Taylor and Shella’s Beautiful Backyard Wedding in Washington by The Crawfords Photography

Today I am taking you to Washington for glorious wedding of Taylor and Shella were married on 9th September 2023 in Olympia. These two beautiful brides wanted to make their wedding totally their own, so they got to planning the wedding themselves and enlisted the help of friends and family along the way. They were lucky enough to hold a backyard wedding, so they were able to do things exactly the way they wanted, making it totally personal to them. The wedding is full of special moments, so much love and tenderness and a really warm and loving feeling between, not just the two brides, but the guests as well. Big thanks to The Crawfords Photography for capturing the day for us.

Vannessa The photographer tells us more

When Taylor and Shella first reached out, we were immediately struck by how crafty and resourceful these two ladies are. They wanted to forgo a wedding planner and design every element of their day so it felt completely true to them. The ability to have the patience with one another and the willingness to take on such a big project together was our first indication of the deep love they have for one another.

The beautifully serene venue they selected included 14 acres of gorgeous private property, a treehouse as the bridal suite, and woods to explore. With their favourite humans finally all together in one place, these two wanted to celebrate as long as possible, so they made their day an overnight camping adventure.

To start the day off, Taylor got ready in the gorgeous, rustic treehouse while Shella got ready in the home that was on the grounds. When it was finally time for the two of them to see each other, we walked over the the edge of the woods where the warm September golden hour was already settling through the trees. Shella’s reaction to Taylor was filled with such genuine happiness and love that their friends who were sneaking a peek from the balcony of the treehouse started to tear up.
After their first look, the ladies shared a private moment between just the two of them to read their heartful vows to one another. We love this idea and always recommend incorporating it into the wedding timeline for couples who are sharing their big moments with all of their guests, but still want to have a more intimate moment together as well.

With the kindest words, and a few tears, still in their hearts from their vows, Taylor and Shella were now ready to make their way over to where their families were eagerly waiting for them at the ceremony spot. Walking hand in hand down the aisle together, they were led by their flower girl grandmothers. The reaction from their guests was absolute joy and lots of giggles as well. Their grandmothers wore soft pastel dresses, along with huge smiles, as they sprinkled flowers all the way down the aisle.
A close friend to them was their officiant and told stories of their love for one another as they held hands, looking deeply into each other’s eyes. After sealing their union with a kiss, they walked back down the flower covered aisle, hand in hand now married! They signed their marriage license and then we snuck off for some beautiful golden hour sunset photos before it dipped behind the woods completely.

When dusk settled in, we went deep into the woods where they had a beautiful Victorian style couch waiting for them and their whole wedding party. With string lights in the trees and a little help from some soft off camera flash, we had a ton of fun creating night time wedding party portraits.

Then the party started! These two not only planned an amazing buffet style meal and dessert for their guests, but they also managed to have a musician from the TV show “The Voice” there to play music for them! Taylor even jumped on stage at one point and serenaded Shella while she danced under the stars.

Their love story was told so beautiful on their wedding day and always stayed at the forefront of everything they did. We are so grateful they chose us to document their story!