Kara + Saun

 

Kara and Saun's love story all started on a snowy day at Mission Ridge: one snowboarding lesson, one bruised tailbone, and one Mike's Hard Lemonade later - for Kara's 21st birthday - they didn't fall in love BUT fast forward two weeks, at the ever classy Applebee's Bar, they exchanged numbers. Thus began an emotional adventure of "I like you" to "I have big feelings for you" to "I love you" to "will you marry me?" on the Cliffs of Moher in just eight short years.

Kara and Saun's Wedding was full of the most perfect, fun, and special touches!

The wedding invitations were DIY - created by Kara. She wanted something unique, fun and slightly modern. The four-fold invitation contained all the information needed to out-of-towners AND had a fun "cut-line" for the RSVP postcard. DIY-ing her invitations provided a cost savings, but also allowed Kara the freedom to truly personalize the invite.

You are going to want to know all about Kara's UNIQUE and stunning Hydrangea dress!

Kara's dress was found at Sweetheart Bridal in Wenatchee, WA. Kara went with her mother and two sisters. They didn't have any of the styles she originally wanted, but she saw this dress and it immediately called to her. It was the FIRST dress she tried on - never been tried on before, fit her PERFECTLY, and was her exact budget price. Not to mention it had hydrangeas on it, the first flower Saun ever bought her AND it had pockets! She fell in love instantly!  She didn't want to take it off and she knew this was the dress for her. Also, it is an Irish traditional for the bride to wear blue - the blue tones of the pattern were a great homage to Saun's heritage.

Their vision theme, was a casual / laid-back rustic wedding with a touch of class and a hint of eclectic vibes. They love antiques and incorporated rustic doors/windows/chairs and other pieces. They had modern signs, and eclectic glassware. Kara and Saun wanted to focus more on incorporating their favorites rather than spending money on items that wouldn't last the day. They used a lot of their existing furniture as décor which made it more personal. They also wanted it to be fun - live band, lots of drinks, dart board guestbook, confetti poppers, etc. All things they enjoy! Colors included whites, grays, neutrals with splashes of dark grey and soft blues/pinks.

There were several unique aspects of the ceremony that made it so special for Kara and Saun.

  • 1) All the guests sat more in a circle than traditional seating arrangements

  • 2) Saun handmade the arbor they stood under!

  • 3) They performed an irish handfasting ceremony as an ode to Saun's heritage

  • 4) They did a confetti blast on their first kiss complete with cannons and hand-held poppers for guests!

  • 5) They wrote their own vows, but kept them short and sweet

  • 6) They picked non-traditional music for the procession

  • 7) instead of a unity candle they did a planting ceremony. They purchased a hydrangea tree and filled it with soil collected from all over the US - filling their first plant for their new home with soil from places with loved ranging from the local area, to the Midwest and even to the East Coast!

Throughout the images below you are going to see how it all came together so incredibly beautifully!  It was such an honor for me to be there to capture it all!  

FROM THE BRIDE:

What advice do you have for brides planning their wedding?

  • 1) Stay true to what you and your groom want for the big day - it is YOUR day. Let your own personalities be represented, not someone else's

  • 2) Delegate. People WANT to help - let them, it will help you stay less stressed!

  • 3) Don't let the little things get to you. Things will go wrong, learning to find the silver lining or laugh about it which means you can focus on celebrating the day and not getting all bridezilla-like!

  • 4) Plan ahead, stay organized, and don't do it all yourself! Having girls night over for crafts is one of the funnest things to do. Plus, I also got to spend extra time with my man on wedding to-do's which made our day more special because we worked on it TOGETHER!

What was your favorite moment of the entire day?

I don't know if there was just one moment I could single out, but more a combination of moments that made the day, such as: Hanging with all the girls drinking mimosas, while we got ready and all jazzed up with hair and makeup, Seeing my parents sitting on the steps during photos, still in love after 30+ years - hoping for the same successful marriage; Getting my dress locked in the front door as we were leaving for the ceremony and being rescued by my father, Seeing Saun for the first time that day, waiting for me with the biggest smile on his face. Almost catching my dress on fire - accidentally! - during our big entrance, Getting so many hugs from our guests as they braved the cold to celebrate with us. Watching people scurry to save items as things blew to and fro from the impending rain storm and finding the ability to laugh during the chaos, Having my best girls there - all looking their finest and knowing that they are simply there just to support me. Hearing the heartfelt toasts that made you want to laugh and cry! The day goes by so fast it all ends in a blue mostly, but I honestly had the BEST day, things definitely went wrong, but as long as I got to marry Saun - at the end of the day nothing else mattered and now we have funny stories to share! I also think the biggest honor was hearing not about my bridal glow, but Saun's. Guests still talk about it. Since we didn't do a first look I was so AMPED to see him, but I watched him from afar right before I walked out - he was smiling from ear to ear (just having his braces off) and you could sense how happy he was. It was palatable in the air. Just knowing that he was overjoyed on our wedding day, gave me the warmest inner sunshine - he was the confident to my excitement, he was the hand that wiped away my happy tears, he was steadfast to my eagerness. He is my other half and together we are whole. What more could a girl ask for?!

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Couples, WeddingsEmma RoseCashmere, Washington, Kara and Saun, A Beautiful Irish Wedding in the Fall3 Comments