How pretty and wonderfully personal is today's real wedding, photographed by Laurel McConnell Photography? The stunning waterfront setting at Kiana Lodge is like a dream come true! Enjoy!
The goals: Andrea and Carlos didn't want a big lavish wedding, they simply wanted an event that showcased their passions and their personalities, and was just so "them". Andrea is from the Seattle area and Carlos is from New York City by way of Costa Rica, so they created a theme for their day that joined together their home towns and cultures, and called it “The Big Apple” meets “The Apple State”.
The look: Visually Andrea and Carlos went for a look of “rustic elegance”, combining the lush, green surroundings of Seattle with the uptown feel of New York. They chose a color palette of black, white, and blush (a very chic combination as well as Andrea’s favorite colors) with accents of “granny smith apple” green. Vibrant green apples became the centerpiece of their designs.
Andrea wore a Jim Hjelm wedding gown purchased at Kleinfeld Bridal in New York, and had her makeup done by Margaret Dybash of Poppy Artistry. Her bridesmaids wore Jim Hjelm black lace cocktail dresses with pretty blush under lays. The groom and groomsmen wore black tuxedos with modern neckties.
The moments: When asked what the most romantic moments of the day were, here's what they had to say...
Andrea: "In my opinion, the most romantic moment was seeing my soon to be husband for the first time. We choose to see each other before the ceremony to take some pictures and our photographer chose a romantic spot for us to meet on the pier. It was a very private moment for us.
Another romantic moment was sitting together at the bonfire at the end of the reception. It was so nice to get away from the music, people, and fun chaos to just sit under the stars and take the whole day in."
Carlos: "For me it was turning around and seeing her for the first time before we took our pictures. Also, carrying her over the threshold of our hotel suite that night. It was always a dream of mine."
The details: Early on Andrea and Carlos fell in love with their simple, sleek and modern cake design (made by the fabulous New Renaissance Cakes) so they had their invitation designer, Nicole Gleason of Nicole Mae Paper Designs, incorporate some of the cake's lovely details into their wedding invitations, wedding programs, and seating cards as well.
Their florist, Creative Colours by Patty Schmitz, incorporated the black, white, blush green color palette into all of the beautiful floral designs, and green apples were used as seating cards hanging from branches at the entrance to the reception. At the end of the night, in addition to the wedding cake, they served Carlos’ favorite treat, ice cream, and even had a signature homemade ice cream flavor named just for him - “Ruiz’s Pieces.” Guests went home with photo wedding favors from the fun Atomic Photobooth.
Weaving in details from their cultural backgrounds was also a very important aspect to the day. “Throughout the ceremony we played both Spanish and American music that meant something to us. Our readers read one poem in English and the other read a poem from a Spanish author in Spanish. For the reception, there was a combination of top 40 music, salsa, meringue, and bachata. Carlos’ cousin also sang Bryan Adam’s “Everything I do” in both English and Spanish.”
The pros: All of the wedding professionals who helped bring this wedding to life are listed in our Real Weddings Library! Check it out!
UPDATE: Take a look at the highlight video of Andrea and Carlos' wedding from Edit 1 Media!