The wedding of photographer Rachel Bayne (she shot this lesbian wedding) and her wife Kate is going to knock your socks off. I had been shown a lovely sneak peak of the photos a couple of months ago but it wasn’t until I received the selected images from the very talented Laurel McConnell that I understood the full impact of all those orange and turquoise details (colors inspired by a trip to the Caribbean).
From Laurel: I’ve been industry friends with Rachel for a few years now, so when she finally asked Kate to marry her, I was elated to be included in their day as the one in charge of documenting it all!! When a photographer chooses the one to photograph them on one of the biggest days of their lives, it’s a huge honor, and I was beyond excited for this celebration. And so began a whirlwind of planning, designing, and handcrafting nearly every single element you would see in their wedding, from the Save The Date magnets to the touch of color in the stitching on Rachel’s pants. These girls leaked pictures to me along the way of each of the things they were excited about I felt more included and wanted than you can imagine. When the day came for their sweet Camano Island nuptials, it was a visual wonderland of beachy bliss- orange and turquoise details were abundant and fun to discover as you traveled from the sweet (and hilarious!) ceremony among the driftwood on the beach to the whimsical garlands and hand cut place mats in the reception tent. Bingo kept the crowd engaged, while m&m’s provided a sweet snack between games. Portraits were so so fun with this rowdy group and full of eye candy for us to shoot- vintage parasols, driftwood bouts, striped socks, glammed up flip flops, and screen-printed ties were among some of the great personal details these gals chose for themselves and their wedding party. As the evening descended, Rachel and Kate let us whisk them away from the party for a few moments when the light got the sweetest, and we made some fun memories while making some sweet photographs in the fields as the sun was setting.
I know I said it before, but I have to say it again- it was an honor to photograph another photographer’s wedding, and one that was so heartfelt and personal, at that. This was my first time photographing two brides, so naturally, I was really nervous that I’d say the right things and make the right images. As the day drew to a close, our memories of their emotionally charged first look, wading through mud for just the right wedding party shot, falling face first in the field during bride and bride portraits, playing bingo with the guests, munching on the amazing sweets bar, experiencing Cougar Gold cheese for the first time (OMG! I have been missing out!), and the never ending trust we were given to make beautiful images for another wedding photographer and the love of her life left our camera cards and hearts full.
Isn’t it mind boggling that this isn’t legal everywhere? How can love (same sex or otherwise) be considered wrong?
