Chelsie and Ken (Wedding)

Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010

Ken is a friend who I hadn’t seen since high school, but we kept in touch over the years as we both completed our Bachelors and then Masters. It turned out that he was getting married to a beautiful woman who had he met through school, on the opposite side of the country from where he was living. He was putting together everything from the East Coast for his wedding in the Northwest–that’s how I ended up driving to Coeur d’Alene the second week of October.

The wedding took place at Chelsie’s family’s house right next to a beautiful lake at the foot of a lush mountainside–a very romantic backdrop for any event. The day of the rehearsal (the day before the wedding) was cold and wet. And the tents were sealed up against the wind and wet. Luckily the next morning we were greeted by a very thin cloud cover, with breaks of sun. It was as if a hundred prayers had been answered (especially mine!) and warm weather was shining down on the coming ceremony.

The ladies and gentlemen prepared themselves in separate rooms of the hotel, anticipating the First Look of the bride and groom. Almost covertly, the groomsmen hustled the prepared groom down to a waiting van, which drove him off just in time for the bride and bridesmaids to burst through the hotel entrance, rushing off in the same direction for the portraits!

The portraits took place near the Coeur d’Alene boardwalk, using the lake as a backdrop for the first look and other arrangements for the wedding party. The bride and groom were not the only ones in attendance that shed a tear during their first sight of each other. At about 15 minutes over time, everyone piled back into their vehicles towards the family house and site of the wedding.

After family portraits, the officiant finally showed up (her car had broken down along the highway) and the ceremony began. The children were amazed and in awe, staring at the beautiful bride being brought down the isle by her father. The groom, with a tear in her eye, took her hand as she stepped down in front of the waiting audience. The ceremony was beautiful, humorous, and climaxed with the mixing of sand symbolizing the joining of two lives. The reception was quite pleasant–delicious food, good music, and a skillful rendition of Pulp Fiction’s dance between Uma Thurman and John Travolta performed as their First Dance by Ken and Chelsie. They cut their little cake and handed out decorated cup cakes.

The next day my assistant and I met up with Ken and Chelsie in Spokane, WA for a few quick portraits in the park there. On the Merry-Go-Round, by the Trash Eating Goat (which I hadn’t heard of before then), and along the walkways. We parted ways and Catherine and I made our way back to Seattle through the beautiful Eastern Washington landscape.