When Laurel McConnell sent me this wedding, I practically squealed when I saw the details. From the bobblehead cake toppers to the fun wedding favors, I was hooked. Kristen and Jason are originally from Seattle, but recently moved to London, so this wedding is infused with not only beautiful Northwest elements, but also plenty of British accents to celebrate their new UK life. What a perfect way to start the week!

I’d love to hear about your vision for the day…

I wanted the day to be fun for everyone involved and was looking for a down to earth but classy wedding that incorporated our personalities. We are both Seattle natives but are living in London so we wanted to make sure there was a little bit of London incorporated into the wedding. We hired a London taxi to take me to the ceremony and for the party favours we gave velum envelopes with scratch tickets and a 2 pence coin to scratch them. I stamped a crown and wrote on all of the party favours – For richer or poorer… Unfortunately, I don’t think anyone won anything except my cousin from Belfast who went around the reception and asked everyone if she could have their coin as she could bring them home and spend them! We also had a few traditional aspects including the cake knife which has been in my family for over 100 years, my grandmother’s handkerchief that was wrapped around my bouquet and an antique English coin tucked into my dress from a friend in England.

Did your wedding location hold a specific significance to you?

We both love the mountains and the water and wanted a venue with a view of both. I am in marketing and do a lot of events in hotel ballrooms so I definitely didn’t want that. We looked at a lot of loft options in Seattle and one day on a bike ride we ended up at Golden Gardens and knew we found our dream location. The only challenge was that they only released the venue one year ahead of time and it was on a first come, first serve basis so I made my fiancé camp outside the Seattle Parks and Recreation offices on the day the dates in August were released so we could get the day we wanted. We arrived at 2am and slept on the sidewalk until the office opened at 8am. We were the first in line and got the date we wanted!

What was the most meaningful part of your day?

Having our family and friends in one place, together!

Did anything funny or out of the ordinary happen?

My cousins were sailing up from San Francisco and unfortunately had engine problems so they didn’t make it for the wedding but they tracked the whole thing through the Facebook updates from the guests – practically in real time!

Tell us details of the events surrounding the wedding.

We had a great rehearsal dinner and the day after the wedding we had a picnic in the park for a more casual and relaxed get together for our family and friends from out of town. Jason had two bachelor parties – one in Vegas and a Buck’s night in England. I had three bachelorette parties – one in Seattle, one in Warsaw, Poland and a Hen’s night in London.

How did you know your partner was “the one”?

The first time we went out (10+ years before we got married) I don’t think either of us would have ever thought we would eventually get married. After the first date, we went our separate ways but have a lot of mutual friends and our paths crossed again several years later. We began dating and I knew he was the one when I realised he had become my best friend and we really complemented each other.

Any advice you’d give new brides who are just getting started?

I have the same advise as I received. Enjoy the day because it goes too fast and plan a wedding that will make you happy, not everyone else (except your fiancé of course).

Vendors:

Photographer: Laurel McConnell Photography
Event Planner:  Very Important Events
Hair Stylist:  Salon Maison
Caterer:  City Catering Company
Floral Designer:  Bella Rugosa
Reception Venue:  Golden Gardens Park Bathhouse
Dress Store:  A Princess Bride
Dress Designer:  Pronovias of Barcelona
DJ:  Wave Link Music, Inc.
Jewelry:  Foxfire Jewelers
Groom’s Attire:  Joseph A Banks
Groomsmen’s Attire: Joseph A Banks
Bridesmaid’s Attire: David’s Bridal
Bakery:  Hoffman’s Fine Cakes and Pastries
Taxi: British Motor Coach