I have to say, being a professional wedding photographer, I have seen many many many weddings. They are all beautiful in their own special ways. The small private weddings that display the intimacy and close friendships that are so important to the couples, and the larger weddings that allow them to share their wedding day with all who have had an important impact on their lives. With that said, it is unusual to see a fairly large wedding share so many personal moments with so many people. However, that’s exactly what Hye Jin and Ashish did for their absolutely spectacular wedding celebration spread over three days in Seattle.
Hye Jin and Ashish met through some friends through their work. To be honest, more people were worried that Hye Jin (a former UW Cheerleader - yes, she’s very cute and super spunky) would break Ashish’s (this guy has the most cheerful smile) heart, but thankfully, they simply fell in love. They’re made for each other and it’s obvious to anyone who has seen them together. The way that they look at each other, and the fact that they simply “get each other” is clear. This was going to be an incredible wedding celebration. It all started with a rehearsal dinner on Thursday, July 31, followed by an culturally Indian wedding celebration on the 1st, and a Christian wedding on the 2nd.
One thing I noticed was that this was a great group of people to work with. All of the bridal party (you can see individual post of them on the link listed above) were excited to see this day of celebration. They all wore culturally authentic clothes and participated in the morning’s traditional pre-wedding blessings. I knew this was going to be a blast to shoot. Even though the previous night brought some rain (my first experience with rain in Seattle) the next day proved to be a bit windy, but still beautiful. I found some great locations nearby, and we didn’t need to drive very far for our session. The bridal party was also game for a short walk, so it was fairly easy to find a few nice locations for our photographs. On Friday, the Indian wedding day, one of Dawn Shield’s assistants (Becky) worked along side me. She was great as a second shooter and got some great images as well. Although Dawn was out shooting an assignment in Missouri that day, she was a traveling champion and made it back the next day to Seattle for the Christian wedding day.
The Christian wedding day was almost like shooting a whole different group of people. They were either in suits or nice cocktail style dresses, and they all looked great. This was going to be another fun day of shooting. Dawn and I were excited since we actually knew the areas that Hye Jin and Ashish were using for their wedding reception which is where we used for their photographs, so it all came pretty naturally. On top of it all, the two of them were just as excited on day three as ever.
Their wedding day on Saturday was amazing. The venue was the EMP in Seattle, and it was like attending a very exclusive party (which is was.) The interior was gorgeous and lit with gorgeous colored downlamps (photographers love this!) and I was psyched to be able to be there to share in this huge day with them. The stage area had a gigantic led covered screen that was constantly changing depending upon the mood or in sync with the music that was being played. During dinner it was subdued, but when the band was playing, it was like being at a live rock concert. So slick!
The photos you see here are simply some that I liked, but there were so many great images of them, I had a hard time whittling it down to these few. I hope that you all enjoy them. Congratulations again to Hye Jin and Ashish! Best wishes to you.
Image #1 | Hye Jin & Ashish at Pike Place Public Market
