* Alyssa, Program Coordinator in a Medical Clinic & Kyle, IT Engineer * Photographer: JayLee Photography * Soundtrack for reading: “The Best is Yet to Come” by Michael Bublé *
One sentence sum up of the wedding vibe: One part traditional wedding, one part homemade craftiness, two parts: LET’S GO TO THE ZOO!—served over candlelight.
The Info—Photographer: JayLee Photography / Venue: Woodland Park Zoo / Cupcake Tower: Trophy Cupcakes (“Seriously the best cupcakes in Seattle.”) / Decorations: Handmade by the couple with glassware from Ikea, origami paper from Daiso, hanging lanterns and manzanita branches from Save on Crafts and odds and ends from Target / Alyssa’s Gown: David’s Bridal with some miraculous alterations done on-site (“The only dress they had with that design in the entire country was four sizes too large, we still aren’t sure how they brought it down that much, but it was amazing.”) / Alyssa’s Shawl: Knitted herself with yarn from The Weaving Works / Alyssa’s Shoes: $12 sandals from Amazon (“Seriously.”) / Kyle’s Suit: Suit Supply / Kyle’s Pocket Square: Brooks Brothers / Kyle’s Shoes: Allen Edmonds, thrifted / Kyle’s Tie: Traditional wedding tie from Kent Wang, an engagement gift from his father / Flowers: An engagement gift from Alyssa’s mother: a beautiful set of hair clips, boutonniere, and bouquet from Blue Petyl made of buttons and fabric flowers, including some from Alyssa’s mother’s own wedding dress
Other cool stuff we should know about: As you can tell from the photos we had our wedding at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, Washington. Alyssa lived not far from the zoo when we first started dating so it became an important touchstone in our early relationship, and we were very glad to use it as the backdrop of our wedding. We chose not to have any attendants and walked in together instead of the bride being “given away.”
Paper cranes folded by Alyssa were the main decoration; some were gathered into bowls with candles as centerpieces while others were strung onto ribbon as garlands to decorate pathways. We still keep some of the garland hanging in our house as a keepsake, and several friends and family members took strands home as well. In lieu of a traditional wedding cake and guest book we had a cupcake tower and a wishing tree, also made by us! Guests wrote greetings and wishes and hung them on the branches of the tree making for a unique keepsake.
Favorite thing about the wedding: Alyssa: My favorite was having Mac, my younger brother, do the ceremony. That and having all our friends and family in the same place at the same time. It was the first meeting for many of them and it was wonderful.
Kyle: My favorite part was actually before the wedding. One of the benefits of the zoo was being able to wander the grounds in our wedding finery as it was closing but before the ceremony started. It made for some great pictures, amazing memories, and more well wishes from other visitors than we knew what to do with.
