Whidbey Island Wedding Photography at The Wayfarer: James and Ruth

a love story straight out of a novel

June 3rd - one year from the day James and Ruth got engaged - started as most days do on Whidbey Island: cloudy with a hint of sea in the air.

Ruth is from the east coast while James is from the west, so they wanted to make their wedding location feel like a destination for everyone. The Wayfarer wedding venue in Langley is accessed by the iconic Washington state ferry, so the guests got a full Pacific Northwest experience before they even arrived to the wedding.

Ruth and James wanted to have a relaxing morning to spend time with their people, so they decided not to do a first look, which gave me all the time in the world to photograph their details and made for an emotional ceremony where James's vows had everyone tearing up.

Both the bride and groom had classic looks with subtle edgy touches, like little skeleton faces carved into pearl drop earrings, a sword tie clip, and pearls outlining Ruth's swooning eyes.

James got to know Ruth by frequenting the bar where she worked. While she was making drinks, he would ask her for book recommendations, come back with his thoughts and collect his next assignment. Overall, he ended up reading 14 of her recommendations before Ruth got impatient and asked him out. To honor this part of their relationship, they chose five of the books that they have recommended to each other over their relationship as their party favors. They created a "book bar" where each guest could choose which book they wanted to take home. How cool is that?

Not only have books played a huge part in their relationship, but music has too. James proposed at a concert, so they curated all of the music that played throughout the day, noticeably, a record player spinning Beatles songs as guests were welcomed to the venue with glasses of champagne

Ruth and James were truly they there to just have a good time with their people. They didn't have a big guest list so each person there was very special to them. These connections were made very obvious because the speeches that their wedding party and family members were made equally of tears and sweet words, and the couple cut their mini cheesecakes with the same knife that Ruth's great grandparents, grandparents, and parents cut their wedding cakes with!

This Whidbey Island wedding was a complete dream come true for everyone involved and I couldn't be happier for James and Ruth!

THE TALENTED VENDORS

Bartenders: Whidbey Island Weddings

Bride’s Dress: Shop Bella Sera

Cake & Desserts: Front Street Grill

Catering: Front Street Grill

Engagement Ring: Custom Made Jewelers

Florals: Costco

Groom’s Tux: Suit Supply

Photography: LNW PNW Photos

Venue: The Wayfarer by Whidbey Island Weddings

f you're looking for a wedding photographer, please reach out at my Contact page here on my website or fill out the inquiry form at the bottom of this blog!

getting ready

Ruth handed me a box overflowing with special items and trinkets, so their detail photos were especially fun to put together. If you're wondering what to include in your detail photos, or even what a detail box is, read my blog all about it.

no first look

Since Ruth and James decided that they wanted to see each other for the first time at the ceremony, I took photos of the individual wedding parties beforehand. We had so much fun leaning into the different vibes and connections with each group. If you're wondering what a first look is and whether you should do one on your wedding day, read my blog post all about it.

ceremony under the trees

Guests were greeted with Beatles music playing, champagne pouring, and rain drizzling. Ruth's grandparents were sitting in the front row, completely entranced with Ruth and her soon to be husband. James reading his vows had everyone wiping their tears away and their hand fasting was a cool visual representation of their relationship.

group & couple portraits

Since we didn't do any photos with Ruth and James before the ceremony, we took some time afterwards to celebrate with their families and entire wedding party before we hopped in to couple portraits. I really wanted to do poses that showed off Ruth's flowy sleeves, the edginess of their outfits and their fun personalities.

drinks & dinner

While we were doing couple portraits, the guests were busy enjoying the beautiful charcuterie board and the signature cocktails that Ruth created - a nod to her bartending days. When the newlyweds joined the party, we jumped into a very interactive round of the Shoe Game where James and Ruth answer questions about themselves using their shoes. Guests were jumping in with their own questions and having fun hearing what the couple had to say.

speeches

Ruth and James have obviously made a big impact on the people around them because the speeches that their close friends and family made were so sweet and full of many instances why these two were meant for each other, one being that, as a child,, Ruth promised that she would marry someone with a last name higher up in the alphabet, so she wouldn't always be last. In James she got her wish because she went from being Ruth Way to Ruth Ball-Way.

dessert & dancing

After cutting their mini cheesecake with a cake knife that has been used at Ruth's great grandparents wedding, James and Ruth shared a beautiful first dance that had everyone staring at the glowing couple. Once the dance floor got going due to Ruth and James curated playlist, Ruth changed into her second dress which was a little more comfortable and added such a fun fashion moment to the night.