John and Terry Elope at the Seattle Courthouse

Way back in the beginning of May I got an email from John.  He and his fiancé Terry were planning to get married in Seattle at the end of June, and he had found me when looking for wedding photographers in the Seattle area.  I had the date open, and for the next few days the emails were flying fast and furious between us!  John and Terry are from Boston and had very little knowledge of the Seattle area.  They had decided to get married in Seattle because they were going to take a cruise to Alaska for their honeymoon, and the ship was going to be leaving from Seattle.  So why not combine the wedding and honeymoon into one trip?

They talked with parents, siblings and friends, and pretty much everyone liked the idea, especially once it was decided that everyone would go on the cruise together!

The Preliminaries

I have done a LOT of weddings at the Seattle Courthouse, so John and I traded a lot of emails regarding how the procedure worked at the Courthouse, other locations that we might want to visit for photos, and even which restaurant they might want to visit for dinner after the wedding!  He and Terry wanted to go to at least one other location for photos either before or after the ceremony, so we went over the logistics of how to make it work.  The decision was finally made that we would meet at the Courthouse early so that Terry and John could sign in and be at the top of the list as soon as a judge was available, and that while we were waiting we’d do some photos in the area near the Courthouse.  They had seen some photos that I had done for a wedding at the King County Courthouse and really liked the photos that I had done with the other couple in the lobby there.  Since there is only a couple of blocks between the two courthouses that would be an easy walk.  The after the ceremony we’d drive to Kerry Park for photos with all the friends and family who would be there, and finish up by going to the as yet to be determined restaurant for a few more photos if we had time.

Here is a list of those in attendance –

John D’Addario
Terry Duncan
Jan Duncan (Mother)
Mark D’Addario (Brother)
Robert Duncan (Brother)
Crystal Duncan (Sister-in-law)
Grayson Duncan (Nephew)
Brooks Duncan (Nephew)
Catherine Quy (Friend)

The day of the wedding things started out just as planned.  I met John, Terry and their assorted family and friends outside the Courthouse just after they had checked in with the clerk to get their place in line.  John and Terry and I then walked down to the King County Courthouse for some photos while the rest of the group walked a slightly shorter distance, to the front of City Hall.  John, Terry and I met up with the group as soon as we finished at the KC courthouse and got a lot of nice group photos.

The Wedding Ceremony

Everyone then walked back up the hill to the Seattle Courthouse.  We needed to be back in line by 4:30, since that is when judges are first ready to officiate the ceremonies.  Because this was a nice Friday afternoon there were at least a dozen other couples who were also now waiting to see a judge.  This was why I had warned Terry and John to get there early so they’d be at the front of the line.  I have had times at the Courthouse where the couple does not arrive until close to 4:30 and end up not having a judge available until after 6PM!

Because it was a gorgeous day John and Terry opted to have their ceremony on the rooftop patio.  Pretty near perfect conditions for an outdoor wedding!  Unfortunately there were just enough clouds that Mt. Rainier was not visible, but as you’ll see from the photos below it was otherwise fantastic.  The ceremony went perfectly, and in a short time John and Terry were legally married.

Kerry Park  and Palisade Photo Session

Next stop was Kerry Park on Queen Ann Hill, possibly the most popular location for photos in Seattle.  I drove John and Terry there in my car while the rest of the group followed in a cab.  It was now close to 6PM, and while the park was busy we were still able to get a lot of photos without too many “photo bombers” screwing things up.  Once the rest of the group arrived were able to take more group shots with a new background.

It was now time to head to Palisade restaurant where the group had dinner reservations.  Once again I headed off with the guys, while the rest of the group followed in other cars.  Palisade is located at the south end of Magnolia, next to a large marina.  A quick plug for Palisade – it is a great restaurant and if you’re looking for a spot with wonderful food and a fantastic view it is hard to beat!  Anyway, I took the guys on a stroll around the area near the restaurant for some final photos, and then it was time for me to leave and for the entire group to have their dinner.

Time for the photos!  I included a good selection, though not even close to everything.  If you’re a friend of the couple and want to see more be sure to get in touch with them and they can point you to the full photo gallery.