My Photography Obsession

Since I had been completely immersed in the wedding planning world for over a year by the time Nate and I were engaged, I had countless planning ideas floating around my head from engagement day 1. One of the things I had spent a fair amount of time researching was Yakima area photographers. My family has hired both Memory Montage Productions and Stone Castle at two different times, I knew quite a few people who booked Michael Fisk as their wedding photographer, and my best friend hired Parson’s Photography (just to name a very select few).

Over a year ago, I saw an engagement session that blew my mind...and it was done by a photographer I had not stalked investigated yet! My favorite part of photography is when the photographer can go beyond excellent shots and really capture personalities. The engagement shoot was of two people I knew - and what made it so incredible, was that it captured their personalities better than I had ever seen.  And that my friends, is when Jennifer Dagdagan became the love of my life.

I then featured her work on my other blog (Love Made Visible), time and time again being blown away by her family, engagement, and wedding shoots all the same. Jenny is primarily a family photographer, taking only  a few weddings a year. She doesn't take the same pictures over and over, she thinks outside the box, focuses more on people than making people fit her vision, and let me just say she is one of the coolest chicks to hang with. My friend Katelyn (whose engagement session started my Jenny obsession), said "Jennifer is absolutely amazing and has the best personality for a photographer, she makes everything feel so comfortable!". 


So long introduction short, booking Jenny as our wedding photographer was a no-brainer. 

Fast forward a couple months to November and my parents were throwing us an incredible engagement dinner at The Carousel - and so I invited Jenny and her husband Larry to come along. She, being the incredibly rad lady she is, of course came, enjoyed the delicious meal, and snapped some pictures for us. What?! Jenny quality pictures of my engagement party? Someone pinch me, she is too good to be true!

As if  I could love her any more, less than a month after our beautiful engagement party, I got a disk with these pictures -







 haha, Jenny caught me not really loving  the escargot.


 Nate and I 

 My best friend Megan and I 

And of course, the yummy food!

So there you have it! A formal introduction with our wedding photographer/love of my life/raddest chick ever : Jennifer Dagdagan!

Disclaimer : I cannot be held responsible if you have now formed an irreversible photography obsession and start stalking her work. Don't feel bad, it happened to me too.

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For a very extensive list of area photographers, check out YVB  - photography

The Venue

Okay, where did I leave off in my story? (I promise we are almost getting caught up to real time planning!) Oh yeah! Armed with two possible wedding dates and our budget for the reception venue, Nate and I set off to Yakima not really planning on booking a reception site, but wanting to look at some options. We after all, had (and still have!) plenty of time.

You may notice that I am only referring to a reception venue - so, where is our ceremony to take place?? I am lucky enough to be very connected to a church in Yakima. And by very connected, I  mean that my Dad is the pastor - so our ceremony location was a no-brainer. We are having our wedding ceremony at Mountianview Christian Fellowship (unless we can't fit 250-275 chairs in the sanctuary, but thats a whole other blog post).

I had originally thought that a Yakima vineyard wedding reception would be great - perfect views, Yakima wine, it sounds ideal! - and there are quite a few beautiful wineries in the valley that do host weddings. For instance, Fontaine Estates Winery, Hyatt Vineyards, and Maison de Padgett Winery.  I also wrote down some non-wineries on our "list of reception sites to check out" - like Apple Tree and Cascade Gardens.

But lets go over some venue basics first before I get too far - here are some questions to ask:
  1. Do they have your date available? What is their max. capacity? Don't book a site thats too small, unless you are willing to do some major guest list editing. 
  2. Do you have to use their caterer or can you bring in your own? Often you can save money by being able to hire your own catering company. 
  3. What is their policy on alcohol? Wine and Beer only? Do they have a liquor licence or do you need to get your own? Can you bring your own alcohol in? Again, this can be a way to save some money if you are able to bring in your own. Although the convenience of food + alcohol packages can be very appealing. 
  4. Set up and clean up - does their staff take care of that for you? Do they have any rentals available such as tables, chairs, flatware, and tableware? 
  5. What are the available hours the day of your wedding? When would you be able to get into the site and when would you have to leave your reception by? Do they charge a fee for going late into the evening? 
  6. What type (if any) restrictions do they have? Some venues don't allow open flames, certain decorations, etc. Make sure you know what you can and cant bring into the site. 
  7. How about parking? Or handicap accessible bathrooms? Think of your guests! 
Okay, back to the story. Since I was leaning towards a vineyard reception, we (Nate, myself, my Mom, and Dad) drove to those sites first. I had emailed them ahead of time, letting them know we would be stopping by to check it out. All three of the wineries we visited were absolutely gorgeous - Maison de Padgett was setting up for a wedding that afternoon so it was great to really be able to see what our reception would look like and Fontaine Estates even let us sample some of their wines! All four of us really liked all the wineries, but nothing really blew us away. None of them were perfect for us. Running out of energy, we decided to head back into Yakima and have some lunch and talk over what we had seen. 

Over lunch, my Dad mentions a new location that although he nor my Mom had never seen (and I had never heard of), some of their friends had driven past and thought it was gorgeous. It was brand new, along the canyon river, and maybe we should drive past just to see. It couldn't hurt right? 

Dad: "Maybe its called something different, but it's connected to Red's Fly Shop."
Kalea: "I refuse to write "Red's Fly Shop" on our wedding invitations!"

But I agreed to see it, nonetheless. 

I think before we even got out of the car at the Lodge at Canyon River Ranch, we all knew it was The One


"Located between Yakima and Ellensburg, Washington, east of the Cascade range in the center of Washington state, the 15-mile Yakima River Canyon is one of the country’s most scenic and diverse natural areas. Canyon River Ranch is located 13 miles south of Ellensburg along SR 821, a designated Scenic Corridor. Less than a two-hour drive from Seattle, the area is known for the range of activities it provides, from wine tasting to river rafting. This unique private property provides over 1,000 feet of private waterfront, your own vineyard, and spectacular canyon vistas."

Not to be completely cheesy, but once we walked around The Lodge, chatted with their staff, and viewed one of the 10 condos - it was clear that it was everything we could have ever imagined in a reception site. It has incredible views of the rolling Yakima hills and the river, it has this amazing upscale, yet comfortable outdoor rustic feel, we can easily fit our large guest list, there are no restrictions on catering, alcohol, decorations, time, etc, and best of all, we rented all 10 of the 2-bedroom condos for Friday and Saturday night of our wedding weekend so that all of our immediate family and bridal party can stay on-site. Its everything we could have ever dreamed of. And I don't have to write Red's Fly Shop on our wedding invitations!!

The only downside, is that there are no rentals included in the site fee. They mentioned that maybe by the time we have our wedding they may have some tables and chairs available, but we can't count on that. This means we will be renting everything - from tables and chairs to plates and knives - and although this is not only an added expense but also an added hassle, the Lodge is still worth it in our minds.

We then sat down (at the lodge) and picked our wedding date so that we could reserve the site - and we decided on June 2nd, 2012! So that was that - we had our reception venue picked out over 18 months in advance. Its just like what they say, when you know, you know

How did you pick your wedding reception site?? Did you just know

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And as always, for more ideas check out the Yakima Bride Magazine's list of Ceremony and Reception Sites

The Date

You undoubtedly hear (or  heard) this all the time : 
"Congratulations! When is the big day?"

This can be the most annoying part of the first two weeks of your engagement. Everyone will ambush you with questions. When?! Where!?! You want to soak in the happiness; everyone wants details. A general response can be that you are just “taking things slow”. There is no need to know your wedding date 2 minutes after that gorgeous ring is on your finger.


Don't know where to start in picking your date? The average U.S. engagement is 16 months - some couples can knock all the planning out in 6 months, some take closer to a year, and some (like me) choose a ridiculously long engagement of almost 2 years. The general recommendation when choosing your wedding date is to narrow it down to a few date options (even just a specific month!). That way when you are venue shopping, you have a bit more freedom. Be flexible about your date and remember to compromise. 
  • You have more options the longer your engagement is. If you have a two-year engagement, you’ll have first dibs on your ideal weekend, time of year, reception hall, photographer, etc. 
  • With a longer engagement you can save money - if times are lean and you’re shouldering the bill, then a long engagement will let you save up some cash.
  • How about getting married on the date your eyes first met, on the date you officially became a couple, or on your grandparents' or parents' anniversary?
  • "Budget may affect your choice. June, August, and September are the most popular times to marry, so, prices are inevitably higher. But if, for example, you're planning a wedding in January, March, or December, it may cost less because 50 other couples aren't lined up behind you offering to pay top dollar. Days of the week also matter: Saturday nights carry a hefty price tag, but marry during the week and the world is your oyster (venues may even bid against each other to get your business)! " via The Knot
  • Which season is your favorite? Have you always dreamed of a snowy white candlelit wedding? Or what are your favorite flowers or colors? Do you love deep reds, oranges, greens, and browns? Then Fall might be perfect for your wedding. 

When Nate and I sat down to talk over a few wedding date options (I won't lie, this conversation happened before we were engaged), I knew one thing for sure : We must get married in the spring time so that I can have heaps and heaps of peonies. You see, peonies are not what you could call an "affordable flower" and I am what you could describe as "obsessively in love with peonies", so I knew if I stood any chance of surrounding myself with these gorgeous blooms on our wedding day, I'd have to walk down the aisle in their blooming season.
(Ever since this BRIDES magazine issue hit the shelves in July 2008 , I've had my sights set on a bouquet of fuchsia peonies) 

Since I knew I wanted a Spring wedding, from there we narrowed it down based on school/family schedules. Run your date options by most of your Very Important People - parents, siblings, maybe even some of the bridal party - and make sure your date works for everyone. As I mentioned earlier, Nate is in law school full time so we needed to plan a wedding date for after his graduation. My friend Andrea just planned her wedding around her husbands navy deployment schedule. Do what makes sense to you. 

Long story short, Nate and I narrowed our wedding date down to two possible weekends - Memorial Day weekend (the last weekend in May) or June 2nd, 2012. I liked the idea of having our wedding on a three day weekend because a majority of our guests will be coming from out of town, but we were hesitant to interfere with our guests' holiday plans. Armed with our wedding budget and two potential dates, we shopped for The Venue. 
How did you narrow down your wedding date? 

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The Budget

Bride or Beggar?

Money can be an uncomfortable subject. Unfortunately, your wedding budget needs to be one of the first decisions made once your're engaged because it is the determining factor for the shape, size and fanfare of your wedding. I will agree, gracefully asking your parents to contribute financially to wedding expenses can be a little awkward - especially when on average, couples that have their wedding in Yakima spend between $16,786 and $27,976 (Cost of Wedding).  It can be even more nerve racking if your parents have not said a word about making any contributions. Naturally, you do not want to be in limbo wondering how much you will be able to spend on your wedding, so the sooner you do ask, the easier it will be to start your planning. 

But, before you actually beg for money, take a second to think about your parents financial situation. If you and your fiancĂ© make a combined $180,000 but your Dad scrapes by as a plumber, does it make sense to even ask? If thats the case, it may be a better idea to ask for one symbolic financial gesture so that he is filled with pride but not left in the poorhouse: “Dad, it would mean the world to us if you could take care of the cake” Use your judgment when talking money

"When you do get together with your mom and dad, let them know the type of wedding you envision, how much you think it will cost and what you and your fiancé can afford to spend. Ask your parents if they had planned to help out in any way. And make sure they understand that your intention is not to embarrass or pressure them, but to determine if you need to alter your plans to accommodate a smaller (or maybe even larger!) budget. How they respond depends upon their financial status and personal beliefs. Let them know that any amount offered is appreciated." (via Bridal Guide)


Phew. The awkward conversation is over and you have a wedding budget - now what? 

1. Make a priority list of which wedding elements are most important to you (for example : catering, gown, and/or photography). It's so worth it to create a good, flexible budget that keeps you reined in, yet still able to spend a little more than you planned for here and there without a ton of guilt. The best budgets are just there to guide you, not make you feel guilty or stressed...they're designed to keep you from losing control.


2. One helpful tool I found is The Knot's online budgeter. I plugged in my wedding budget and a rough estimate of how many guests I thought we may be inviting - and poof! I had a wedding budget, broken down by item. For me, this was a great frame of reference when vendor and venue shopping. I tweaked the amounts here and there according to our priorities,  but the budgeter tool was a fantastic starting point. I then made my own excel spreadsheet with The Knot estimates and started on to wedding task #2 - The Venue and The Date.

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