Kara and Mark could not have had a wedding reception that fit their personalities more perfectly. Kara told me, “We wanted a laid-back feel and lots of activities to keep our guests happy.” And they definitely accomplished that with everything from homemade lemonade served with striped straws, to a photo booth with a vintage typewriter, croquet, volleyball, chefs brought in to cook the food on site, parting gift for guests of jars filled with fresh blueberries and a kazoo send off! And can we talk about the heart and soul that Kara put into every aspect of their wedding and reception. All of the centerpieces and decorations were either vintage or made by Kara herself and reflected who her and Mark are as a couple. Oh…the sweets table…what can I say it was the BEST sweets table ever! Jesika Wilkenson from Batter in Bowl made all of the sweets and they were scrumptulicious (I was in the fortunate position of being a guest also and getting to partake in the goodness of the sweets!) Held at the base of Mount Si and sending the bride and groom off shortly after the sun went down it was perfectly perfect and here it is…

Kara told me she wanted me to photograph her wedding long before she was even engaged, so of course, knowing Kara I anxiously awaited the ensuing proposal and wedding planning! To start with…the wedding was taking place in North Bend, Washington and then Kara told me they were getting married at the Bybee Nims Blueberry Farm at the foot of Mt. Si and that she was either making everything herself or thrifting. And I couldn’t wait. Kara said, “We tried to make every element of our wedding reflect our personalities and who we are as a couple.” And in everything they did they accomplished that. Kara’s wedding dress and jewelry were both from JCrew and she found the perfect accessory at a thrift store-her boots! And just so you can get a little glimpse into Kara’s creativity-her bouquet and the bridesmaids bouquets were all handmade by her out of sewing patterns purchased at Goodwill. And to top it all off this was a very special wedding because it was family (Kara is my husband’s cousin) so that made it even all the better! Here is the first part of their wedding day…stay tuned for more of Kara’s touches in the next post featuring their wedding reception!