Laura Marchbanks Photography: Seattle Wedding Photography, Seattle Wedding Photographer, Portland Wedding Photography, and San Francisco Commercial and Lifestyle Photography » seattle engagement photos

Glenn and Madeline – Salish Lodge Elopement – Part 2

Laura — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 00:01:01 +0000

Surrounded by their closest friends and family, Glenn and Madeline took the vow to love one another in this life and beyond. Their intimate ceremony said it all, the focus was between the two of them, and the love they share. It’s not difficult to see the adoration between them, they laugh easily, sharing a sense of humor that is unmatched. They’re silly, affectionate, and downright appreciative of what each person brings to the relationship.

I absolutely love the location they chose to say their “I do’s”. Salish Lodge is 100% Northwest. Overlooking Snoqualmie Falls, the hotel, spa, and restaurant are unmatched. They day was winterish, a frigid temperature of 20 when I pulled into the hotel, but Glenn and Madeline didn’t bat an eyelash, they headed out and braved the cold with me.

Glenn and Madeline,

Thank you for including me in your day. I am incredibly honored to have been there among the few to witness your devotion and commitment to each other. It was a blast tromping around the grounds with you!

Wishing you both the best,
Laura

I think this image says it all. It’s Glenn seeing his bride Madeline in her wedding dress for the first time as she walks toward him. One of my favorite moments hands down.

Get in touch or View more work.

Glenn and Madeline – Salish Lodge Elopement – Part 1

Laura — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 00:59:58 +0000

No better way to kick off the new year of blogging with this sweet Seattle couple. They recently relocated to the Northwest, and decided there should be no other place for their nuptials than the gorgeous Salish Lodge. They planned this gorgeous elopement just before winter set in and we started the day with a short “engagement” session. Here are some of my favorites! Tomorrow we’ll share their elopement story.

Get in touch or View more work.

Patrick and Jenn – Seattle Engagement Session

Laura — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 17:49:12 +0000

Innocent flirtation, passing glances, and any excuse to make each other laugh. When Jenn first met Patrick, she was instantly attracted to him and a crush began to form. Patrick played it cool, he couldn’t deny that she was one hot tamale, but he was playing hard to get.

As Jenn puts it, she finally convinced him to ask her out, and the rest is history. These two are just about the most perfect compliment of each other I’ve ever seen in a pair. Jenn’s nose crinkles up and her eyes dissappear when Patrick teases her, and you can see in Patrick’s eyes all the love and adoration in the world.

The day was filled with laughter as we romped around Seattle for their engagement session. I just love these two and can’t wait for their big day!

You can view more of their engagement photos by viewing their slideshow here. And check out their entire gallery to view and order prints by clicking here.

Get in touch or View more work.

Mike and Bri – Proposal Story

Laura — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 23:04:29 +0000

His confidence even surprised him a little. They strode off the elevator once they reached the top of the tower and he knew exactly where to go. Leading her gently, he held her hand and walked through the doors to the observation deck. The chilled fall air blew off the sound, but it didn’t seem to phase either of them. It’s the kind of air that soaks into your lungs and refreshes you, and from this height you can almost taste the sweetness of the clouds. He wrapped his arms around her as they looked out over the railing at the city below, soon to be their city. They’re planning to settle here, and who can blame them?

He whispered in her ear and grabbed her close, all while reaching in his pocket, hand slightly trembling, for the box… THE box. As his hand slid out, his knee dropped down and he said the most important words he’ll say until their wedding day. Would she be his wife? Would she say yes to forever with him?

Her hands flew to her mouth and she cried out YES!! As the crowd around them erupted in applause and cheering. Wind, tears, salt air in her face, she said yes to marry this man. Smart girl.

Congratulations Mike and Bri!

I was so honored to be a fly on this wall, tears streaming down my face, I’ll never forget this beautiful moment either.

Warmly,
Laura

I’m not sure what I said here… but these two think I’m REAL funny.

View a slideshow of the rest of the moments we captured from the day Mike proposed to Bri by clicking here.

Get in touch or View more work.

Bryce and Annicca – Seattle Engagement Photographer

Laura — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 22:18:40 +0000

Maybe it was in the hallway between classes, or as she climbed into a friends car headed home, where it first clicked, where he first noticed her all those years ago. High school memories, first loves, formal dances….

Do you remember the feeling of that first relationship in high school like I do? The first one that really mattered? Like floating on air. The feeling like your heart would burst out of your chest if it could. Fear and excitement of the unknown… what do we really know about the opposite sex at 15 anyway? Well, I knew nothing.

There are the lucky few who can hold on to those feelings of anticipation, adoration and twitterpation and turn it into love. Meet two of those few, Bryce and Annicca. It’s no mystery what makes these two so amazing together, it’s plain as day in the photos you’re about to see. They didn’t let the spark die, they’ve been inseparable since that dance he asked her to. A house, two dogs, and seven years later the perfect proposal at the Space Needle. Now in a few short weeks, they’ll say “I do” and make it official.

Bryce and Annicca,

I can’t wait for your big day! It was such a blast tromping through the park with you. Looking forward to more adventures in a couple weeks! Here is to forever!

xo,
Laura

Annicca… are you kidding me?? You’re GORGEOUS!

My favorite from the day…

Ben and Dana – Seattle Engagement Session

Laura — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 00:36:37 +0000

Meet Ben and Dana! This fantastic couple met while attending Penn State… two college degrees, a cross country move and two careers at Boeing later…. Ben popped the question and wedding plans began. Sadly we won’t be the photographers at their Pennsylvania wedding this summer, but sure had a blast photographing them in their current home of Seattle. We roamed around Pioneer Square on a beautiful sunny day and then headed to their backyard for some comfortable down home play time with their fur baby.

Ben and Dana!

Thank you so much for a fabulous afternoon and congratulations on your upcoming nuptials. I wish you both the best in life and love together and hope to stay in touch for the rest of your life events!!

xo,
Laura

Get in touch or View more work.

The gift of a heart

Laura — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 19:16:32 +0000

It wasn’t that long ago that I was sharing with you the story of how the mister proposed. It was a moment that I have a lack of words to describe. If anyone has ever witnessed or been the recipient of a proposal, they see the emotions fly by in a split second. Confusion, nervousness, joy, passion, giddiness, disbelief, fear and excitement all make an appearance within that 30 second time period after the ring is flashed. Oh to be a fly on that wall!

Proposal stories are some of my favorites from clients, it really says a lot about who they are as a couple, and allows me to get to know them deeper. The stories I’ve heard really vary, and some of them you’ve likely read on this blog if you’re a regular here. They range from over the top, to down home, all with one link in common, perfection. You can always expect to hear that something didn’t go quite as planned, or she thought he was joking around with her so she slapped him and said no, those are my favorite moments, the ones that speak volumes to their connection, humor and spice with each other.

The weather was unpredictable, but we didn’t care, we headed out across the mountains to camp, wine taste, and see some friends who were about to change their lives for the better. The plan was laid, not set in stone, but for the most part we knew the when and the where. The day it was supposed to happen, we arrived early to scope it out. Then we hid. Billy and I giggled for what seemed like forever. Excited at the anticipation. The spot was epic, truly amazing, romantic, gorgeous.

Taryn is a wine lover, so I’m sure it didn’t take Scott much convincing to get her to Chelan for the weekend of her birthday. He played his cards right, hired a limo to take them tasting. The second to last stop on the tour brought them to Karma Vineyards, a gorgeous tasting room overlooking the lake and they made plans to tour the cellar. As Julie, the proprietress, brought them into the impressive cave cellar, she slipped away and Scott dropped to his knee. Billy and I popped out of our hiding spot like ninjas and did our best to capture the fastest proposal in the history of proposals.

The best part is that Taryn didn’t even see her ring before she shouted out her “YES!!!!”. It was tied to the wine glass she held, and after she discovered it, between the tears of joy and laughter, she gasped at it’s beauty and placed it on her finger. Taryn is a woman of impeccable taste, take a look at her ring and you’ll know she knows her style. She’s also an incredibly talented wedding planner, can’t wait to see what she comes up with for her big day!

After snapping a few cute pre-engagement images, we joined them for tasting and an afternoon of celebration with their lovely families.

—-
Scott and Taryn,

I couldn’t be more happy for you both! We had such an awesome time witnessing your day and celebrating with you. You were magnificently shining, both of you.

We wish you both the best in planning the wedding of your dreams!

All our love,

Laura and Billy

—-

ALSO a HUGE thank you to Julie Pittsinger and her incredible staff at Karma Vineyards for being so welcoming and warm to us. I’m sorry if we scared you a couple times from our hiding spot. ;-) And because every story is better with a picture… here are a few of my favorites from this day.

And here is Taryn discovering her ring… ha!

PS. How gorgeous is Chelan? Swoon.

Get in touch or View more work.

Seattle Engagement Photographer – Justin and Kelsey

Laura — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 23:50:56 +0000

There are so many ways to love a person. Out loud love, quirky funny love, quiet admiration, deep-thought-reading love, belly laughing love…. Justin and Kelsey have them all down. It’s apparent in the way he looks at her, and they way her eyes come to life when he does. It’s blatant in her words when she tells anyone who will listen how handsome he is. These two both travel for work, so when they get rare time together, they make every second of it count.

Justin and Kelsey, thank you for waiting it out and spending the afternoon with me! It was a joy to capture your love for one another! I can’t wait for your wedding this fall at Sodo Park, it’s going to be amazing!

xo,

Laura

Hair and Makeup by the ever-so-fabulous Jenny Bowker.

Look Justin!!! Both eyes open!!! :-)

trés chic!

Kelsey you are SERIOUSLY gorgeous…. shut up shut up shut up!!!!

Get in touch or View more work.

Seattle Engagement Photographer – Ryan and Julia

Laura — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 21:39:31 +0000

Julia and Ryan are the type of couple you only need to be around for about 10 minutes before you get exactly what makes them tick. The perfect balance of yin to yang, peas to carrots, and peanut butter to jelly, they just compliment each other so well. He jokes, she laughs… she plays, he plays back. We braved the weather and roamed around Seattle for an afternoon of gorgeous image capture. These two will tie the knot this October in Las Vegas, the place they first met and fell in love.

On a sidenote, I want to personally congratulate Ryan on one of the BEST, most romantic proposal stories I’ve heard to date. Regular readers know I like to save these proposal stories for the post about their wedding day. I will however tell you that it involved a trip to Paris, and a big surprise waiting for Julia there.

Ryan and Julia,

Thank you so much for braving the weather and traipsing around Seattle with us! Ryan you were a champ, I know it’s hard to be that GQ, but you rocked it out. It was a blast getting to know you better and I’m so excited about your upcoming wedding (with or without me)!

xo,
Laura

Hair and makeup by Swink!

Ryan… I’m sorry but I couldn’t help it.

Shut up JULIAAAAAAAA…. you are so unbelievably gorgeous!!!

Get in touch or View more work.

Seattle Engagement Photographer – Kirk and Tiffani

Laura — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 17:15:39 +0000

If I had to use one word to describe Kirk and Tiffani, it would be thankful. I’m not sure why, but that is the first word that comes to mind when I think about them. Maybe it’s the way they look at each other, with appreciation in their glances. It could be the words they use, and the way Tiffani’s eyes light up when she talks about him when he’s not around. It could be Kirk’s effort to put her at ease, and let her know how much he loves her. Either way you slice it, what makes the cloth of this relationship so beautiful, is that it’s visible. I knew the moment I met Tiffani how thankful she was to have Kirk in her life, and meeting Kirk for the first time on Saturday… met her match.

These two are planning a gorgeous summer wedding at one of our favorite wedding venues, Port Gamble with the assistance of uber talented, Bella Vita Planning. So excited to be a part of their day, and can’t wait to see how their plans unfold!

Thank you for braving the elements with me, Kirk and Tiffani!

xo,
Laura

PS> Gorgeous hair and makeup provided by Swink Style Bar.

Tiffani, it’s kinda stupid how beautiful you look, even when you have this face on:

Seriously.

Now for some crazy dog fun!

Montgomery…. the dachshund… what a little poser!

Get in touch or View more work.