A Marriage Proposal at Seattle’s Space Needle!

Two weeks ago, my email inbox pinged. It was Brandie, asking about wedding photography for their celebration at The Quarry in Mt. Vernon, which their friends lovingly refer to as Narnia. She shared her and Grant’s story with me, showing me their wedding website they’d built with all the fun details. She was so excited.

Imagine my surprise when Grant emails me just the other day, stating that he was going to officially propose and wanted to have me there to capture it all! They’ve known each other for YEARS, and have known that they were going to get married for a while now, I mean they built a wedding website and everything! The last piece to the puzzle was Brandie’s ring. It arrived from Blue Nile a couple of days before, and little did she know, he was going to lead her on a wild goose chase made of fibs, fake phone calls, and secret texts to go pick up her ring at the Fed Ex office. Alas, there WAS no box at Fed Ex for her, so what is one to do except go spend the sunset at the Space Needle? Random, right? But hey, we all have our random moments. By this time, Brandie was getting a little suspicious, but just a little.

Up in the elevator they went, Grant touching his pocket to make sure the box safe and sound. He waited for just the right moment, as the crowd cleared a tiny bit, giving him enough room to drop to one knee. The crowd went wild, liiterally, with whoops, hollers, clapping, and banging on the windows! The whole needle was a shakin’ with excitement and noise!!!!

marriage proposal atop the space needle in seattlesilhouette of engagement portrait couple

After all the hoopla died down, Grant started to explain some of the back story, and we chatted about the moments leading up to the big question. My worst nightmare came true as a surprise proposal photographer- I had been spotted before the proposal! Brandie actually recognized me hiding out on the observation deck since she’d been to my website already!!! She brushed it off as a coincidence or case of mistaken identity until she realized Grant was actually proposing, and then she put two & two together.engagement portrait atop the space needle in seattle

They were local celebrities for the next hour as folks recognized them as “the kids who got engaged on top of the Space Needle!engagement portraits at the space needle in seattle

And then a genius idea hit me like a Mack truck. Barbie doesn’t have a proposal facedown for her website, ILoveFaceDowns.com!!! Brandie and Grant were all too eager to participate!

The EMP/SF Museum, designed by legendary architect Frank Gehry, is so beautifully lit at night.

Congratulations!!!! You two crazy cats are so cute together, and I had sooooo much fun getting to hang out with you on one of the most memorable days of your lives!!!!!!

Kelsey Eads - I am such a sucker for proposal photos!!! These are adorable, I love the b&w’s. :)

Barbie - CONGRATULATIONS!!! These are GORGEOUS!!! Thanks for the facedown too!! BAM!

Style Me Pretty Features Our Romantic Forest Wedding at Dragonfly Retreat!

I am sooo excited!!!! Our photography of Nicole & Steve’s romantical forresty wedding was featured on the front page of one of the nation’s favorite wedding planning and style blogs, Style Me Pretty, earlier this week!!!!!

wedding photography publish on Style Me PrettyCongrats, Steve and Nicole, you guys are getting all sorts of fun comments about your awesome choices of style by brides all over the world! But of course, WE already knew you had good taste the moment we arrived at your wedding!

Shannon Lassen - BeeeeeUtiful!! I just booked a wedding at Dragonfly for next summer. You’ll have to tell me ALL about it!

Barbie - You are SO cool!!!!! I love this site – CONGRATS!!

Fun Forest Fun: Silly Family Portraits at the Seattle Center

This weekend was so much fun. First, Teatro ZinZanni, then we got to Ride The Duck. We topped off the weekend of family shenanigans with some official family portrait photography of my step bro and his family at the Seattle Center and the mini-amusement park at it’s Fun Forest.

While editing through cotton candy mustaches, bubbles, balloon poodles, and carousel rides, I see this gem and just adore the light. The sun, the bubbles, the curly hair. It makes me feel my childhood all over again (although I didn’t grow up in Seattle!).

Hopefully another post will follow, as these guys are just too friggin adorable to not exploit all over the internet. And yes, I’m partial because we’re partially related:).

Cheers to summer and childhood and getting dirty and messy and sticky and not giving a hoot!

two children blow bubbles in the sun at the Seattle Center EMP museum

Jessica Hanaumi - They’re adorable!

Laura Randall - Now THAT is summertime!! Adorable!

Feathers + Ruffles a la Modern Vintage at Sodo Park

Stylized. Royal. Urban. Modern. Rustic. 1940′s. Rockabilly. I don’t know if I’ve ever photographed such a wedding, but somehow it was a glorious cornucopia (yes, I said cornucopia…) of all those things and more! Rae and Rob met in college in Chicago. She has her pilot’s license. He loves to cook, especially dishes of the red meat variety.  When they started planning for their lively celebration, they turned to none other than the fabulous Lisa Chambers of Chambers & Co to bring it all together. And boy did she EVER. Eggplant, teal, and touches of copper. Succulents and lotus pods. And oh, the whimsically fun rock candy. It was Disneyland for the eyes, lemme tell you. So many beautiful details and so much fun style really spoke about Rob and Rae’s personalities and love of a goooood party.

And it all starts with and announcement to your friends and family. Check out these beautiful save the dates and the custom invitation suite from Paper Moxie. Can you believe that Sheryl MADE this pattern JUST for Rae & Rob? It’s GORGEOUS. Talk about going the extra mile for your clients! And it was all set atop a bed of sugary sweet rock candy and surrounded by handmade votives by Glassybaby (I’m not going to say I DIDN’T eat the rock candy after I shot it because that would be a fib).

Rae’s wedding gown is a custom design from couture designer Luly Yang and boasts an asymmetrical collar, sash, and ruffles galore. The inspiration for such a grand gown? A dress Katherine Hepburn wore in 1940 in the classic movie, The Philadelphia Story (and who doesn’t love her leading man, Cary Grant!! Swoon.).

Thistles, succulents, eggplants, pheasant feathers, and vintage ribbon makes up these unique woodsy bouquets and bouts from Fremont’s own Willow and Bloom. I can’t get enough of this bouquet! Perfectly coiffed hair and rad red lips courtesty the uber talented Erin Skipley. Who else?!

Oh Rob, looking so dapper in your suit from downtown men’s clothier Mario’s. LOVE your purple and teal dotted pocket square.

Beautiful looks and unique style aside, I think THIS is the true Rae + Rob! Never taking anything too seriously.

Meet Harvey. Rae & Rob’s first child and honorary groomsman, sporting his very own doggie tux!

Willow and Bloom’s florals and the Prop Gallery West’s swag and copper chuppah add a splash of drama to the urban gem of a rustic warehouse, Sodo Park.

Don’t you just dig their super unique and raw diamond wedding bands?! They’re made by Todd Reed, and they found them at Seattle’s Contemporary Art Jeweler Facere.

Rock candy, Glassybaby, and regal escort cards! Can’t get enough of the teal and purple.

Their beautiful plum, teal, and copper wedding cake was designed by New Renaissance and sits atop a breathtaking Raise The Cake cake stand, and was supplemented by the Dahlia Lounge‘s famed coconut cream pies! Lisa Chambers scoured the city for R’s to place all over the soft seating area at the front of the ceremony room.

The whimsical kids table, with handmade pinwheels! Every kid should be so lucky!!

Check out these AMAZING hats that the groom’s sister designed for each of the bridesmaids. Rae gathered feathers, ribbons, and flowers and sent them to Giddy, where she designed some really fantastic toppers! I LOVE them! I think she may have an Etsy shop….. Anyone know what it is? I’m dying to see what else she makes!

Appetizers by the amazing artisinal and organic Herban Feast pictured with those delish coconut pies from Dahlia’s.

Who doesn’t love a choreographed first dance! In keeping with their 40′s inspired wedding, they danced the Charleston. With ruffles and feet a flyin, I actually had to pay attention to be sure I wasn’t kicked in the face in all of the excitement. Sometimes when you’re behind the lens you just forget exactly HOW close you are to the excitement! And the band? None other than the rockabilly Seattle favs The Dusty 45′s!! It was SO much fun!!!!!!

And of course, the very best part of a Jewish wedding, the hora! I love the napkin tug, the near spill, and the dancing in circles as the crowd engulfed us all in elation.

“But wait! There’s MORE!” she says!

Stay tuned for even MORE wedding details, insights, and photographs of Rae & Rob’s wedding on Junebug’s wedding style blog, coming in August!!

{ hey wedding bloggers! Junebug called dibs first so please don’t borrow our images for posts of your own quite yet! email us for details at info(at)mcconnellphoto(dot)com }

Michelle Loretta - GOOOOOORGEOUS! OH MY GOD, LAUREL. YOU REALLY CAPTURED EVERYTHING SO BEAUTIFULLY!

Carol - Wow – what fun style they had. Love all the b/w candids A LOT!

Laura Randall - I am totally, completely in love with this wedding! The details are amazing, her dress is SOOOOO cool, and SoDo Park looked absolutely incredible! Wish we could have filmed this one!! Laurel, you are unbelievable and Lisa just blows my mind!

kim hayes - gorgeous! omg!

Jen MacNiven - THESE ROCK! Seriously, I’ve looked at these, oh, 5-6 times now. Keep coming back. You’re one lucky gal to have such great clients. And your clients are so lucky to have YOU! ;)

John Crozier - Wow Laurel,
Great Wedding. Awesome Venue. Looks like a really fun couple to shoot. Their personalities really came out in your work.

Hilary Mercer - Wow! This wedding was awesome. I absolutely love all those details and her dress is GREAT!

Kelsey + Mike’s Whackamadoodle Engagement Portraits in Seattle

I know, right?

funny engagement portraits

It was short, it was sweet, and it was fun. Kelsey, Mike, and I roamed around the Center of the Known Universe, a.k.a. the artistically eccentric neighborhood of Fremont in Seattle, for some not-so-serious engagement portrait fun. Call it an urban scavenger hunt if you will, because it was so much fun to break out of the norm and just meander around with no clear direction of exactly WHICH direction we wanted to go. We found yellow walls, old red trucks with boxing gloves (yes! boxing gloves!), beautiful weeds, and lastly, and perhaps most importantly, brews at Brouwers!

silly engagement portraits and red wall

One of their favorite activities together is screen printing. I love Mike’s yellow car hoodie. Maybe I could get them to screen print me a t with my logo on it…. that would be rad. Wait. Dorky. Never mind…

engaged couple lying in the grassfun engagement portraits under seattle bridge

We have these two on loan from San Francisco for their wedding in Port Ludlow in August. I saw the dress and I know the details, and I can’t wait to see it in reality! It’s GOT to be rad- Kelsey is a designer for the city’s favorite custom jewelry shop Green Lake Jewelry Works, and Mike lovingly developed a certain special alternate fuel source. These are hip folks. Their wedding will be hip. Whether they like it or not. Oh yes. It will.

fun engagement session in Fremont Seattleengagement portraits in the pub

I know, right?

Cathy - What a fun shoot! I love their expressions and how their personalities come through. Great pics.

Kevin Wrenn Photography - Super fun images Laurel! I’m loving the bridge shots!!!

Laura Randall - Laurel…I swear I hear your voice in my head when you come up with all those cute phrases! This is a PERFECT couple for you! Looks like you guys had a great time and that they have some awesome pics that are completely, totally, 1000% “THEM”.

Alex Rubin - Great stuff. Love the bridge shot of the grass. Your were shooting right by my studio with that truck picture.

Holly-Kate Foss - Mike and Kelsey, you look like you had so much fun! Ohhh and their wedding is at Port Ludlow, super fabulous!

jen - just plain awesome.

Urban Vintage Seattle Wedding Sneak Peak: Rob & Rae at Sodo Park

I just HAVE to share this bride’s CRAZY AWESOME style…. we just provided the photography for this fabulous Seattle wedding last weekend and while I was going through, choosing favs for my full “hero” blog post to be written next week, I couldn’t help myself and just HAD to share.

vintage modern urban seattle wedding photography at SoDo Park with Luly Yang wedding gown

Check out this phenomenal feather, succulent, and antique bouquet from Fremont’s Willow & Bloom, custom wedding down by Luly Yang Couture, and beauty styling by Erin Skipley. Can’t wait to share more from this Sodo Park wedding, designed and coordinated by the amazing Lisa Chambers.

Pure urban wedding style eye candy, yeah?

Jaimie Dee Photography - Fantastic presentation! I just stumbled across your site today and LOVE it! Great site design, everything is set up so nicely! Good color scheme and fabulous work! Good job and keep it up! :)

brian - hey laurel! Love this stuff, beautiful shots.

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