly $85k last month at our yearly wedding charity auction wasn’t enough fun, we want to bring it down a notch, open it up, and throw a couple back with some local brewers!

Join us for an evening of beer tasting for a great cause! We’re super excited to shoot you in our Wild West Photobooth, taste some beer by four local home brewers (Filthy Beer, to name one!!!!), listen (and dance?!) to some bluegrass music by Pickled Okra, admire some purdy western centerpieces by Willow and Bloom, raffles, doorprizes, and much, much more!

  • Who: Get Hitched Give Hope presents Hope Brew
  • What: A home-brewed charity brew fest
  • When: Thursday November 17th, 6:30-9pm
  • Where: EM Fine Art Gallery, 410 Dexter Ave N., Seattle, WA
  • Why: Because we like beer. And granting wishes to folks who have been given a terminal diagnosis.
  • How: Tickets: $15-40. The $40 one gets you a Golden Mug… an ACTUAL beer mug with unlimited beer and four raffle tickets. Dude….

Help us spread the word: share the Facebook event page!
Buy tickets here : http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/207865

p.s. I’m wearing spurs. Yep. spurs.

1 comment

Holly-Kate Foss - It will be a blast and I cannot wait to see you in SPURS!!!!! Y’all.

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