Sarah is an amazing lady. We met her several years ago through our daughter. She is a teacher, and a single mom to three beautiful girls. A couple of years ago, she moved her family down to Georgia, where she met the love of her life, Brian. In  the spring of 2021, Sarah and her girls came back to the PNW for a short visit. During their stay here, Brian surprised her when he flew all the way from Georgia, and proposed to her. They decided not to waste any time and they put together a very special wedding in just a few days. We had the honor of capturing a simply beautiful May wedding that couldn’t have been more perfect for the two of them. 

The venue they chose was the Top Barn, nestled in the country side of the beautiful Pacific Northwest. Brian and Sarah selected salmon and white for their color theme. With accents of white lace,baby’s breath, rustic wooden stumps, candle lit lanterns, and gorgeous floral arrangements by Heather Top, the setting was simply breathtaking. It was really hard to believe they put such a perfect wedding together in only a few days time.

Sarah’s three daughters were chosen to be her bridesmaids, and she gave each of them a personal gift before the wedding. Watching them interact as they prepared for the wedding together, was truly a blessing. There were so many sweet moments to this day, and the dressing room was full of them!

Sarah and Brian elected not to see one another before the ceremony, but they did want to pray together with  the pastor who is a close friend of the couple, before the service. This was truly, a sweet and beautiful moment. Everything was just exquisite  from beginning to end, including music by the talented Becky Dutton and the bride’s daughter, who sang beautifully.  This couple loves to have fun. They love to dance, and they celebrated by dancing under the stars with their guests. What a way to end a sweet and beautiful day, and step into a new life together.

Venue

Top Barn

Sedro Woolley, WA

Decorations/Table Settings/Table Cloths/Venue Decor/Draperies

Heather Top

Florist:

Heather Top Floral

Officiant

Dustin DeVos

Hair and Makeup

Joy DeVos

Jed & Christa

We had a wonderful time with Jed and Christa when we spent an afternoon back in January of 2021, shooting their engagement session. What a fun couple! They are not only the best of friends, but boy can they dance! We had the pleasure of capturing a few sweet dance moves at their reception, along with some shots of their playfulness and fun with each other, their friends, and their family. Their May wedding was  not only lovely, but characteristic of the two of them as a couple, down to earth, beautiful, and a lot of fun. We were impressed with Christa’s dress. It was not only gorgeous, but it was also unique to her personality and love for all things horses and country. She had it custom designed with camouflage fabric for lacing up the bodice. She rocked that dress with grace and beauty along with her favorite cowboy boots to complete the look. Jed’s tux also reflected his personality, and the style he chose was just perfect for him. Together they make a striking couple, and their dedication to one another, as well as the honor they give to each other, were evident throughout their engagement and on their wedding day. What a fun and beautiful day. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect. The wedding coordinator, the couples’ family, and the wedding party were supportive, easy to work with, kind, and the laughter that peppered the day, made our job extra enjoyable.

Details

The venue Jed and Christa chose for their wedding, was a little church nestled in the beautiful countryside of the Skagit Valley in NW Washington, and the reception was held at the Cross Country Cowboy Church barn, also located in the beautiful Skagit Valley. Between these two lovely PNW locations, the couple selected the perfect backdrops to reflect their lifestyle and love for the country life. A rustic, wooden arch, decorated with flowers and lace, graced the center stage of the church, with a western theme of lovely, lit, lanterns, flowers, wood, and brushed aluminum accents as details for both the church and the reception barn. Wooden ladders hosted snapshots of the couple, along with mason jar candles, and flowers at the top of each ladder. A second rustic, wooden, arch, decorated with fabric and flowers, stood behind the cake table. 

First Look

Jed and Christa chose to have some time alone enjoying each other  before the ceremony and to savor that first look outside where they were afforded  a little privacy and some time to unwind together. They wrote each other notes before the ceremony, and we were able to capture the bride writing her note and the groom reading it, just before the first look. We did a portrait session with the groom outside while he waited to catch the first glimpse of his bride, and when she finally made it down the outside isle, we’re pretty sure Jed will agree with us when we say it was worth the wait.

Ceremony Venue

Skagit Valley Baptist Church

Mount Vernon, WA.

Reception Venue

Cross Country Cowboy Church

Bow, WA.

Officiant

Dave Ferris

January isn’t known for a month with great portrait weather in the PNW, but after several days of rain, the sky cleared enough to let the sun shine through and we had a perfectly beautiful Sunday afternoon portrait session. When you live in the Pacific Northwest, you learn to watch the weather channel and plan accordingly. Jed and Christa are great sports who were willing to get wet if it rained, but we had the added concern of our gear getting wet, so while we can work around it, it’s always a blessing when the weather cooperates.  

Jed is another former youth choir student I had when he was in high school. What a cool opportunity to have two engagement sessions in two week’s time, and both for former students. Meeting the ladies they have chosen to spend their lives with has been super fun and special. What an honor to get to do this engagement session and we can’t wait to capture their wedding in a few short months.

We gave Jed and Christa some choices of locations and they chose a country setting with backdrops of rolling hills, snow capped mountains, tall grasses, old barns and beautiful trails and walking paths. This location is to photographers, much like a candy shop to kids. It’s amazing!  

As we traveled to the destination, we got to hear all about their love story. They met while away at an educational camp a few years ago and became better acquainted the second year they attended. He is self employed and she heard about a business opportunity he presented and decided to jump in on the opportunity. She soon found herself packing up and moving to be able to get a good business start and their friendship blossomed into romance. He surprised her in December of 2020, with a Christmas season proposal and she said “yes!”  We couldn’t be happier for them! They have a lot of fun together and this along with their sweet romance was easy to capture at their engagement session.