Blake and Ali hosted a destination wedding in Seattle which meant lots of planning via phone, email, and Pinterest. Thanks to all the help from their planners Steve and Jamie Moore of Steven Moore Designs, they were able to plan a personal and intimate wedding while living on the other side of the country! The bride, Ali, shared with us some of the most memorable details and personal touches that made the day so unique. Very special thanks to Kate Price Photography for sharing her gorgeous images with us!
First off, how did you two meet and become engaged?
We met in San Diego when we were both attending college there. We were good friends for a few years before we started dating. After college, we moved to Costa Rica for a few months on a whim and lived in a tiny 322 sq. foot apartment. We liked to joke that that living in that confined space together either was going to make or break our relationship. Luckily, it made it! After Costa Rica we both landed jobs in the Washington D.C. area. One day in February 2012, we were walking down the National Mall. We ended up at the Lincoln Memorial and walked around to the back steps of the monument. We sat down and watched the sun set over the Potomac River. Just as we were getting up to leave, Blake bent down on one knee and the rest is history!
Tell us about your wedding day:
We live and work in Washington D.C. but decided to get married in Seattle, Washington (Blake’s home state). We did most of our planning long distance with the help of our amazing wedding planners/designers Steve and Jamie Moore of Sinclair & Moore. We weren’t able to fly back to Seattle often so many of the details were simply discussed over the phone. I didn’t even see the inside of the venue until a few hours before the wedding! We leveraged Pinterest boards to share ideas as well as help convey our personal style to Steve and Jamie. It honestly was a lot of fun to show up to our own wedding and see our dreams become a reality. It was thrilling to share these moments of surprise together as we discovered one beautiful detail after the next. From the flowers to the dessert table to our getaway car, every second was like getting one great gift after another. Especially having the opportunity to marry each other in front of our dearest family and friends. It was absolutely perfect!
What were some touches added to make it personal?
Adding personal touches to our wedding was really important to make it about starting this incredible partnership together with the support of our family. In each invitation we included a map of the Seattle area hand-painted by my sister. We also wanted to incorporate our grandparents’ wedding photos and had them displayed on our guest book table. Blake and I have spent a lot of time in Costa Rica together and that country has a lot of meaning for us. To represent this, we had whole bean coffee shipped to Seattle from our favorite Costa Rican coffee roaster to use for wedding favors. One of the most incredible personal touches was when our officiate read a passage during the ceremony from a Bible that has been in Blake’s family since 1897.
What was the most memorable part of the day?
There are so many memorable parts of the wedding – it makes it hard to choose one! First of all, having a February day with no rain in Seattle was quite memorable. The good weather really allowed everyone to enjoy themselves. Blake and I kept commenting on how loved with felt throughout the entire day. All our friends, family and vendors really pulled together to create a perfect day for us and it was so meaningful to have everyone’s support. More specifically, a favorite moment was the toasts given by the Best Man and Maid of Honor. They both were funny, thoughtful and moved everyone to tears! In the end, the absolute best part of the day was saying our vows to each other. Having such an incredible, life-changing moment with each other while all our friends and family looked on was unforgettable. Lucky for us, we had a great photographer, Kate Price, to capture every single moment so we can relive them for the rest of our lives!
Vendors: Photography: Kate Price Photography // Hair Stylist: Swink // Caterer: Ravishing Radish Catering // Event Designer: Steven Moore Designs // Cake Designer: Honey Crumb Cake Studio // Transportation: British Motor Coach // Event Venue: Melrose Market Studio