Wedding on the beach at Ocean Shores

Way back last summer I was contacted by Carolyn and Martin about photographing their upcoming wedding.  They understood that many popular vendors (and especially popular photographers) get booked a year or more in advance for the most popular dates, and they knew that since their date was a July Saturday they needed to move fast.  I’m really happy that they contacted me, they were a great couple to work with.

The wedding took place on the beach at Ocean Shores.  For those of you who have never been to Ocean Shores, it is a VERY popular place and on a nice summer day there can be thousands of people spread out over several miles of beach.  Beautiful sand, and everyone drives their cars right down onto the beach, sometimes leaving them parked quite close to the water.  Which can be a BIG mistake if there is an incoming tide!

The day of the wedding the forecast was for overcast skies and temps in the upper-60s.  Ocean Shores is almost 3 hours drive from Seattle, and when I left that morning it looked like the forecast would be correct.  But as I got closer to the coast the skies cleared, and when I got to the hotel to meet up with Carolyn and Martin it was cloudless and the temps were already well into the 70s.

Photos at Judith Ann Inn

The plan was to meet at the Judith Ann Inn, where Carolyn and the other ladies were getting dressed, and to take some photos there of family and wedding party before driving to the beach for the ceremony.  I located Martin and he pointed me to the room where the ladies were finishing up the dressing process.  Martin’s granddaughters Addison and Alli were to be the flower girls, and I had fun photographing them and Carolyn together in the room.  We then did a first-look for Carolyn and Martin, and took a bunch of photos of the wedding party, taking advantage of the huge staircase at the Inn.

Wedding on the beach

Then it was time to head for the beach, and the spot that had been set up for the ceremony.  Carolyn and Martin did not know it at the time, but apparently an Ultimate Frisbee tournament was being held on the beach less than a mile from where the ceremony was to be held, and the crowds were even crazier than usual.

Still, most of the guests were able to navigate their way through the many parked cars and locate the ceremony site.  The site was far enough from the main beach entrance that we did not have too many cars nearby.  The weather was sunny and warm, with just enough wind to keep the ladies busy trying to keep their hair under control!

Once everyone was in position the ceremony began.  The bridesmaids were Sarah Duffy, Janean Wohlmacher, Sherry Berry and Rachel Coburn.  Groomsmen were Brian Johnson, Matt Lynch and Jesse Duffy. And the Flower Girls were Martin’s granddaughters Alli and Addison, as I mentioned earlier.  The ceremony was conducted by Pastor Jim Burton, a long-time friend of Martin and Carolyn, and I believe the person who first introduced them.  The ceremony went off without any problems, and a short time later Carolyn and Martin were married!

Reception at the Shilo Inn

After the ceremony I kept the entire wedding party so we could get a few photos along the edge of the water, as well as a couple of other spots I had noticed while driving to the ceremony.  I had to laugh as I saw several cars that had been parked too close to the water’s edge that were close to being caught by the incoming tide.  I hope their owners made it back in time to get their cars to safety!

Once we reached the reception site Carolyn and Martin made their entrance and the party got underway.  Great food and good music made for a happy crowd.  Everyone had a great time, and at the conclusion of the reception Martin and Carolyn walked through a double column of well-wishers who blew bubbles at the newlyweds.

Following is a selection of photos from the day, I hope you like them!