Seattle Wedding Photographers Blog of Candid Wedding Photography

Last weekend Sarah and Steve were married at the Alexis Hotel, a very intimate and romantic hotel in downtown Seattle. How romantic?  Well, readers of Seattle Bride magazine rated the Alexis Hotel as Seattle’s “Best Place To Spend Your Wedding Night” in 2011. Not only did Sarah and Steve spend the night they had their wedding ceremony and reception there as well along with about 65 friends and family. Here are a few highlights I selected to preview the ones to come.

I really love this hotel with its exposed brick walls. Every room or suite seems unique. No cookie cutter layouts here. It feels more like you are in someone’s apartment than a hotel, with wonderful art from Pacific Northwest artists on all the walls.

The wedding cake topper was the one used by Steve’s parents at their wedding 50 years ago. Special thanks to Angie Casper, at the Alexis Hotel, Pat Stimac, Seattle Wedding Officiant and Amber Zbitnoff, my associate wedding photographer.

The The Edgewater Hotel, on the waterfront very close to downtown Seattle, Bonnie and Michael were were married In a Jewish ceremony. Family and friends joined them to participate in . The Jewish ceremony by definition is a wedding ceremony that follows Jewish law and traditions. Wedding ceremonies may vary somewhat, but the common features of a Jewish wedding include a ketuba (marriage contract) signed by two witnesses, a wedding canopy (chuppah or huppah), a ring owned by the groom that is given to the bride under the canopy, and the breaking of a glass. Bonnie and Michael’s ceremony had all of these and was a touching and moving to witness.  Their celebration was filled with joy and afterward  lots of dance including everyone dancing the Hora a popular dance form, which is conducted practically on every Jewish wedding. During this dance, Bonnie and Michael were lifted above the shoulders of guests. While sitting on chairs. A wide circle of guests formed around them, dancing clockwise and counterclockwise. Their day was filled with a lot of love and laughs.

Technically, the Jewish wedding process has two distinct stages:kiddushin (sanctification or dedication, also called erusin, betrothal in Hebrew) and nissuin, (marriage, also called huppa), when the couple start their life together. The first stage prohibits the woman to all other men, requiring a religious divorce to dissolve, and the final stage permits the couple to each other.

Today, erusin/kiddushin occurs when the woman accepts a ring or other object of value with the intent of creating a marriage. There are differing opinions as to which part of the ceremony constitutesnissuin/huppah; they include standing under the canopy – itself called a huppah - and being alone together in a room (yichud).

Below are a few of my favorite images highlighting their wedding day. Although I shot a lot of color, they and I really liked the way the pictures look in black and white. There is a certain timeless look. I am looking forward to shooting more black and white film weddings this year. I just booked one where the couple really like black and white, so I am planning to shoot about half of the images with my pair of Leicas.

Bonnie and Michael were really in love and with their family and friends present were married in a Jewish ceremony at the The Edgewater Hotel on the waterfront near downtown Seattle. Their day was filled with a lot of love and laughs. The ceremony was touching and their celebration was filled with joy and lots of dancing. The view at the beautiful Edgewater Hotel in Seattle is amazing since the hotel is literally on the edge of the Puget Sound, it sits out on a long pier jutting into Elliot Bay. Below are a few of my favorite images highlighting their wedding day. Although I shot a lot of color, they and I really liked the way the pictures look in black and white. There is a certain timeless look. I am looking forward to shooting more black and white film weddings this year. I just booked one where the couple really like black and white, so I am planning to shoot about half of the images with my pair of Leicas.

The goom got hoisted up onto a chair as his friends dance to the music and raised and lowered him up and down.

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Some of my favorite weddings were from the summer and here is a selection of some highlight photos from a wedding at the Seattle Tennis Club in August. I really love witnessing the dancing of the Hora. It often makes for such great photos as these two which I will start off this blog post with.

It is traditional at Jewish weddings to include a section of Hebrew music and dancing known as a ‘Hora’ which comprises a medley of popular Jewish tunes, including Hava Nagila (‘come let us be glad’), and Siman Tov U Mazleltov (‘may good luck come to us’).

During this section of the dancing it’s also traditional for the guests to dance together in a big circle, with the newly married couple hoisted into the air on chairs .

Wedding at The Seattle Tennis Club. First Look

Here is the groom getting the first look of his bride to be from all angles at the entrance to the Seattle Tennis Club on a extremely rare rainy Sunday in mid August. What a beautiful dress.

The bride and groom’s spirits remained high all day despite the fact that the wedding which was supposed to take place outside on the grass, got moved indoors due to the constant rain. We were hoping it would blow away but it never did. The chance of a sunny day for their date was supposed to be 99.7%.

The bride and groom’s spirits remained high all day despite the fact that the wedding which was supposed to take place outside on the grass, got moved indoors due to the rain all day.

The groom waits and watches as his bride comes walking down the aisle at the start of the ceremony at the Seattle Tennis Club

The bride get walked down the aisle with her father and mother at the Seattle Tennis Club.

The bride and groom exchange vows in a Jewish wedding ceremony in a Sunday wedding at the Seattle Tennis Club.

The bride and groom kiss near the end of the ceremony at the Seattle Tennis Club.

As the rabbi looks on, the traditional breaking of the glass marks the end of the Jewish wedding ceremony of Laura and Ezra.

The bride and groom during their first dance out on the dance floor just after they made their appearance at the reception. they look so great together out there.

The bride dances her first dance with her Dad, as a married daughter.

Another wonderful photo of the bride dancing with her dad surrounded by their family and friends all dancing.Wedding photography by wedding photographer Daniel Sheehan, a Seattle photographer who specializes in people and portraits and travels everywhere to shoot weddings in a photojournalist style that is real, straightforward, subtle and unobtrusive. Daniel was named among the best Seattle wedding photographers by the Wedding Photojournalists Association.

All photographs on this website are by Daniel Sheehan © 2010. All Rights Reserved. Please inquire for permission before using.