The only thing better than celebrating an engagement, is celebrating an engagement and becoming a little family.  Hannah, Dan, and their puppy Lenny arrived to Bellewood Acres dusted in an early November snow, and it was a magical way to welcome in the holidays!

The kind of love that Lauren and Dane have is exactly why I love my job. Spending the past three weeks re-living their wedding day over and over through editing has filled me up with so much joy: the way Lauren and Dane look at each other with so much appreciation and respect, how excited their families were for her to walk down the aisle, the endless supply of laughter at the reception... I love all of this. As a wedding photographer, I see it becoming more and more common for my clients' families and friends to spend the wedding day watching the ceremony and first dances behind a phone, or texting at the reception. Aside from how difficult that makes things for the photographer, it makes me sad that they're not enjoying these moments. The Siegfried wedding shows what everyone else is missing out on. I can feel their presence in these, and I hope you can, too. Get ready to feel some love!

Hair: Carma Jean
Catering: Brotha Dudes
Flowers: Triple Wren Farms
Hotel:Bellwether Hotel
DJ: DJ Scoobalicious

Please feel welcome to share the link to this blog post! Prints and websize digital files are available for purchase through Lauren and Dane's online gallery.

I started following Gathered Confections a while back because of her commitment to using local, seasonal, and organic ingredients whenever possible. Though our professions are different, I know how difficult it can be financially to choose local suppliers over cheaper options online. When I told Sarah I loved this about her business and wanted to feature her on my blog, her first instinct was to include a favorite local farm and show where the desserts come from!

Hannah and Ashley were so fun to work with! We laughed a bunch, shared a few happy tears, and enjoyed a gorgeous Bellingham sunset from Marine Park and the Community Boating Center. I hope you all can feel the love in these!

I've known Mackenzie and Bryan for years, and when the opportunity came up to do their engagement photos, I couldn't wait! We went back to where it all started—Western Washington University—got real silly, laughed a bunch, and made some new memories for them to hold onto. They're going to make a pretty cute married couple!

Alyssa and Lucas were the winners of our Local Summer Picnic Giveaway! They got to celebrate their one-year anniversary with a photo session at Semiahmoo, styling by Hair by Areca, a bouquet from Pozie by Natalie, and a basket full of treats from Gathered Confections and Root Catering. Here are some of my favorites from their session!

This session was recently featured on PNWeddings, and I am so excited to finally be able to share the images! Last year I photographed a beautiful wedding for two of my clients and their three-month-old son. Looking back on it now, it would have been so fun to do a bridal session before the wedding, and better yet, include her son in the photos. So when one of my very best friends and her son stumbled upon a wedding dress in her size at Ragfinery for only $10, we knew we had to do something with it! I held Kai in my arms when he was only six days old, and Alannya has rocked as a mom from day one. Seeing their connection grow over the past two years has brought me so much joy. We set up a styled bridal shoot with Hair by Leah, Tracy Li Makeup, and Foothills Flowers and watched this idea come to life!

Roche Harbor is one of my very favorite places! My family and I liked to vacation there in the summer time, always stopping at their little street market for ice ream or grapefruit candy. I loveeeeed walking though their gardens and that gorgeous walkway, occasionally getting a glimpse of a sunny summer wedding. We took one of their scoot coupes across the island to the Pelindaba Lavender farm (it smells amazing!), visited Pop-eye the one-eyed seal, and witnessed some incredible sunsets during Colors. If you haven't been to Roche Harbor yet, I really recommend it! And if you're dreaming of getting married in a garden overlooking ocean, check it out!

These two invited only their closest family members to this beautiful backyard ceremony, and I'd say it turned out perfectly! They "all got married," exchanged hugs and rings, and shared a homemade brunch and dessert.

Maria and Jarod wanted a bright and colorful engagement session, and Tulip Town was the perfect place for it! We arrived just as they opened on a Friday morning and enjoyed the tail-end of tulip season. Here are some of my favorites!