Hello Blogosphere! I know I have been absent for quite awhile, but it seems like I go away for a little in the summer every year and come back in the fall. So since I last blogged I have been quite busy with the beginnings of wedding planning. Ryan and I quickly realized that we wanted a summer wedding, and then once we decided to get married in the Seattle area we realized we would need to move fast. Late summer (July and August) are PEAK wedding months in the Pacific Northwest. (i.e. must book up to a year or more in advance) We started our search in the immediate Seattle area, but quickly realized none of these would be for us. We still really wanted a beach/destination wedding feel but close to home, our answer... The Semiahmoo Resort in Blaine, Washington.
The Semiahmoo Resort
Semiahmoo had all the elements that were really important to us on our wedding day. Outdoor space, on the water, destination/vacation feel for our guests, and of course affordable! The staff at Semiahmoo also comes highly recommended as experts in the wedding business. We went up for our initial visit in late June. I immediately knew I wanted to marry Ryan and become Mrs. Donaldson on this lawn.
View from our room on our first visit
Another view overlooking the ceremony space!
How else do you celebrate finding your venue but a little bubbly!
We have been back once to Semiahmoo and saw a small wedding taking place. It made me even more excited for next year! I am so excited we have found the perfect venue to become husband and wife. And for our guests to have an amazing weekend away.
We have also been quite busy with other details. Photography was an area Ryan and I both felt very strongly about making a priority. While we were visiting wedding venues we looked through photography sample books. Very, very early on in the process we found Alex Rubin of Rubin Photography. We felt he captured moments and not just took pictures. We quickly became stalkers to his blog and then set up meetings with him. Ryan actually met with him first and it was bromance at first meeting. I later met with Alex and also knew he was the "one" for us. We are so excited to work with Alex and can't wait for our engagement pictures in a few weeks.
The other major area of planning has been around "the dress". I don't want to reveal any details here but I can say I have been dress shopping two different times. Once in Ohio with my mom, grandma a sister - a very special moment with them. And once here in Seattle with Ryan's mom and sister. I think I am getting closer to finding "the dress" but I think maybe I also have watched a little too many episodes of Say Yes to the Dress.
I promise to be a better blogger and to update you with all the wedding plans!
