Every wedding is memorable, but after photographing them for over a decade, there are some that stick with me more than others. Rosanne and Pedro, a sweet young couple, had just that kind of wedding, going out of their way to make sure everyone involved had the day of their lives. Choosing the elegant Lairmont Manor in Bellingham, Washington was part of the experience they wanted for their guests.
Rosanne and Pedro met in Costa Rica when she was teaching English at a local school. By the time they stood before me on a bright summer day in the Pacific Northwest, their love for one another had become not only apparent but radiant and contagious. And not only that, they were fun. As a wedding photographer you always secretly hope that the couple with whom you’re working will be up for traipsing around, dancing for the camera and sharing a moment with one another while you’re capturing it from the other side of a lens. Rosanne and Pedro were that dream come true. Their comfort and adoration of one another radiated and made my job as simple as point and click. You can’t fake that kind of love.
But love and a happy couple are not all it takes to pull off a first-rate wedding. You need a loving family, a spectacular setting and oh-my-god did I mention her dress? Every wedding dress has its own beauty, but every once in a while there is one that seems just tailor made for its lovely inhabitant, which was definitely the case with Rosanne’s light, lacy number that said classy, fun and sophisticated all at the same time. Pedro–not to be outdone–let his own style show through coupling a stylish black tux with a creative choice of kicks that stayed true to his skater roots.
For reception gifts, the couple included an array of beautiful succulents for each or their guests, complete with a hand written gracias.
In a bilingual wedding, there is always some guess work to be done on how to handle toasts when the two lover’s families aren’t completely fluent in one another’s languages. Like everything else about their day, it was nothing to worry about and the heartfelt honesty and love among all the guests radiated through each language with or without a translation. And let me tell you something, you ain’t seen nothin’ until you see a Coast Rican mother of the groom get up and lead the room in a post-dinner Zumba dance! The entire dance floor came to life and the evening passed in a blink of an eye in a room filled with laughter, dance moves and the most important element that had tied the whole day together: love.
COMPANY: Clinton James Photography
WEBSITE: http://clintonjamesphotography.com