Capitol Hill Bridal Portrait Session

What happens when you get a bunch of creatives together who want to spice up a rainy Seattle season? You get a Friday afternoon spent bonding in a hotel room over coffee and champagne and a whirlwind evening spent stalking architectural beauty in your own backyard.

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When we cooked up the original vision for this shoot, we imagined a moody sunset over Seattle’s Discovery Park framed by tall grass and gnarled trees. I put together a mood board full of warm tones and bright pops of floral pizzazz from Angelene at Villanelle Floral Company to offset the soft, subdued hues of the sky and sea. And then the day came to shoot and the rain came with it. What’s a group of girls to do?!

#MakeItWERK! (Tim Gunn forever). We email pow-wowed early in the day and decided the game was afoot! Ashley from Beginning and End Photography and Tara from Tara Nichole Photo were instantly on the hunt for places to seek rainfall coverage. After deep internet diving and location stalking, we came up with Chophouse Row, a space we mutually admired through Instagram research and located thanks to Tara’s expert sleuthing. Holly of Holly Tipp Makeup linked up with us at the hotel to create the beauty vision for Jenna Johnson, who is triple-threat preschool teacher, model, and amazing human. Together, we sorted through accessories, sipped champagne, and watched Friends before setting off to our photo destination.

For those who are unfamiliar, Chophouse Row is a historic auto row building in Capitol Hill with lofts on top. The main pedestrian alley and courtyard host local businesses focused on morning-into-evening food, beverage, and retail options to residents and visitors. After navigating our way through traffic and up hills, we arrived to city dwellers starting their happy hours in bar windows; gentlemen getting their hair styled under the bridge of our portraits; and a few Friday heroes grabbing an end-of-work-week ice cream cone.

Our Runaway With Me Elopements squad found new angles, light, and opportunities to be inspired around every corner during this portrait session. The wildcard of an unexpected location was an absolute blessing; we were able to drop into creative flow together, adapting to our senses, refreshingly open to what the architecture of our space offered. This shoot may have not gone to plan, and in its defiance, reminded us of the blessing of embracing the unexpected.

— Kate, Tapestry Creative Director