There is such beauty in being part of a couple’s story, playing the smallest of cameos in their lives as they dive headlong into forever. It’s our deepest honor and most cherished position, and plays so monumentally in our heart for raw, authentic love! James & Kathryn have another of these blessed stories, culminating at their gorgeously timeless winery nuptials—with perhaps a little proposal mishap along the way…
From photographer Brittany Marshall of Blue Rose Photography:
“Kathryn & James had a beautiful winery wedding at Delille Cellars in WA wine country (Woodinville). They used dusty blues and neutrals to style the day with elegant floral arrangements by Ravissant Florist and vintage touches, like the ceremony iron gates from a rental company called Vintage Ambiance. Each table had a personalized wine cork favor placed on the napkin. Kathryn chose for her bridesmaids to carry dried lavender bouquets instead of flowers, and I think it added some really nice contrast. They used wine bottles as table numbers. And they had the most wild dance party Ive seen yet at a wedding. It was a beautiful day!”
Love notes from the couple, James & Kathryn:
How did you two meet? What were your first impressions of one another?
“Our story begins in the ever-romantic world of Internet online dating. For those not familiar, online dating sites attempt to find matches based on a variety of factors and will send emailed recommendations when exceptionally good matches are found. It’s common to go many weeks reviewing then deleting matches as they come in, as your own human filter takes over. One evening in late September 2012, an email popped up on James’s phone that caused him to do a double-take. It was the profile of someone called ‘fremontrunner’ (While going to her graduate program at the University of Washington, Kathryn lived in a Seattle neighborhood called Fremont and, well, liked to run). He knew right away that he wanted to message fremontrunner but fully expected his message to end up in the online dating abyss of rejected advances of millions of men. Against all mathematical probability, fremontrunner responded to James’s message the very next day. It was at that point that James learned that this runner had a name as well – Kathryn. After several back and forth messages talking about running, school, work, and outdoor activity, the two decided to meet up for their first official date. On October 10, 2012, Kathryn and James met up at a beer hall called Brouwer’s in the Fremont neighborhood. Both were incredibly happy to report that the other indeed actually looked like their respective profile photos. With that first bullet dodged, Kathryn and James sat down for their first meal and drink together and never looked back.”
Our Proposal Story as told by James:
“In the summer of 2015, when Kathryn told me that her family was going to be visiting Seattle in the fall, I knew that was going to be the moment that I proposed to her. After finally settling on a ring that I thought would be perfect for her, I waited the grueling 7-week period for the ring to be made exactly 8 weeks before her family was to arrive. It turns out when you give an engagement ring store a firm weekend that you’ll be proposing, they have a lot of incentive to meet your needs. With the ring in hand, I waited for the weekend to arrive. I knew at the start of the weekend that I’d be proposing at some point, I just didn’t know when. I had three days to try and find the perfect time. Kathryn’s father, mother, sister, brother-in-law, and two young nephews made the trip out to Seattle.
The moment I was waiting for throughout the weekend was a time where all the family was together in a single room, preferably after the kids had gone to bed. It’s hard to outmatch the cuteness factor of those two kids and so I had to wait until my competition had fallen asleep. On Saturday night, Kathryn’s sister, Sharon, went to go put the kids to bed as the rest of us watched a movie. My heart started beating faster thinking that the moment could arrive any minute. I waited for Sharon to return to the living room. I waited a little more. And then waited a little more. ‘Anyone know where Sharon is?’ Sharon had fallen asleep with the boys. Jet lag had set in. Looks like we’ll need a rain check for Saturday night.
Sunday night, October 18th, rolls around we were watching Sunday night football. I knew Sunday had to be the night, since the following night, the last night, already contained dinner plans and an early bedtime. Normally my anxiety about a football game can be directly attributed to the game itself. This night was different. While my eyes may have been glued to the tv during the first half, my entire thoughts were around what I was going to say (and a small percentage of wondering if Sharon was going to stay awake). At halftime, Sharon went to go put the kids to bed; the second-most anxious moment of the night. Will she return? To my happiness, she came back 30 minutes later and had a seat on the couch. I looked around. 6 adults. No children. Nothing but the football game on. Bingo. It was at this moment that Kathryn tells me I started pacing the house. Need to get the ring out of the hiding place. Need to rehearse my lines in front of the bathroom mirror. Come back out. Probably should go rehearse again in front of the bathroom mirror. Sit down and breathe for a moment. ‘Anyone need a drink?’ I asked. Everyone declined. Sharon said she was probably going to head to bed soon. Ok, no more rehearsing. There’s no time!
With the game at its apex of excitement, I walked up to the center of the living room, grabbed the remote, and shut off the tv. I turned around to see 5 sets of eyes staring directly at me wondering what in the world I was doing. Now would be a great moment to remember those lines. After bringing Kathryn up off the couch to meet me in the center of the room, I got down on my knee and asked her to spend the rest of her life with me. While I don’t remember if she ever technically said yes, the tears, hugs, and kisses gave me confidence that my proposal was well received. I asked again if anyone wanted another drink, and this time, everyone accepted.”
Any special ways you incorporated your family or family history into your wedding day?
“We incorporated our family into our wedding day in several ways as family is incredibly important to us. Our wedding party included all our siblings and their spouses. Our older niece and nephews were our flower girl/boy and ring bearer. Kathryn’s uncle was our officiant. Finally, we also incorporated our family history by creating a picture collage of several generations of family on their wedding day from both our families. This included pictures of our siblings on their wedding day, all the way to our great-grandparents.”
What was your favorite part about planning your wedding?
“We were engaged for almost two years so we had the opportunity to attend an annual wedding event called ‘Weddings in Woodinville’ two times (January 2016 and January 2017). It was a really fun opportunity to attend 8 different ‘weddings’ at 8 unique venues, each one set-up with elaborate décor showcasing the venue’s potential. We were able to eat and drink our way through each venue, meeting incredible local caterers, photographers, DJs, and just about any other vendor associated with the wedding industry. It was a wedding crasher’s dream. We ended up booking a majority of our vendors through the event and gathered a bunch of ideas for how we would like to design our own wedding. It was a great experience that we would recommend for any newly engaged couple in the area.”
What part of your wedding day was most important to you?
“We find it difficult to pinpoint one part of the day that was most important to us as each part of the wedding day was incredibly special in its own way. With that said, we agree that for both of us, the most thought about and anticipated moment was the moment of Kathryn walking down the aisle and locking eyes with James. It was such a surreal and overwhelming feeling. After 20 months of planning, thinking, coordinating, stressing and anticipating, for it to all come down to that moment where it was actually happening and we were finally going to get married in front of all of our family and friends. The importance and euphoria of that moment will be remembered forever.”
What is your favorite thing about each other?
Kathryn: “I love and admire James’s positive outlook on life. He helps me to stop, put things into perspective, and not take myself and life too seriously all the time. He has also taught me to enjoy and experience life more to its fullest, while also encouraging and supporting me to work towards my goals. He is patient with me, is always looking out for my well-being and happiness, and all the while carrying his contagious signature smile and endless energy.”
James: “While it might be easy to say for someone on the outside looking in, I can honestly say Kathryn is the kindest most warm-hearted person I have ever met. She genuinely deeply cares for people around her and loves whole heartedly. It is easy loving her for how easily she loves. Her compassion for her family and her thoughtfulness for her friends brings joy to me every day, because I know I will get to experience that with her forever.”
photographer: Blue Rose Photography / venue: DeLille Cellars / floral designer: Ravissant / dress boutique: BHLDN / dress designer: Eddy K / cake designer: Ravishing Radish / hair & makeup: Salon Maison / men’s formalwear: The Tuxedo Club / rentals: Cort Party Rentals & Vintage Ambiance / invitations: Basic Invite / film lab: Photovision
Anna
28 November
That last image is pure magic!