Roche Harbor in the Rain: Anna + Denny

Sep 24, 2008 | Weddings

Last weekend was miserably wet and it was with a heavy heart that I arrived at what is probably the most beautiful venue I’ve ever photographed: Roche Harbor Resort on San Juan Island.  It was raining cats and dogs, and probably lots of fish too.  Luckily, everyone was in high spirits and in total denial of the icky weather – the ceremony would be outside and the sun would come out.  That’s how Scandinavians like Anna’s wonderful mom Lena think!

Being a little less optimistic myself, I spent an hour or so scouting around for wet weather locations, and found a few really gorgeous spots.  Then, it was back to Anna’s room for some getting ready shots with the girls.  It was still raining by the time they were ready, so we staged the first look on the covered balcony.  The light was perfect, and I was cheering up.

The next hour was spent running around getting wedding party and family shots against a number of beautiful backdrops, then time for some candids before the ceremony began.  The ceremony was beautiful – the rain held off, the seats had been freshly dried off, and there was barely a dry eye in the house.  The magical location and Denny and Anna’s beautiful vows set the stage for an amazing evening.

I didn’t get to stay long into the reception, but I did get to enjoy some very funny speeches, two (yes, two!) songs and a wonderfully choreographed first dance.  Oh!  And of course a fantastic spread by the catering staff at Roche.  Thank you Anna, Denny and family for making the sun come out in more ways than one – it was a treat being part of your beautiful day.

© 2008 Kate McElwee Photography

6 Comments

  1. Wonderful pictures, you did a fantastic job! Can’t wait to see the rest of them!!! (mother of the groom)

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  2. Wow, Kate… I was just checking your website to see your new wedding postings… Low and behold I went to high school with Denny. I didn’t expect that. The pictures look great!

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  3. Thanks ladies! Hey, Chrissy, it’s a crazy small world. Love it 🙂

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  4. Kate –
    I want to thank you for your lovely “teaser batch” – the photos are incredible and somehow you make it look like it never even rained!! I really enjoyed meeting you – not only are you a great photographer, but you are fun to work with and we all truly appreciated your flexibility working with and around our schedule.

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  5. Dearest Kate ~

    We cannot thank you enough for being our wedding photographer. As my mom mentioned, not only is your work amazing, but you are a lovely person to work with and you were somehow able to herd 96 people together for the great group shot right after the ceremony (which I simply love!). Denny and I have sent this link to all of our family and friends, and everyone has commented on the quality and creativity of the shots. You were truly a joy to work with, and we will recommend you to anyone we know who’s getting married in the future. In fact, it seems that you have already been hired by someone we know – Lee Turcotte, the brother of Roger Turcotte, who’s wife, Diana, was one of my bridesmaids! Like someone else mentioned, it sure is funny what a small world this is. Anyway, thanks again and I can’t wait to see all of the other pictures!!

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  6. Anna! What a beautiful bride! Congratulations to you and Denny. Mandy here…RHS friend of Alex’s…small world, indeed!!! This seems to be the theme of this entry. You have excellent taste in wedding photographers, if I do say so myself. 😉 Josh and I used Kate back in July at our Gonzaga wedding. I logged onto the blog and immediately recognized Anna, and scrolling down it made me smile to see Alex laughing in the groosmen shot. How fun to see your folks, too! You are all smiling such familiar smiles in these pictures…relaxed, happy, and touched by the obviously special events of the day. What a great family. KATE…you captured them well! Ooooh, and cool, unique location…funfunfun. Congrats! 🙂 -Mandy (formerly Yocum) Underhill

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