Shayna and Charles get married at the Salish Lodge

I want to preface this blog post by apologizing for taking two weeks after the wedding to get it online.  But my summer schedule tends to be a bit nuts!  This wedding was sandwiched between two others and my first priority after a wedding is to get the photos edited and ready for the newlyweds as quickly as possible.  Blog postings have to wait until I have the extra time to spend on choosing the photos for the post, and then writing about the wedding.  OK, now on to the wedding!

Shayna and Charles are from Southlake Texas, which is located near Dallas.  They found me when searching for a photographer for their Seattle area wedding and we traded emails and phone calls until they decided that they wanted to book me.  They made a trip to Seattle in early April to visit their venue and talk to various other vendors, and while they were here we managed to find time for an engagement session.  The weather in Seattle in early spring is notoriously unpredictable, but we lucked out with a warm and sunny day for their engagement photo session and I had a lot of fun getting to know Charles and Shayna and working with them on their photos.  Then it was back to Southlake for them until a few days before the wedding, when they made their way back to Seattle with their three kids, Eli, Oliver and Tova just in time to catch the July 4 activities in Seattle, and to have a few days for final preparations for the wedding.

For those of you who are not familiar with their venue, the Salish Lodge is located right at the top of Snoqualmie Falls, the largest waterfall in Washington State and one of the larger waterfalls in the US.  If you have never been to the Falls I highly recommend that you take the time to make trip next time you are in Seattle.  Less than an hour drive from downtown Seattle it is well worth the trip.  Go on a weekday if possible to avoid the larger weekend crowds.  I have probably photographed 20+ weddings at the Salish over my time as a wedding photographer, and it is always a fantastic venue for a wedding.

The day of the wedding the weather was almost unreal for Seattle in early July, sunny and with high temps predicted to be in the low 80s.  When I arrived at the Salish I first had to locate the room where Shayna and some of the other ladies were getting ready.  Shayna was just getting ready to put on her wedding dress, so I waited outside while she changed, and then came back for some photos as her mom and friends helped her finish dressing.  She looked amazing!   After a few photos I then moved to Charles’ room, where he and Eli and Oliver were getting dressed.  You’ll see some of these photos below.

Next on the schedule was a “first look” for Charles and Shayna on the terrace outside the Falls Terrace room, where their wedding ceremony and reception would be held.  Shayna approached Charles from behind, and I was there to catch his reaction as he turned to see his soon-to-be wife in her wedding dress for the first time.

Photo session at the train trestle, and near the Falls

Now Shayna, Charles, the three kids and I all piled into their rental mini-van for a short drive to one of my favorite photo locations in the Snoqualmie/North Bend area, an old railroad trestle that crosses the Snoqualme River just outside North Bend.  This has become a rather popular spot as more people hear about it, but very quiet compared to the madhouse of Snoqualmie Falls Park.  It is a short walk of a couple hundred yards from the parking lot to the river, much of it walking on the old railroad tracks.  Because Shayna and Charles were a little nervous about letting the kids get too close to the river, we stayed in the wooded area near to trestle for most of our photos.  Then we took a few shots on the tracks near the trestle and it was time to head back to the Salish.

When we got back to the lodge, Charles’ and Shanyna’s moms took charge of the kids so I could take the couple out to the Falls so we could get a few photos with the Falls and the Salish Lodge in the background.  It is always interesting to do this on a busy summer day, because there are a LOT of people who have made a trip to see the Falls and most of them are also trying to find a good place for a photo.  We took advantage of the fact that Charles and Shayna were clearly wearing wedding clothes (never mess with a lady wearing a wedding dress!) to get people to give us enough space for our photos, and it did not take too long for us to get the critical shots.

We moved to the Terrace again, where all of the family members were waiting for us to take some group photos.  This went fairly quickly, and at last it was time for the wedding ceremony!

The Wedding Ceremony

Before the actual ceremony could begin their were several other details that needed to be completed.  First Shayna, Charles and their friend Rabbi Charlie met to sign the wedding license.  Then it was time for the signing of the ketubah.  This was really beautiful, more a piece of art than a document.  And yes, there are some photos below!

The ceremony began with Charles and his mother entering together, and Charles then moving under the chuppah.  Shayna was accompanied to the chuppah by her parents, where she joined Charles and Rabbi Charlie.  The ceremony was beautiful, concluding with the three kids joining Shayna and Charles just before Charles did the traditional breaking of the glass.

The Reception

If you have ever been to Snoqualmie Falls but have not had a chance to see the Falls Terrace at the Salish Lodge, you really should check it out the next time you are there.  This is a simply amazing place for a wedding ceremony and/or reception, and is suitable for small to medium sized groups (limit ~100 people).  The terrace sits almost right on top of the falls, and from the fence they are in clear view a short distance to the left.  When the falls are running a high volume of water the roar on the Terrace is incredible, as is the gentle shaking of the pavement.  Because we were well into summer and lower water flows the noise of the falls was noticeable but not overpowering.

There is plenty of room outdoors on the Terrace for guests to mingle, or just to enjoy the incredible views.  Because it was a fairly warm day, many of the guests chose to stay inside the Terrace building and out of the direct sunshine.  Appetizers were passed, and the bar was open so everyone could partake of their favorite beverages.  We took advantage of this time before dinner was served to take more photos of family and friends who had not been available during our earlier photo session.

It was a very laid-back reception, allowing everyone a chance to just relax and visit with the other guests.  Dinner was fabulous, as it always is at the Salish (which also has a top-rated restaurant).  After dinner was completed the newlyweds cut their wedding cake (which had a highly creative topper).  I was kept busy with photo requests from the family and guests until it was finally time for everyone to say good-bye to Charles and Shayna and head on home.

All in all it was a really fun day.  Perfect weather, a beautiful ceremony and a great reception.  Lots of photos from the day below, I hope you like them!  And please feel free to leave some comments if you like, they will all be seen by Shayna and Charles.