Katie & Justin | Center for Wooden Boats Wedding

“To reach a port we must set sail –
Sail, not tie at anchor
Sail, not drift.”
― Franklin D. Roosevelt

There is a palpable sense that you get when you walk into a getting-ready area of a couple who are confidently in love and are doing their wedding their way. That’s what I felt as I walked into the AirBnB that Katie was using to prepare for her and Justin’s Center for Wooden Boats Wedding. It was tangible the joy that she and everyone around her felt. Erika later told me a similar feeling was in the guys place. They were happy. They were laughing. It was real, it was deep and it was honest, but even more, it was joyous.

From these separate spots, they converged on the Washington Park Arboretum for the ceremony. I love so much that they didn’t even have chairs. They cared about the humans and the natural beauty of the space. I loved seeing them walk down the “aisle” between people to stand before their community, declare their love and be wed.

From there, we headed down to the Center for Wooden Boats for the reception. That space is awesome because it’s literally on the water in Lake Union (it’s a floating wedding venue) and the couple had rented a sail boat to take people out on rides throughout the night.

With a few Titanic and “I’m on a boat” references, we set sail to catch the last light as it streamed across the lake. That joy that started the day was still there as they kissed under the rigging and last orange rays. It was a perfect day.