Miho and David get married on a snowy day at Russell’s Loft

Last weekend I was lucky to attend and photograph the wedding of a very special couple, Miho and David.  The wedding took place at Russell’s Loft, a rather unique venue.  The venue is located in the upper half of an old dairy barn that was converted into a combination restaurant (lower level) and event venue (upper level).  From the outside you would think you are looking at a functioning barn, but once inside the work done to convert the space is marvelous.  While I did not take any photos that really show the restaurant area, you’ll see plenty that show what a cool space the upper part of the barn has transformed into.

As I left my house in the early afternoon to drive to the venue, the weather (which had been rather cold and wet all morning) was starting to show signs of clearing up, and I had hopes that we might get a chance to take some outdoor photos of the wedding party and family.  When I arrived at the venue the weather was looking even better, and my hopes for outdoor shots was high.  I actually got to the venue before either Miho or David, so I got some shots of the inside of the “barn” with no people to get in the way.

Getting ready before the ceremony

A short time later Miho arrived with her family (father Tadashi, mother Mitsuko, brother Mitsuhiro and sister in law Shiho), who had traveled from Japan to see Miho and David get married.  David arrived very soon after along with his groomsmen Danny and Aaron, and the guys headed to a loft/dressing area at one end of the barn to change into their tuxedos. David is (was?) a big fan of the sadly departed Seattle Supersonics, and had some Sonics socks that he planned to wear as part of his wedding outfit (see photos below).

Meanwhile Miho’s maids of honor Jessica and Kaoru arrive and the three ladies began overseeing the setup of the main floor, where the wedding would be held.  The guys finished getting dressed and the ladies replaced them in the loft.  Once the ladies were dressed I spent a little time with David and Miho getting some photos of just the two of them in the loft and on the staircase, where a window supplied some nice light for portraits.  Next up were photos on the main floor with David, Miho and her family; Miho and her bridesmaids; David and his groomsmen; and finally the entire wedding party.

A slight change in the weather!

Because the venue is a converted barn, there were very few windows, and the few that were there were located quite high on just the ends of the building.  This made it very difficult to see what was going on outside while we were taking photos.   During the photos of the family and wedding party I was able to look out one of the windows to the roof of the adjacent building, which was a twin (at least on the exterior) to our building.  All that was visible was part of the roof, but from what I could see it appeared that the sunshine had disappeared and snow had taken its place!  I ran downstairs to see what was happening, and sure enough it was snowing lightly and there was maybe an inch or two of rather wet snow on the surrounding area.  I went back in and conferred with Miho and David, and the decision as made that we would move the wedding party outdoors to try to get some photos in the snow.  This made me a bit nervous, as I do not want to take a bride into a situation where she might damage her dress, or get it dirty.

We started with some photos on a covered walkway that kept the snow from hitting us, as well as Miho’s dress from being dragged on wet or slushy ground.  Her dress had a rather large train, so when the group elected to move out into the snow several members of the party helped to hold the train of the dress so it wouldn’t drag in the slush.  We got a few photos with the barn as the backdrop without getting Miho’s dress wet or dirty (see photos below), and then decided to move back indoors before our luck ran out.

The Wedding Ceremony

Shortly after we moved inside the first guests began to arrive, and Miho and her bridesmaids disappeared to the loft.  After the usual milling around the guests were instructed to move to their seats, and once that was accomplished (always harder than you’d think it should be!) the ceremony began.  David escorted Miho’s mother  Mitsuko down the aisle, followed by Aaron and Jessica, then Danny and Kaoru.  Finally Miho and her father  Tadashi came down the stairs from the loft and made their way down the aisle to David.  David accepted Miho from Tadashi and the ceremony began.  The ceremony went very well, with pastor Tomo Igari officiating, and a short time later David and Miho were pronounced married.

The Reception

Now it was time for the newlyweds to relax and enjoy time with their guests.  The staff of Russell’s supplied a great variety of very tasty appetizers, and everyone had a great time just mingling and talking among themselves.  Once cocktail hour had concluded a wonderful buffet was presented, and everyone had a chance to sit down and eat even more delicious food.  Another friend, Will Lyles, was the MC and worked hard to keep things happening in the correct order and at the right time.

David and Miho had decided not to have dancing be a part of their reception, and instead spent the remainder of the evening visiting with their guests.  Everyone was having a wonderful time and the evening truly flew past, and in what seemed like no time at all it was time to close down the party and head for home.

I hope that you’ll take the time to look through the photos below.  I got a bit carried away in my choices, but there were just too many great moments that needed to be shared.