It has the old world charm of a European inn right in the center of Seattle. And it’s rustic down to the cracks in the walls and vine-covered brick, but has a lovely elegance when gussied up with beautiful flowers by McKenzie Powell and candles and beautiful people getting married.

Rusty gates and beautiful little cabbages growing in the garden = two thumbs up if you ask us.

The ceremony spot might be a tad urban for some folks, but we love the little garden and the big fig tree. It’s all about the couple getting married here, which makes it really special in it’s own way.

Then there’s the especially charming courtyard where dinner is served. It’s just so deliciously intimate and backyard-feeling.

And then comes the food. The food seems like it would be worth a trip to Seattle, frankly. They bake bread in an outdoor oven, people. And that’s just the start.

Ready?

Does it not look divine? Definitely the picture of how we’d like to eat every day. We’ll take family style, organic, seasonal, blah blah blah, over a formal dinner any time.

You can see Amy and Jeri’s entire wedding on Michele’s blog, (including more of McKenzie Powell‘s beautiful work) and you can contact The Corson Building through their site to book your event. And then, PLEASE send photos. Pls. We’ve also heard a wee rumor that they’re planning to open up their farm on Vashon Island for events in the coming season. Now THAT would be something to see.

The Corson Building
5609 Corson Avenue South
Seattle, WA 98108
206-762-3330

To dine amongst apple orchards is such a heavenly way to dine.

Nadine grew up with piñatas at every family function, as her mom used them at every possible party (birthdays, Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc.). So, they crushed a big silver piñata to kick off the wedding reception. All thirty of the kids at the wedding went wild!

Sweetest father daughter dance we’ve ever seen!

Congrats Arno + Nadine! You can also find more info in SF Brides Magazine!

Photography: Jesse Leake Photography / Venue: Dawn Ranch Lodge / Planning + Design: Alyssa Brown of Alison Events / Flowers: La Fleuriste / Catering: Dawn Ranch / Photobooth: Magnolia Photo Booth Co. / Videographer: Thomas Hughes Films / Rentals: La Tavola Linens  + Wine Country Party Rentals / Invitations: Petite Alma via Wedding Paper Divas  / Day of paper goods: Hello! Lucky / DJ: Killer Miller / Ceremony, cocktail and dinner music: Coconut Hut Steel Drums / Hair + makeup: Yvette Beebee  + Karen Chong Chan / Cupcakes: Sift / Brides dress: Vera Wang / Brides shoes: Rene Caovilla

Wedding gown, hair, makeup, heels and all, Nick + Brandy ventured out to take photos at the Old Silk Mill in Easton, PA.  Near a rusty fire escape, dirty allies, broken windows, paint peeling off the wall – this spot was perfect. It didn’t matter if they had to walk over floors covered in broken glass or tip toe across unsturdy floor planks. Feeling so comfortable with Douglas Benedict behind the camera, N + B succeeded in one-of-a-kind day after photos.

From Douglas, the photographer…It was perfect. They are a beautiful couple – Brandy was just stunning – and juxtaposing them against the grit and grime of that abandoned site was just fantastic. We worked in large spaces that have been open to the elements for years. Rain fell through portions of the roof while we worked. We had to be careful where we stepped because we easily could have fallen through the floor. I couldn’t be more thrilled with the result. Most importantly, Nick and Brandy have exactly the photos they wanted!

Tim and I finally landed on the vibe we want for our wedding, “60′s-inspired California glam”. We are so inspired by where we live, and many of our guests are coming from out-of-town so we wanted them to experience it with us. We’re also huge fans of the interior and set design, fashion, colors and quirkiness from the 60′s James Bond movies.

Next step: the wedding venue. Finding the perfect place to live out our dream day (as many of you have already experienced) has been incrrrredibly tough! Having our concept in place is making it EVEN HARDER to find a venue, turns out. We’ve been scouring the web, blogs, forums, etc. for weeks without finding the perfect place for our celebration. Which is why I’m reaching out to yous.. our lovely, awesome readers. Do you know of any good California venues that have this vibe? We want something relaxed and a little retro feeling with a touch of sophistication..preferably with somewhat of an ocean view (but not necessarily ‘in’ the sand). It can also be an estate, hotel, or mid-century modern house with an awesome pool and great view (in the Hollywood Hills perhaps?). Bonus points if there is a fun hotel nearby or cute bungalows for our guests to stay in.

We have already considered Palm Springs since many hotels have this vibe…but we just really want to be near-ish to the ocean. HELP!

{top left photo from the Bond movie Thunderball / umbrella photo / The Coral Casino Beach and Cabana Club (which is a leetle out of our budget) / sunbathing image from I Love Wild Fox}

Thank you so much for your ideas!!

xx, Amanda

Here’s Jen to share her experience/vision:

My vision for the shoot was to capture Naomi + Rachel’s love in a way that reflected who they were, and what they loved best. It also aimed to showcase love in a form that many people disagree with – sometimes barriers like that can be broken through photographs – and I hope that this shoot does help break those barriers! Naomi had sent her and Rachel’s story in for the contest, and a part of it included stick figure drawings by Rachel of the two of them having breakfast in bed, so that became the inspiration for the first portion of the shoot. Poppies & Posies and Lael Cakes helped bring the vision together, with 50s/60s era colors, sweets and accessories. It was so easy to shoot Naomi and Rachel, their love was so apparent in every single photograph. There is no difference between photographing a same sex couple or a straight couple – love is love! Hope everyone enjoys the styling and execution of this shoot, but I also hope that it helps everyone celebrate this new equality in NYC and finally I hope more/all states follow in allowing everyone to wed!

What kind of post would this be if we didn’t hear from the happy couple? Naomi was kind enough to share how the weekend went down:

When I came across the announcement for Jen’s engagement shoot contest I was ecstatic to see this opportunity for same-sex couples to be recognized and celebrated! I knew right away that Rach and I HAD to enter the contest. We were so happy, excited, proud, honored and humbled to find out we won the contest and would (in a sense) represent all same-sex couples wanting to make a commitment to each other! The day of the photoshoot, we felt totally pampered–I loved having my hair and makeup professionally done and seeing all the beautiful flowers Poppies & Posies created for us. At the Coney Island shoot everyone around us kept congratulating us, telling us how great we looked and taking our photos–we felt like celebrities! Jen was absolutely incredible to work with–she’s insanely talented and also really warm and fun! We loved working with her so much that we’ve decided to bring her down to Texas for our big wedding bash in May of next year!

In a way, the photoshoot has changed our lives…made us feel a little more accepted. As a result of the contest, we actually decided to take advantage of our short weekend in NYC and have a legal marriage ceremony. Even though our marriage is not legal in Texas, it feels so incredible–so legitimate–to have this legal document recognizing our love and commitment. Of course, it’s most important that WE recognize our love, but it’s also wonderful to know that others do too. We are so lucky to have so much love around us.

Photography: Jen Huang Photography / Cakes: Lael Cakes / Floral & Event Design: Poppies & Posies (poppiesandposiesevents.com) / Makeup: Facetime Beauty / Breakfast Dress: Free People / Wedding Dress: Etsy (Bride’s own) / Venue: Jen Huang Studio in NYC and Coney Island NYC