Rachel Bayne Photography

It was a hot day in August when Michelle and Derrick were married in Everett at Iglesia Ni Cristo, Church of Christ, where Derrick is the choir director and Michelle is the oragnist. They have known each other a good part of their lives and their families and friends couldn’t have been more excited for them to be married! After the ceremony we all went to Bellingham for the reception at the Best Western Lakeway Inn. Kim Zylstra of The Backyard Gardener did an amazing job with the flowers and the Caribbean themed food done by the chefs at the hotel was so delicious! Friend’s of Michelle and Derrick sang and played guitar to entertain the guests… Its amazing how talented this group of friends and family are! The night ended with guests pinning money on Michelle’s dress and Derrick’s suit. It was fun watching their guests outdo each other with creative ways of pinning the money!

The ring barer smells the delicious cake!Michelle’s dad gives his toast…Derrick’s brother gives his toast…

Sarah was referred to me by one of her best friends who happens to one of my former brides! Referrals are the best complement I could ever get…

Sarah and her groom, Eddie, held their wedding at one of my favorite venues, Evergreen Gardens, which is just north of Bellingham, Wa. I always seem to be saying I had a blast at my weddings but Eddie and Sarah’s bridal party and their son Noah made this one extra fun. Noah is just awesome. He made up so many crazy dance moves and was having so much fun. He even made his own toast and said that his mommy’s wedding was pretty. Such a sweetheart! Haggen’s Market Street Cafe did a fantastic job with the food and cake.

All my best to Sarah, Eddie and Noah!

Eddie and Sarah’s son, Noah!I always love the moments right after a couple is married and nobody else is watching but me.

S’mores!!!Check out Noah and his dance moves in the background…Below is some of Noah’s awesome dance moves… first up: “wide stance with arm rolls”the “robot”the “karate chop”the “piano”the “i don’t know”the “point”

It was such a pleasure to photograph Joy and Donna’s beautiful Lummi Island wedding. Of all that sun we had in July and August, the weather gods just had to pick their wedding day to rain. It was a bummer for sure, but thankfully they both had a great attitude about it and were fine being in the rain and even wanted to take a short hike to get some fun beach photos. Joy and Donna each have four kids who stood up with them at the ceremony. It was so great seeing how happy they were with their moms getting married! The ceremony was held at Lummi Island’s Congregational Church, cocktail hour at Donna’s dad’s home, then over to the grange hall for the reception. Thankfully the rain subsided so everyone could go out and dance! Congratulations to Joy, Donna, and their kids!

Joy’s son did a pretty good job tying his tie by himself!Donna walks down the aisle with her youngest son…and Joy is walked down the aisle by her youngest son…Joy’s son sings a song during the ceremony…Donna’s daughter blows on two little boxes with butterflies in them to wake them up…The pastor of the Lummi Island Congregational Church is surprised to see where one of the butterflies have landed!The whole family!I’m not sure how they found two different brand of shoes to match so well!Donna’s shirt had a quote from the Beatle’s “Let it Be” on her shirt…The strings coming out the sides of the cake had charms attached to them for each of the kids, Joy and Donna. They just had to pull the strings and suck the frosting off. Cool idea!Joy, Donna and some of the wedding party arrive to the reception on a horse-drawn carriage…This dog hung around the reception for food scraps and a little love…How cute is the ring barer?Bridesmaids having fun giving the toasts…Joy and Donna have two sets of rings…Donna dances with her dad…

I couldn’t have asked for a better couple to photograph for my second wedding in two days! Maiya and Nick found me through my Seattle Met Bride & Groom magazine ad… I *love* that magazine. Even if I wasn’t in the biz I’d still buy every issue.

Their wedding was held in La Conner at the unique “At The Quarry” and the unbelievable food was done by Pacific Grill Events & Catering. Nick is a chef and works for Rational Ovens, which was used to cook the food for his guests. It was truly amazing!

I’ve never been to a wedding where the dancing, full on dancing, started before the bride and groom’s first dance! Even DJ Mike was shocked but went with it and cranked the music up. Both Nick and Maiya’s family’s were laughing and having a great time the entire night.

Maiya, an Everett Police detective, has a bit of OCD, as Nick would say, which played well into planning a wedding. Every detail was precise and beautiful. Thanks to both of you for an amazing day. I hope your camping trip is fun!

Maiya’s sister, Malia, uses a crochet needle to do the buttons on the back of her dress…Malia dusts Maiya with sparkle powder…Maiya gave her bridesmaids gifts enclosed in this super fun box from Plain Mary…The many sides of Nick…Maiya’s dad, whose footsteps Maiya followed when she became a police officer, playfully frisks Nick before he sees Maiya…Hmmmmm…. I wonder what Mike, the best man, could be frantically looking for…First look!It was Nick’s idea to do the “Run DMC” style photo with pretty much everyone!Oh hey… there’s Mike… looks like he found what he dropped! Maiya and Nick’s rings had fallen out of his pocket and he was looking for them for at least 10 minutes!Maiya’s parents walk her to meet Nick…Looks like Mike held the rings tight until he needed to give them to the officiant…The “Run DMC” pose makes another appearance…Check out this amazing food… they even did sliders and mac n’ cheese for the kids…They had “321 Foto’s” photo booth at the reception…Maiya gave all the kids who came to the wedding a bucket filled with fun toys…Dancing before the first dance!Some after toast portraits…“All the single ladies, all the single ladies…”This woman snagged the bouquet from a kid, then ran a victory lap around the reception!Nick was victorious in getting Maiya’s garter!Nick’s dad gave everyone a laugh with his photo booth prop outfit…Malia had a bit of an accident involving a viking helmet, a glass of wine, and this guest’s white dress!

This post is in memory of Allison’s best friend, Etta Turner.

Allison and Greg are high school sweethearts. When asked Greg if he was nervous he said he wasn’t nervous at all because he’s loved Allison for eight years and was ready to get married. They have a beautiful baby girl named Laila who you will see below. Their July wedding was held at the Zuanich Boathouse on beautiful Squalicum Harbor in Bellingham. The weather was picture perfect and the bridal party was so much fun! Before the ceremony I photographed Greg rewording his vows. He had written four pages! He is never short on words so it was no surprise to Allison that his vows were three pages longer then hers. Photo booth photos will be coming soon!

I hope you’re having fun in Cancun!

I’ve never heard of this before, but its called Lady Anti Monkey Butt! You rub it between your thighs (or other areas!) to keep them dry. This would be especially helpful while wearing a wedding dress!

Here Allison’s sister Kellie applies the Anti Monkey Butt powder to her…

Allison’s best friend’s mom lights a candle in memory of those who were not able to attend the ceremony. Allison’s best friend, Etta Turner, died in 2002.Allison and Greg’s daughter Laila with her grandma at the ceremony…

Allison and her dad surprised everyone with a choreographed father/daughter dance!