As I drove up to Snoqualmie staring at the Cascades with big fluffy clouds floating by, I knew this wedding was going to be beautiful. The Club at Snoqualmie Ridge was the perfect location for their special day with a ceremony overlooking the Cascades and Mount Si. This view was ceremony goals, seriously.

Marissa and Joe are perfect for each other.  Marissa is funny and gregarious, always laughing. Joe is caring, hard working, and with the kind of driven and motivated qualities that cannot be taught (as his football coach and officiant shared).  And these two have fun together, in that way that makes you feel like you’ve known them for years. Beyond this, they share a very important hobby in common: football. Being from Minnesota, of course they bond over the Vikings.

And since they have only been in Seattle a short time, all their Minnesota crew flew out to see the Pacific Northwest and celebrate their friends. But I’m super sad (while their friends and family are stoked) because they made the long move back to Minnesota the week after their wedding.  Just in time for those beautiful and warm winters I remember from my Chicago days. That’s a joke, I don’t miss those days LOL.

These two met over four years ago at a bar in Minneapolis. And to hear Joe’s friends talk about Marissa, they liked her right away.  So when Marissa, Joe, and Joe’s best man, Matt, lived together for a time, they had a lot of fun watching football and hanging out.

Joe proposed at the top of Tolmie Peak in Mount Rainier National Park. Their closest friends were there to witness the proposal and celebrate this monumental occasion with them.

And finally, they made it to their long awaited wedding day.  The weather was perfect, the temperature moderate, the rain holding off, and the view to die for. Their ceremony contained unique elements to each of their family traditions, and they added one more surprise special one.  First, they lit a unity candle, which was initially lit by both their Mothers, in the Catholic tradition.  At the end of the ceremony, Joe broke glass in the Jewish tradition.  And they added in a third element: drinking out of a Hopi marriage vase, which their officiant and long time friend, Scott, picked up for them in Arizona.

Once the couple made it into the reception, the dance party started right away. In fact, these two partied so hard, they blew out a power outlet in the ballroom LOL How many people get to claim that fact? I also watched an epic dance battle to N’Sync’s “Bye Bye Bye.”

It was a perfect wedding day for a fantastic couple, and I can’t be happier for you two.  Enjoy being back home with all your friends and family, and I am so glad I was able to capture your special day!

Venue (including catering and day of coordinator)- The Club at Snoqualmie Ridge

Flowers: Metropolitan Market and DIY by Bride

Dessert: Baked