Pt Defiance Pagoda Wedding - Seattle wedding photographer

Bride and groom recess down the aisle at the conclusion of their wedding ceremony at the Pagoda in Point Defiance Park

Pt Defiance Pagoda Wedding – Seattle wedding photographer

Kate and Evan get married at the Pagoda at Pt. Defiance Park

On July 22 I was honored to be the photographer at the wedding of Kate Kraabel and Evan Lewis, held at the Pagoda in Point Defiance Park.  I worked with Kate and Evan a couple of months ago taking their engagement photos (you can see Kate and Evan’s engagement session here), and had a lot of fun working with them.  I was looking forward to this wedding, and was not disappointed.

Getting Ready and Pre-ceremony photos

Because of the way the rental time for the Pagoda worked, we did not have access to the actual building until noon.  But because the ceremony was scheduled to begin at 1PM, this would leave little time for posed photos of the wedding party and family before the ceremony.  So we decided that we’d meet at the Pagoda at 11AM for some outdoor photos of Evan, Kate and the wedding party, and hopefully have time for photos of the family as well.

It was a beautiful sunny day, and I arrived a bit before 11AM to look over the area to see how the lighting looked.  I have photographed a number of weddings at the Pagoda and other locations in Point Defiance in the past, but with the ongoing construction at the park I wanted to scout things out to see if there were any changes that would affect the photos.  The only change that really affected the wedding was the elimination of much of the parking near the Pagoda, meaning that most of the guests (and some of the family) would have a bit of a hike to get to the wedding.

Kate and Evan arrived in separate cars, all dressed and ready to go.  We started by setting up a “first look” for the couple, at the nice little pond located a very short distance from the Pagoda.  The pond is part of a miniature Japanese garden, and makes a great spot for photos.  The wedding party and family all arrived shortly after we got started, and we had plenty of time to get lots of photos before we had to stop and get Kate into hiding when the guests began to arrive.

The Wedding Ceremony

Kate and the bridesmaids moved to the basement, where there was a “bride’s room” and it was nice and cool.  The guests continued to arrive, and as the planned start time approached everyone took their seats and the ceremony began.  The bridesmaids and groomsmen came down the aisle in pairs, and then came Kate, escorted by her father Terry.  The officiant was Tim Kraabel, the uncle of the bride.

The bridesmaids were Alyssa Kellar, Hannah Ramsay, Megan Thompson, Amanda Lewis (Sister of Groom) and Katie Lazzara (Maid of Honor).  The groomsmen were Greg Loots, Dan DeMarco, Jacob Cassimere, Evan Kraabel (Brother of Bride) and Neal Lewis (Father of Groom and Best Man).

The ceremony was short and sweet; everything went perfectly, and we soon had a brand-new married couple, Kate and Evan Lewis.

The Reception

Right after the ceremony we moved the entire group to the far side of the Pagoda, where there is a large staircase.  We used this staircase as bleachers so I could take a photos of the Bride, Groom, Wedding Party, Family and Guests.  This can always be a bit tricky, but everyone was cooperative and I was able to get the photos fairly quickly.  Then I grabbed Evan and Kate for a few more photos, this time in the woods behind the Pagoda, while the guests all moved into the Pagoda for snacks and drinks.

Once the newlyweds were introduced to the crowd by the DJ, food was ready and the buffet line was opened.  Everyone relaxed and enjoyed a nice meal, while Kate and Evan moved around the room greeting the guests at their tables.  We also took advantage of this time to get more photos of Kate and Evan with various family members and friends who had not been present during the earlier photo session.

Next up was cake cutting, followed by toasts. We then moved on to the First Dance for the newlyweds, followed by the Father-Daughter dance with Kate and her dad Terry, and the Mother-Son dance for Evan and his mom Cindy.  Finally the dance floor was opened to everyone.  I was quite impressed with several of the dancers, who clearly have either taken lessons or just have a LOT of experience and a good dose of natural talent.  As I have not taken dance lessons since Junior High and have an overabundance of left feet, I am always impressed when guys are good dancers!

Far too soon it was time to bring the party to an end.  It was a great day, and a lot of fun to photograph.  Now you can see a selection of photos from the day that will give you a pretty good idea of how everything happened.  I hope you enjoy the photos, and please  leave some comments at the bottom of the page.

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One Response to “Pt Defiance Pagoda Wedding – Seattle wedding photographer”

  1. […] one year ago I was the lucky photographer at the wedding of Kate and Evan, held at the Pagoda at Point Defiance Park in Tacoma.  Just click on the link to be taken to my blog posting from the wedding, which includes […]

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