David & Maureen!

I was honored to photograph David and Maureen's wedding on August 25, 2006 at The Hall at Fauntleroy.  Here is their story in David's words. 

 How we met!
I had tried online dating a couple of times with several websites, but kept getting tired of it.  I decided to cancel the subscriptions and forget about it as I was planning to go back to school, but I didn't cancel Match.com correctly.  It auto-renewed and I thought "oh well, let's see what happens." 

A few weeks later Maureen sent me a "wink."  Her profile intrigued me as I got a good sense of who she was, we enjoyed a lot of the same things, and she had attributes I was looking for (maturity, depth of personality, and a common faith).  After a few weeks of emails we met at Tully's in Ballard.  I had every intention of talking for about 30-45 minutes, then studying for the GRE, but two hours flew by and we had to go (her to a movie with a friend, me to move my car). 

 

We had been dating about two weeks when I asked her out to dinner and to walk a dog with me that I was watching for a coworker.  She said yes, and so I came to pick her up right after work.  Now for work I generally wore button-down or polo shirts and nice pants, and I didn't bother to go home and change - I had to go pick up flowers from the Flower Lady (just south of the University Bridge - they make the BEST flower arrangments!).  I show up at her door, thinking I'm quite the suave guy giving her flowers.  She opens the door and has a strange look on her face, and I thought "oh crap, too much too soon...."  The whole night was off, and I was sure I had screwed up and maybe damaged what was just starting to blossom between us.  Turns out that she thought that I had forgotten to tell her we were going somewhere really nice for dinner and she felt underdressed and self-conscious.  We straightened it out the next day, and referred to it as "the flower date" (which was renamed to "the dog-walking date" after we got engaged).  Goes to show you that good communication is essential, both regularly and after confusion!
 

Our engagement
I knew that given the unpredictable weather in Seattle in March, the best place to propose would beTully’s where we first met, preferably just after they closed so we didn’t have a bunch of onlookers. So given that, I had to figure out how to arrange our evening such that we would nonchalantly be walking by at the right time. I came up with a brilliant plan (actually several as I am the consummate planner, but I’ll give you the final version and the way it played out).

 

 

After attending a hockey game on a Friday night, I asked her to describe her ideal coffee experience – what kind of cup? What kind of drink? Who would it be with? After she answered (all the while with a puzzled look on her face).  I told her that the next day we were going to go to Glazed and Amazed to paint coffee mugs, which we did. They were ready on Thursday, but she was expecting that we would pick them up on Saturday March 4th (we have coffee on Saturday mornings). On Friday March 3rd, I went and picked them up and delivered them, a vase of tulips, a candle, and a camera to the Tully’s where we met (when I asked if I could do this, one female barista just melted and wished she could be working that night).  I then went and picked her up and we went to her favorite restaurant (Ray’s Boathouse Café).

 

The next step in the original plan called for going back to my place for a video or game or reading or talking, but she emailed me earlier in the day saying she was tired – I didn’t want her to fall asleep, so after quick consultation with a couple of women at work, I came up with Plan 2.2, also known as the Seattle/Bainbridge ferry run. Unfortunately, we got out of Ray’s a bit later than planned, so by the time we got to the waterfront there wasn’t enough time to park and catch the ferry. So it was on to Plan 2.3. We parked back at my place, then went to the top of the Space Needle (I was afraid I was wearing her out even more!). We got back to my place about 9:20, and we were back on track for Plan 2.1 – a visit to Ben and Jerry’s in Ballard, which is a few doors down from Tully’s. We had ice cream, then started walking back to the car. Much to my dismay, even though it was after 10 there were still people in Tully’s!

 

We walked up to order (very very slowly – I didn’t see the table set), and the girl told everyone that was milling around that they were closed. So we ordered drinks – decaf given the hour. She said they would be ready in a minute, so I suggested we go sit down. Maureen was a little confused (if they were closed, why were we going to sit?), but taking her by the hand I led her over toward the table they had with the tulips and candle, where the light quickly dawned (she was expecting it on Saturday apparently). They brought us hot chocolate in our mugs, and then left us alone for a bit. What I said is between Maureen and me, although I will tell you that I got down on one knee when I proposed (and they took pictures for us, though not like Cory's!).

 

Our wedding
They say you never remember your wedding day - the guests there, the pastor's message, what you ate.  I can tell you that despite my best efforts, that is all true (except Cory took great pictures of the food and guests, so I can remember that way). 

 

What I can remember is going out to the front of the Hall at Fauntleroy where we had decided we wanted to meet before the ceremony, and waiting with nervous anticipation.  Shortly I could hear voices and the rustling of her dress.  Then, there she was - my beautiful bride.  I knew Cory and Matt were taking pictures, but they weren't there - it was just Maureen and me, on the steps under the trees.  There was no one else on this earth except us two, at least for the next 10 minutes. 

 

What followed was many family photos and managing to make small talk with family and friends.  All the little details came together so well, and our vendors were so professional even if they experienced a glitch (thanks to our wedding coordinator too!).  The wedding started and Pastor Kelly and I went down the aisle.  It was such a joy to see family and friends there who had flown in, even cutting short other trips to be there and witness our marriage.  My groomsmen came down with the bridesmaids - these guys and their friendship had meant so much to me over the years.  And then, the song - Purcell's Trumpet Voluntary.  For a moment I thought I was going to cry with joy and excitement as I watched her walk down the aisle on the arm of her dad (I regained my composure, but never lost the smile or sense of wonder). 

 

The next few hours flew by, with dinner (Tuxedos and Tennis Shoes!), great music (Emcee Entertainment - I interviewed 5-6 DJ's and was most impressed with Gary both before and after), cake (Madeleine's European Cakes - the BEST tasting and looking wedding cake, hands down!), and dancing (and before I forget, Floressence did a great job with flower arranging and positioning - we didn't need to provide any direction as she knew what to do!).  Our first dance was to Pink Martini's "Amado Mio" - a special song because of the lyrics and because it was after a PM concert that I first told her I loved her.  Guys, you need to learn to dance (check out Washington Dance Club) - our first dance was a rumba, and it was a HUGE hit.  Besides, it is fun, romantic, and gets you exercise (and you can dance with your bride until you are at the end of your twilight years).  The next thing I know it was time to leave (a towncar from BMC Limo). 

 

It was a memorable day, and we received many complements on the ceremony, food, flowers, and music - and thanks to Cory and Matt we can now remember it!

 

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This article is written by zocy002 on 2010-8-2 on coach bags