This sunny wedding glows with cheerful hues, from the bright sunflower bouquets to Alyson’s amazing green shoes! Alyson and Luke met in college at Seattle Pacific University, and after being friends for a few years, started dating. Their charming wedding took place in Centralia, Washington, in Luke’s parents’ backyard. I’m captivated by their joy and the homespun details such as wildflower-filled mason jars, coffee bean favors, and the bubble send-off at the end of the night! The woodland path where they had their “first look” before the ceremony was so romantic, and somewhat reminicent of where Luke asked Alyson to be his wife. Read below for their sweet proposal story.
The Proposal Story (From the Bride):
Luke had just gotten a raise at work. He asked me out for a nice dinner to “celebrate his raise” and then afterwards we were going to go over to some friends’ house for dessert. I had wanted him to come over earlier in the day so we had some extra time to hang out because I hadn’t seen him very much, and he kept saying he could only come over a half hour early or something, and I couldn’t see what else he possibly had planned that day. Anyway, he finally made it over to my house and we hung out for a bit. During this time I wanted to look at engagement rings with him some more (I knew we were planning on getting engaged at some point, but thought it was at least a few months away). He kept asking me all these questions about the different rings and pretending to be all interested. We went to dinner at this nice Italian restaurant, and I thought he was acting a little funny – being extra nice all night. I sort of wondered if he was proposing, but I knew he wouldn’t do it in a public restaurant, and we were going to see our friends after, so I put it out of my mind.
During dinner, he got a text (a fake text!) from our friends saying they were going out and would be a little late. So on the way home Luke suggested we stop at this park by his work, because it was on the way and we could walk around. It was a really cute little spot, there’s a bridge that goes over a lake and into a forested walkway. We walked along the path and he went ahead of me and was like “hold on” and fiddled with something. I was confused but didn’t really think about it. It turned out he was fiddling with a string of lights, and then they all lit up and there were Christmas lights in the trees which illuminated a little table set up nearby. I think I was in denial or something, because I still totally didn’t get it – I was just like, “oh, that’s really pretty!” then he started talking to me and saying all these sweet things, and all I could think was “If I get super excited right now and he’s not proposing, he’s going to think I’m really weird, so I have to keep a straight face.” FINALLY he got down on one knee so I knew it was happening, and asked me to marry him!
Most Memorable Wedding Day Moment:
I think there are two. Luke and I wrote each letters that his dad (who was officiating) read during the ceremony. It was really special and probably my favorite part of the ceremony, because it made it so personal. Second was during the reception, Luke and his brother and some friends played live music, which was incredibly fun, and they got really into it and did a great job!
Photography: Travis Lawton Photography / Venue: Private Residence (Centralia, WA) / Floral: Friend of the Family / Rentals: Special Event Rentals / Bride’s Dress: David’s Bridal / Bridesmaid Dresses: Modcloth + Torrid