Susanne and Scott. 2010

It’s sometime in the early 90′s and I’m handed a cassette tape of Gruntruck’s Push album. It soon becomes my summer soundtrack. It’s one of my favorite albums of that time period. I was living in an artist collective loft above the Rendezvous Bar in Belltown, Washington. Pearljam was rehearsing in the basement below and Stone Gossard was dating my roommate Louise. My bathtub was located directly above the Rendezvous stage and one of my greatest memories was taking a bath as Mudhoney performed below me. Static fuzzy guitar and distorted rumbling drums shook waves into my bath water. It was an amazing time period. So much great music. I couldn’t get enough of that Gruntruck cassette.

It was at this time that I met my friend Allison Maryatt. We used to jam together and write songs. I took some pictures at her wedding last year and posted them to the blog. Shortly after I started getting requests to shoot other people’s weddings. I always declined. That is until I got an email from a woman named Susanne who I had sat next to at Allison’s reception. She was sitting with her boyfriend Scott who was the drummer for Allison’s band at the time called Slippage. They were so obviously in love and telling me the story of how they met at a Town Hall meeting. Susanne was there as an Urban Design and City Planner. Scott was there as a concerned golfer. She said there was this cute musician guy making eyes at her all night. Both being artists, Susanne is also a painter, they hit it off immediately. It was pretty obvious by the way they were looking at each other at Allison’s wedding that their day was going to be just around the corner. So… I get this email explaining that she and Scott are getting married and she was wondering if I was available as a wedding photographer.

That email was a catalyst for so much change in my life. These last nine months I’ve started booking weddings and have also been second shooting for my friend Rebecca. I love being a wedding photographer! In fact this last couple of months I’ve had so many shoots and so much processing to do that I haven’t been able to post to the blog as much as I would like. Also since January I’ve had a chance to get to know Susanne and Scott more. I’m so honored to have been asked to capture their wedding. They are both so incredibly talented and creative. Recently Scott asked if I could do some promo shots for his new band Paths Of Glory (on the blog here and here). It was then when I was talking to their band manager Michelle that I found out he was the drummer for Gruntruck. I felt kind of silly not knowing that already. It’s amazing how life sometimes takes you full circle.

As you can imagine music played a feature role in the event. Seattle record producer Martin Feveyear who runs Jupiter Studio’s in Wallingford toured with Scott back in the day and recorded one of Scott’s early records. He also happens be an ordained minister. He served as the officiant for the ceremony. As guests got settled into the courtyard of the Georgetown Ballroom, the opening base line of John Coltrane’s “Love Supreme” could be heard gaining momentum over the conversations. When the wedding march faded in, it was to the slow melody of “Heaven Adores You” by Earlimart, and the processional song was “It’s So Easy” by Eagles Of Death Metal. There were two first dance songs, both of them soulful and straight to the heart, “No Ones Gonna Love You (More Than I Do)” by Band Of Horses and Ray LaMontagne’s “You Are The Best Thing.” Then there was an evening full of live bands and dancing with Rat City Brass, The Bird Watchers, and Allison came up to sing as well.

Martin’s wife Melissa who ownes Bella Terra Flowers in Greenwood provided the flower arrangements. Scott bought Susanne her first wrist corsage since high school at Bella Terra just before going out on one of their first “Art” dates. The end of the night was particular momentous as Scott and Susanne sped off, being chauffeured by the Georgetown Ballroom’s owner/operator Jerry Chin in Jerry’s own fully restored vintage cadillac convertible. You’d think this would have been the end of it, but even as Mary and I were leaving and the ballroom was closing it’s doors, some of the band members had started an impromptu acoustic set outside. There were a few guests still dancing and partying as the rest were heading home.

Thanks Susanne and Scott for an amazing day. You guys rock!

vendors:

photographer: Jonas Seaman

venue: Georgetown Ballroom

officiant: Martin Feveyear

flower arrangment: Melissa @ Bella Terra Flowers

dress: designed by Monique Lhuillier / Marcella’s Boutique on 4th Ave

groom’s suit: Hugo Boss

hair stylist: Larry Meadows

catering: Jack Miller @ Husky Deli – provided home made pistachio ice cream,

Ben Hodgetts @ Azafron – the most amazing paella in town!!

& Edwardo w/Lucinda’s Taco Truck served the chicken mole tamales (they can be found at the 9-pound Hammer after 8:00 pm).

bands: Rat City Brass, The Bird Watchers

guest’s hotel: the Inn at Queen Anne

Bride and groom’s hotel: Hotel 1000

Sherin and Michael. 2010

Where do I begin? This was such an awesome event. Not just because I had the unique opportunity to shoot with 8 different cameras in one day (three Canon 5D’s, 2 Holgas, a lomography 360 spinner, a Fuji Film Instax 210 Instant Camera, and an iPhone 4 with Camera+ app), but more importantly I got to document the marriage of one of the cutest, most in love couples I’ve ever met.

Sherin and Michael had seen my blog through a mutual friend and sent me an email. About a week later they decided to come out from Port Orchard to meet me at the Caffe Ladro down the street from where I live. Their wedding was just around the corner. We talked briefly about what they had planned for the day and then they booked me immediately. It wasn’t that they were doing things last minute. I found out that there was actually a photographer they had booked before me that had suddenly backed out, and then they booked another photographer after that who had also backed out on them. Personally, I think it was fate leading them to me. I couldn’t ask for a more perfect couple to photograph.

One of the things that impressed me most about Sherin and Michael was how relaxed and happy they both were. They truly seemed to sit back and enjoy their day. They let nothing stand in their way of having a good time. I loved how after hair and makeup when it was time to take photos, Sherin marched right out with all her bridesmaids into what was actually a pretty heavy rainfall to take pictures in front of a beautiful little waterfall. They laughed about it. They embraced the moment, and they didn’t seem to care that hair and makeup would have to be revisited before the ceremony. When it was time for the ceremony to begin, the venue offered to move everything in doors. It was actually pretty nice out temperature wise, but there was still the summer rain coming down. Sherin and Michael both said nope. Seats were wiped down and umbrellas were handed out. Personally, I think it made the ceremony all the more beautiful.

Then there was the after party! Seriously! These guys know how to party. Mary laughed and said that when we get married we’ll have to invite all of these folks to fill our dance floor. These people were non-stop. They did this dance which is a filipino tradition where wedding guests pin money to the bride and groom. Then after, everybody mobbed the dance floor for the more modern traditional dance of the Electric Boogie. Soon the guys were smoking cigars and passing around a flask. The kids were downing strawberry-lime Jones sodas featuring a photo of the bride and groom on the label. After a full evening of dancing and partying, just as it seemed to be dying down, a circle formed around the dance floor and some of the guys started taking turns break dancing. Okay, for the record, this was not drunken wannabe wedding break dancing. These guys were actually break dancing.

vendors:

photographer: Jonas Seaman

venue and catering: Trophy Lake Golf and Casting

event coordinator: Trista Shinnick

officiant: Revered Paula Butler

hairstylist: Juliet @ Silverdale Regis

make up: Sylvia Gonzales

florist: Marisa Martinez

dress: designed by Pronovias (American Rose Bridal boutique in Poulsbo).

bridesmaid’s dresses: David’s Bridal.

groomsmen are wearing barongs, which is the Filipino traditional wedding attire for men (Sherin’s mom brought those over from the Philippines).

*Btw, Mary was the second shooter on this one. Some of her photos are included in the above set. She totally rocked it!

Taken beside the road along Scorching Bay (just outside of Wellington, New Zealand)

Downtown Wellington, New Zealand

Lindale Park on the Kapiti Coast, New Zealand

This usually leads to a second helping.

He’s also been on my case about my complete lack of interest in rugby, soccer, or fast cars. He started a sentence the other day by saying, “If you were a car man…” but with his Scottish accent I thought he said, “If you were a Carmine…”

I was like, who the hell are the Carmines?

He said trying to make me understand, “A Carmine, Carmine… CARMINE…”

I looked over to my sister and she said calmly, “He’s saying… if you were a car man.”

So, now he’s on my case about not being able to understand him. I laughed and communicated to him that I’m not into cars or into sports. I’m basically what he might call a woman.

Without even pausing, he pointed to my belly and said, “Yeah. A pregnant woman.”

He refers to this kind of ribbing as ‘taking the piss out of me’. After he comes out with one his clever quips in my direction, he’ll just laugh and wink and say, “I’m just taking the piss out of you.”

I’m pretty sure by the end of this visit I wont have any piss left in me to take out.

I really love this picture I took of Jim while we were at the National Museum Of New Zealand – Te Papa Tongarewa. I think it reflects how colorful and loving this man truly is.

~Jim~

Jim Gilhooley at Te Papa Tongarewa (Wellington, New Zealand)

Mary Ellen Williamson (Queenstown, New Zealand)

Milford Sound, New Zealand

Queenstown, New Zealand