Dockside at Dukes Wedding | Dani + Mike
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Itβs hard to know where to start when it comes to Mike and Dani. The three of us have been in contact since 2018 when they reached out to me to start planning their wedding. I first met them for their consultation where I fell in love with their personalities. Dani is hilarious and so cool, and Mike is incredibly kind and sweet; together theyβre perfectly complementary. we met again early one morning in the summer for a sunrise engagement session at Gasworks Park (check it out here). They were so easy to photograph - willing to go along with my silly suggestions, to have fun with their shoot and made it so easy to hang out with them for a couple of hours. We even ended the session at their house so that their cats could join in on the fun. Since our first consultation way back in 2018, Iβve lost count of how many times Iβve been lucky enough to photograph them. From the engagement session, to headshots, to holiday photos, to editing their backyard wedding photos during covid, to the actual wedding in 2022! Through it all, theyβve been two of my favorite clients, and getting to know them better and document their love over the years has been such a privilege. Iβm so thrilled to finally share the culmination of all those years of prep - the most stunning wedding with a rockstar team of vendors.
It was a chilly, cloudy day when I met up with the wedding party at their hotel near South Lake Union. I had umbrellas packed away in case of rain, but felt optimistic that the sun might break through the clouds later in the day. We shot the first look along the shore of Lake Union, where Dani and Mike exchanged letters that theyβd written their vows in. The wedding party met us at MOHAI for some group photos before Dani, Mike and I sped off to Parsonβs Gardens in Queen Anne to capture some more portraits. We pulled up right as the sun finally made its appearance, giving us about an hour of gorgeous light. (I canβt recommend enough taking time out to do portraits of you and your partner before the craziness of the wedding day starts, because once things get rolling itβs that much harder to sneak off.) Dani and Mike were flexible and willing to go off site to spend a bit of time shooting, and Iβm so glad we did. That portion of photos ended up being some of my favorite that Iβve ever taken (plus can we take a moment for Leah Ericksonβs INCREDIBLE multi-colored asymmetrical bouquet?)
When weβd wrapped up bride and groom photos, we headed back to Lake Union for their ceremony and reception at Dukes. The ceremony was beautiful, the guests were dressed to the nines, and the whole event ended with DJ Rocryte throwing on Closing Time while the entire crowd formed a circle around Mike and Dani, arms around each other, and sang in unison, I know who I want to take me home - (everyone screaming together) MIKE CHMIEL - I know who I want to take me home. It was one of the most hilarious, epic, touching moments Iβve seen at a wedding and I was so happy to be there to document. You can really feel the love and happiness through the photos - what a dream. Wishing an eternity of wedded bliss to these two magical humans. Cheers!
V E N D O R S
Photography: Chelsea Terry Photography
Planning & Design: Willow and Ivy Events
Florist: Leah Erickson Floral
Hair & Makeup: Michelle Wight
Dress: Suzanne Neville
Venue: Dockside at Dukes
DJ: DJ Rocryte
