It was at a student club that Brandon Edwards first laid eyes on his now-wife Rachel, and knew as soon as he saw her that she was the woman he would one day marry. The couple eventually moved to the Northwest together and fell in love all over again – this time with the mountains, which Brandon describes as a “perfect metaphor”. It was in the mountains that Brandon proposed, after hiking to the summit of Mount Si with friends, and surprising them all by going down on one knee. So of course it was to the mountains that they turned again for their wedding – captured beautifully here by JOEY KENNEDY – sharing a weekend in the woods with family and friends, and swapping their boots and backpacks for a sleek suit and an elegant CLAIRE PETTIBONE gown. FLORET FLOWERS created the flowers they describe as “rustic meets fine art meets extravagance” and candles hanging in macramé holders from the giant cedar trees at their venue, it was the perfect place to fulfil the promise of that very first magical moment. COPPER CREEK INN with it’s backdrop of Mt. Rainier provided some stunning natural landscapes for the wedding portraits. This wedding also features in the current issue of the MAGAZINE.
“One of our most memorable moments was walking up together to the tent on the night of the rehearsal dinner. It glowed in the pitch black darkness of the lawn, covered in Mexican decorations, with the taco truck rumbling outside and the bubbling, lively conversations of our loved ones reaching us through the night air. The relief we felt that everyone had arrived safely and was enjoying themselves was palpable.
We worked hard for months before the wedding to create playlists for each phase of the celebration and the entire weekend – our friends and family still ask us for it! On the night, we danced like crazy for two and a half hours, never leaving the dance floor. We’d co-ordinated with our MC to play us off on the ‘last song’ but to tell the crowd that if they cheered loud enough, we might come back for an encore. Of course they did and we re-entered to a massive ovation. They even threw us up on their shoulders – it was honestly the most amazingly fun party we have ever been to.“
“Brandon and I decided we wanted pictures in front of Mount Rainier and the surrounding alpine meadows in the hours before sunset as soon as we picked our venue. We stayed just outside the park entrance, but it takes an hour to get to the best locations for photos, and we knew we would never be able to part from our guests for so long. Our photographer, Joey, suggested we do our ‘first look’ photos the day before the wedding. We were hesitant at first; the special surprise that comes with first looks is precious, and we wanted to feel that way on our wedding day, but Joey assured us the photos were important enough to shift our timeline. Not only did we get the most incredible pictures I have ever seen, he crafted a moment for us apart from the formal ceremony that will last forever in our hearts as the first time we truly wed, with the mountain as our witness.“
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