It’s no secret that I become emotionally attached to a lot of my couples.  Often times we become friends through a series of meetings, engagement sessions, boudoirs and so on …  and sometimes there’s just something that clicks.  I hadn’t seen Adrienne and Chris since last summer, but it felt like I was being reunited with old friends.  I hope their teaser photos convey the amazing atmosphere and intense happiness that I experienced on Saturday.

Chris and Adrienne held their wedding at their good friends’ back yard in Hidden Lake Lane near Olympia.  It was a good thing they’d posted signs along the route as it’s a very secluded place!

I promised Adrienne some fun ring shots …  this one will make sense to musicians.  And for those who aren’t, that’s Adrienne’s ring on the A key, and Chris’ ring on the C key.

Chris started the day off as most grooms do, in a very fly suit …

… it didn’t last long!

Moments before the first look:

Wedding day nerves quickly turned into utter bliss.

Chris gave Adrienne a key to a new jewelry box that she’d been lusting after for years – and she gave him a very sweet card.

Trying to cool off a little – it was toasty out!

Their adorable son Tate sees his mom for the first time:

Then it was time for some group shots.

This wedding party was a lot of fun to play with:

Chris’ mom before the ceremony:

And one of the beautiful doggies that enjoyed the day with us:

Chris waiting for Adrienne to walk down the aisle:

The ceremony was both emotional (they’ve been together nine years!) and funny.  The groomsmen pretended to lose the rings, and Adrienne pretented to fluff her vows … at least, I think she was pretending!  It was very funny to watch.

After the ceremony, there was a super relaxed cocktail hour and then some very tasty food.

One of the bridesmaids, Nova, made a beautiful cake based on the details of Adrienne’s dress.  It was perfect.

I stole a tomato from the buffet for another ring shot:

This guy braided lavender into his hair – it was awesome.

There were tiki torches for sun down …

The speeches were hilarious.  Nova triumphed again …  I wish I could remember her speech, but it was a very amusing story about how she’s an internet friend, and secretly a 50 year old man …  I guess you had to be there …

The cake cutting …

… and the garter toss …

The young guy with the white shirt was the only one to leap for the garter – and the look of horror on his face when he realized he’d caught it was priceless!  My assistant Mike got a great shot of that.

After a while, we sneaked off for round one of our couple portraits:

With a little help from her mom and dad, Adrienne returned to the party in true bridal style:

I love that they all danced to the Hokey Pokey:

Adrienne doesn’t usually drink …

It started to get very silly at sunset …

… the perfect time to bring out the photobooth!

Chris finally ditched his wedding clothes completely, and we headed to the bottom of the yard for some final couple shots.

Huge congratulations to Chris and Adrienne on a beautiful, hilarious, wonderful wedding.  I hope I can party with you all sometime!

© 2008 Kate McElwee Photography