Spokane Photographer Turned Bride

Being a wedding photographer for over twelve years, I’ve seen every type of wedding you can think of. From the simple courthouse wedding to an extravagant destination wedding, and literally everything in between. There isn’t one I prefer over the other…except when I can feel the love exuding from the couple and their families. Those have always been my favorite. And when I promised to tie the knot as a mature bride, we both knew we wanted our celebration to ooze with love, admiration and gratitude.

When we began planning we wanted to keep it super simple. I never wanted to be focused on details or things…I wanted the event to be relaxed and unique. We are both a bit alternative, but oh-so-ever romantic, passionate and sappy. We envisioned dark colors, a moody ambiance and tears of joy. Because we only invited family, our guest list was under 55. We planned a short ceremony that did not follow the norms of any other wedding and we polished it with an elegant dinner party.

The common question I got asked during planning was, “Well, who’s going to be YOUR wedding photographer? How do you choose?” This was a no-brainer all around. My groom and I both wanted Kayli Maier Photography to document our day. She has been my 2nd hand woman for over 8 years and one of my truest friends. There was no other option. She was the first hired vendor as soon as we decided on our date.

Timbers On Pacific (no longer operating as a venue) was another obvious choice for our celebration. The wonderfully talented Kimberly Culberson’s sentimental energy matches our own and the ambiance of the room had always been one of my favorites…and being able to get ready at my studio right next door was a double win! We had the opportunity to sit with Kimmie on multiple occasions to discuss our ceremony. In the end we all decided on the most unique night filled with love, pizza, and scratch tickets! The sweet little touches she and her team incorporated brought tears to my eyes. One of my favorites was signature cocktail drinks named after songs that hold special meaning to us like “Dosed,” “Patience,” and “You Shook Me.” Kimmie truly heard and felt the message we were trying to display.

I’ve always been a lover of flowers and floral arrangements, but it has intensified as I age. I have a deep deep love for flowers, especially the classics like roses, peonies and ranunculus. I began planning a bouquet to contrast my dress, and that’s all that was really on my radar, until I approached Shauna with D. Lux Events and Floral She just happened to have another wedding at the same venue the next day, so why not add on some more arrangements?? And why not embellish my family with the most unique floral accessories? Edible flowers during dinner? Badass…lets do it! She took care of us and made the entire celebration over-the-top elegant and unique with her glamorous skills.

And the dress. From the moment Brian and I began envisioning a wedding, I saw myself in an elegant black wedding dress. Why? Because I do what I want. Kidding! But not really. During my relationship with Brian, I have truly found myself. He has been a wonderful partner in encouraging me to nourish everything that gives me joy and balance. We both can have an edgy, alternative, rocker style so it only made sense to wear what felt most like myself. Believe Bride had exactly what I was looking for. A form-fitting black, sparkly wedding dress that had just the right amount of sass and elegance. Pair that dress with the talents of Spokane’s best wedding hair artists All Tressed Up, and one of my best friends and expert makeup artist Makeup By Evelyn Mauro I looked like I was ready to walk the red carpet.

Okay! Now to my most favorite part about or wedding. I tasked my groom with choosing our ceremony music. He was to choose the song I would walk down the aisle to him (the processional) and the song we would walk back together to (the recessional). Music plays an important role in our relationship and he has a deep passion for it, so he was on his own for this one. No direction from me was needed whatsoever, so I kept my hands off. He kept the songs a secret up to the moment my niece hit play for us. How many brides can say they unknowingly walked down the aisle to Led Zeppelin, walked back to Red Hot Chili Peppers with their new groom on their arm, and had their first dance to U2? Pretty f*#king awesome.

“Hey lady, you got the love I need
Maybe more than enough
Oh darling, darling, darling
Walk a while with me
Ohh, you’ve got so much, so much, so much”
-Led Zeppelin “Over the Hills and Far Away”

Our night was the perfect celebration of our union. With a couple of hiccups as every wedding has, we shared our love with our family while our “Feel Goods” playlist that has been cured over the past 4 years played overhead. We ate pizza from Monterey Cafe, enjoyed cupcakes from Sweet Dreams Bakery (a little too much for some of us), visited with family and did a little dancing.

Thank you to our family and vendors who helped make this night everything we wanted.