Real Couple Intimate Wedding: Emily + Ben on Mt. Baker
Emily, Ben, and their cohort of supporters scrambled their way to the top of the Table Mountain trail, a little sweaty but with big smiles on their faces. Everyone took a few moments to catch their breath, drink water, and let themselves dry off in the soft breeze while looking around them. While Ben gazed at the view the mountains offered him, Emily looked at Ben. This was the moment they had both been waiting for for so long. She stepped into a grove of trees to put on her wedding outfit. Once Ben was changed too, they shared a look and grabbed each other’s hands. They were ready. They wanted to commit themselves to each other for the rest of their lives in this beautiful place with some of their favorite people. They were so so ready.
OUR TAPESTRY COUPLE.
Emily and Ben’s relationship is grounded in mutual respect and adoration. They were able to reconnect after a first date that didn’t turn out successful with grace and open mindedness. They both realized that the six months between their first date and reconnection, they had grown and were ready to invest themselves in each other.
Emily is a designer with a keen eye for architecture and details. This was a great asset to her Tapestry planning experience because she had a clear point of view and was able to communicate it effectively. She is always ready to take on the next project. Ben is a passionate, enthusiastic, and positive human being. He is invested in their dog, Johnny, brewing beer, and cooking elaborate meals. During the planning process, he was always figuring out how to get to the next step with his can-do attitude. Together, they love to visit breweries, eat chicken wings, and hike through the mountains.
The two met in Cincinnati, Ohio, but moved to Seattle six months into their relationship when Emily was accepted into graduate school. In the midst of planning their marriage celebration, they also bought a house and started renovating it. No matter what they are doing, they are just so hyped to be doing it together.
PLANNING THEIR INTIMATE WEDDING THE TAPESTRY WAY.
When Kate did their client onboarding meeting, Emily and Ben joked that this new iteration of their wedding was the fifth version. They had been going back and forth even before the pandemic hit, wondering if they should throw a big party in Cincinnati, Ohio, where their family is, or bring their family to their new home in Seattle. When it was apparent that COVID-19 was here to stay, they realized that a small celebration was the best fit. They decided to do an adventure wedding with a small group of friends and hold a celebration with their family at a later, safer time.
Emily and Ben embraced their intimate wedding with their all, investing time and thoughtfulness into all the elements of their celebration. This lent to an air of lightness and positivity throughout the entire day. Their pre-work and confidence in their decisions freed them to enjoy their marriage celebration and the friends that came to support them. They chose the Table Mountain hike as their adventure before saying their vows. Their ceremony was of the utmost importance to them, so they took the Tapestry Vow Writing Workshop to insert as much of themselves and their thoughtfulness into their promises.
THOUGHTFUL DETAILS.
Emily came to the planning table with the instinctual ability to insert meaning into design in a beautiful and pleasing way. This meant that each detail was carefully considered and intentionally placed into their celebration. For example, Emily and Ben decided that they wanted to get married standing on a vintage rug purchased from Asheville, North Carolina, the place they took their first vacation together.
Another element that the couple wanted to emphasize in their celebration was food, and we whole-heartedly supported them in this. Their goal was to host a beautiful dinner with their eight closest friends that would act as their gift to their wedding guests for taking the time and effort to complete all the safety precautions to join them on their day. They hosted this dinner at a cabin in Mt. Baker, which stuck out to the planning team because of its modern, minimalist design when most cabins in the area have a ski-lodge feel. The team knew it was the cabin for Emily because of her specific design sensibility.
The tablescape of their intimate dinner was a place where the couple brought together their love for design. Together, the planning team and the couple selected a lush velvet tablecloth in a deep sea green to tie in the rich color of the evergreens on the mountains from their ridgeline elopement. Their modern aesthetic lent itself to a sophisticated, minimalist dinnerware selection complemented by ceramic containers for their flowers and cement tea candle holders, both of which played off of the modern cement finishes inside the home. We brought in wooden chairs to tie into the wooden trim of the house and placed the meal under the two-story deck so that we could garnish the table with string light ambiance. Emily and Ben gave us carte blanche for their dinner setting and we had a blast running with their style guidance.
THE INTIMATE WEDDING COMES TOGETHER.
Emily and Ben started off their day chilling out at their cabin and greeting their friends as they arrived. At midday, Cassie of Cassie Anna Photo and Film and Lynnsey of Lionlady Photography arrived at the cabin and the couple got ready separately and did a first look at the cabin backyard with their friends cheering them on from the upper balcony. Ben wore a blue suit that went beautifully with their celebration palette of pale orange, white, blue, and green. Anne Timms Makeup and hair did Emily’s hair and makeup at the cabin. She gave Emily a gorgeous updo that lasted up and down the trail, and well into the night. Emily’s outfit was a two-piece dress made of a white silk slip dress and white poofy over skirt. She was able to slip off the skirt for the sexy night ambiance and keep it on for a more bridal feel during the ceremony. She paired these two together from entirely different sources. Her overall look showed where again her eye for design elevated the day.
They all changed back into comfortable hiking clothes and started up the Table Mountain trail as a group. We say “all” but that would exclude the one dude who hiked up the mountain with their ceremony rug in his suit. We gave him big props for his commitment to Emily and Ben’s day. ;)
After the group put on their fancy outfits, they gathered in a semi circle to watch the couple’s ceremony. There were quite a few tears between the onlookers and the couple. They had their first kiss as a married couple and shared a toast with their friends. The day was full of laughter and celebration as they dug into the charcuterie board they brought up the mountain with them. The couple snuck away for portraits and continued to spend some time at the top of the trail with their friends. Meanwhile, Kate and Kristen headed back down to the cabin to set up their dinner.
When they arrived, they were inspired by the beautiful shadows from the trees that started to appear near sundown. Using the florals put together by Angelene of Villanelle Floral Co. and the rentals from CORT Party Rentals, Kate and Kristen were able to create what the couple envisioned.
Emily, Ben, and their intimate wedding party gathered back at the cabin. They feasted on appetizers and chatted until Brooke was ready to feed them dinner. TABLE Catering Co. gave the couple multiple wine pairing options for the meal for either one per course or one per two courses to combine the dining and drinking experience in one cohesive symphony of celebration. Friends brought bottles of wine that matched with the recommendations so that they could all share.
In the background, Emily and Ben put on the awesome playlist they created for the occasion. They shared an oyster tasting and appetizers on the uncovered part of the cabin’s back porch by moonlight, followed by an intimate meal full of Pacific Northwest staples under bistro lights.
Overall, Emily and Ben’s intimate wedding was a sweet, chill day with lovely friends and a heartfelt and positive celebration.
— Kelleen, Tapestry Content Manager
Photos courtesy of Cassie Anna Photo + Film.
THE VENDOR TEAM.
Designer, Planner, + Coordinator: Kate + Kristen // Tapestry Event Co. // @tapestryeventco // tapestryeventco.com // Seattle, WA + Beyond
Photographer: Cassie // Cassie Anna Film + Photo // @cassieannaphotography //cassieanna.com // Chicago, IL + Beyond
Videographer: Lynnsey // Lionlady Photography // @lionladyphoto // lionladyphoto.com // Seattle, Wa + Beyond
Florist: Angelene // Villanelle Floral // @villanellefloral // villanellefloral.com // Seattle, WA
Caterer: Alyssa + Brooke // TABLE Catering Co. // @tablecateringco // tablecateringco.com // Seattle, WA + Beyond
Rental Provider: Rennee // CORT Party Rental // @cortpartyrental // cortpartyrental.com // Everett, WA
Hair + Makeup Artist: Anne // Anne Timss // @mstimmssmakeupandhair // annetimss.com // Seattle, WA + Beyond