Deeksha and Nazir get married at the Redmond Courthouse

In a “normal”, pre-Covid year, I would typically photograph at least several elopement weddings every spring, many of them at one of the local courthouses.  Last year that simply was not possible, since all of the courthouses were closed.  But things are starting to change again.  I have no idea how quickly we will move back to some semblance of normality, but it seems to be happening.

An example of this return to normality is this elopement.  Just a few days before it happened I got a phone call from Deeksha.  She and Nazir were getting married at the Redmond Courthouse, and wanted to know if I was available to take photos.  I was very happy to say yes!

The day of the wedding I arrived at the Redmond Courthouse shortly before it closed.  The way a court wedding usually has worked in the past is that the couple would arrive at the court just before closing.  They would then wait for a judge to be available to perform the ceremony, which would typically be 15-30 minutes after the court had officially closed.

Of course, Covid has changed all of that!  But I had no idea exactly what these changes would be until I got to the courthouse and talked to those in charge.  When I arrived I went to the entrance as usual to look for the couple, and to talk to the guard at the door to find out what the current procedure is.  Deeksha and Nazir had not yet arrived, and I was not at all surprised to be told  by the guard that the ceremony would take place outdoors, and that the judge would be meeting us as soon as she was finished with her work for the day.

Fortunately it was fairly nice weather, and looked like we would not have to worry about any rain.  I used this time before the couple arrived as an opportunity to explore the immediate area for possible photo locations.

The Wedding Ceremony

It wasn’t long until Deeksha, Nazir and several members of their family arrived.  We talked for a bit about where the ceremony might best take place, and then the judge arrived.  I was a bit amused that she was the only person there who was wearing a mask, even though we were all outdoors.  The judge agreed with the location we had chosen for the ceremony, a piece of grass just outside the courthouse, and the ceremony was held.  As with most courthouse elopements it was quite simple and fast, and a few minutes later Nazir and Deeksha were married.

Photos at Marymoor Park

Once all of the necessary paperwork was dealt with I suggested that we could go to nearby Marymoor Park to take some photos with a better background.  The newlyweds agreed, so we all got into our cars and made the short drive.  Once there we spent a very enjoyable half hour walking the park near Clise Mansion and the old windmill, taking photos wherever things looked good.  I have included a few of the photos below, I hope that you like them.