As a Seattle wedding photographer, I photograph a lot of beautiful weddings around the Pacific Northwest. Some around the islands, some around the mountains, and some around downtown Seattle. And when I saw the timeline for Christy & Craig’s Axis Pioneer Square wedding, I knew I was in for a special day with unique logistics.
Their wedding day started at the W Hotel in two different rooms. The guys in a standard hotel room and the women in a suite. Both rooms had absolutely incredible views. And Christy had a unique idea for her photos! Not only did she want to do a champagne pop on the hotel bed, but she also wanted to do a GLITTER BOMB pop!
Yep, you heard me right. A glitter bomb pop inside their hotel. And you know what – I was absolutely game for it. Make sure to check out their photos from that below!
The glitter went EVERYWHERE. On the bed, in the carpet, and yep… all in her hair. Good thing Christy has an awesome attitude and she brushed it right off (literally and figuratively). She just had her bridesmaids pick pieces out, use lint rollers on her legs and feet, and off we went! Haha.
Their First Look in on a Rooftop in Seattle
From there, we caught an Uber bringing us to the next location – a private, high-end condo building in the heart of downtown Seattle where the first look was going to take place. We all crammed in the elevator, went to the roof, and I helped coordinate their first look with the best possible view that the roof had to offer (there was construction on multiple sides of the building). Thankfully, everything went just to plan and we caught up their timeline after being a bit late due to some hair & makeup delays. But hey, if it’s not a bit late, it’s not a wedding, right?
Their Wedding Party Photos at Pike Place Market
So, location number two was done, but that’s just the start of it. Off we went to location number three – Pike Place Market. That is where the rest of the wedding party was waiting for us after catching a party bus. We dipped, ducked, doged, and dived from all the traffic, all the tourists, and all the craziness that is downtown Seattle on a warm summer weekend. We captured all of their gorgeous Seattle wedding photos from the big groups to the intimate portraits. I say we because I had the help of my lovely wife, Haley, who assists me at these more logistic-filled weddings.
More Wedding Party Photos at the Cruise Terminal
But hey, that’s not all. Three wedding locations aren’t enough. So off we went, packed into the party bus, and drove down to the cruise terminal for rooftop photos of the wedding party there as well. A fourth location, yep. And so we did. Well, almost.
We made it down there on time (almost to the minute), but the rooftop of the cruise terminal is sometimes booked by weddings taking place there. And wouldn’t you know it, there was a wedding there. We made the most out of it though, and we just walked a few feet over and captured their portraits on the bridge right next to the rooftop. Problem solved.
And in order to get everybody back on time to Axis Pioneer Square for their wedding, we had only a few minutes for portraits. But you know what – I’ve seen it all. I’ve dealt with it all. I’ve experienced it all. And you know what – we knocked it out of the park in those few minutes that we had on that bridge. And back on the bus we went – and to the venue on time in order for them to catch their breath in Pioneer Square.
Their Wedding at the Axis Pioneer Square Wedding Venue in Seattle, WA
We finally arrive to their venue (Axis Pioneer Square), and things are still being set up (totally normal), and everybody is catching their breath, relaxing, getting snacks and drinks… and settling in. This time where they are settling in also gives me the time to catch my breath as well prior to the ceremony, change out any equipment that I need to (depending on the lighting conditions), and photograph all available ceremony and reception details that are fully set up and designed by the design team. So, we’re golden here.
Their wedding venue is location 5. And they were about to head off again for location 6 after the ceremony… but not until they got married!
Christy and Craig had an emotional wedding ceremony (many tears flowed by everyone) and then they went off to Location 6 – The Good Bar. It’s the bar that was quite literally down the street from Axis Pioneer Square, and it’s the bar where they had their first date. So, to include this into their wedding day was high on their priority list because it made it that much more special to them and their unique love story. Naturally, drinks were flowing, love was in the air, and it was a welcome break to the logistics of the day.
The wedding vendor team that made it all happen:
- Melissa Juergens, AXIS Pioneer Square.
- Ravishing Radish https://ravishingradish.com/
- Kristal Hancock, Sublime Stems, https://www.sublimestems.com/
- Ben – DJ DiscoBee
- Allison Carchedi, Sweet Themes Bakery http://sweetthemesbakery.com/
- Ceremony dress – Maggie Sottero; reception dress – Morilee by Madeline Gardner, I Do Bridal, https://www.idobridal.com/
- https://theblacktux.com, The Black Tux
- Bride’s (and some maids’) hair and makeup: Tanya Joseph, Tanya Hair and Makeup, https://www.tanyahairandmakeup.com/
- Remaining bridesmaids’ hair and makeup: Celeste Draher, Salon Maison, http://www.salonmaison.net/
- Lighting: Clea Hersperger, Crimson Haze (all other rentals through Cort Party Rentals and rented through caterer), https://crimson-haze.com/
- Sarah Petersen, West Coast Diamonds and Gems, https://www.westcoastdiamondandgem.com/
- Badgley Mischka, https://www.badgleymischka.com/
- Rare Form Limousine, http://www.rareformlimo.com/
- The W Seattle, https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/seawh-w-seattle/
Because you’re here, you might also love to see some other Axis Pioneer Square weddings, other Seattle weddings – or heck – just some other awesome weddings that I’ve photographed! Here you go.
