Hanna + Andrew
Wedding Date:
August 24th, 2024
For Hanna, the perfect wedding wasn’t about sticking to her original Pinterest board—it was about holding tight to her non-negotiables: a place that felt meaningful and having her brother home from the Air Force to stand by her side. While her dream fjord wedding in Norway didn’t pan out, what came together instead was a celebration that felt even more personal: a cozy, beachside ceremony on Day Island with just 45 of their closest people, a view of the Tacoma Narrows bridge, and a flower girl who happened to be the daughter of her photographer—who also happened to be her groom’s ex-wife (proof that love stories don’t have to follow the rules to be beautiful).
From handmade food prepared by family, to octopus-lined fishing boots in honor of the local marine life, to tossing fish to seals in her gown, every detail of the day reflected their personalities. Things didn’t go perfectly—rain sprinkles, missing bouquets, forgotten dresses, and nerves running high—but Hanna wouldn’t have had it any other way. Those “chaotic” moments became the stories they’ll laugh about forever. With a father-daughter dance to Edelweiss, a surprise rescue of missing attire by friends flying in last-minute, and her brother home in his dress blues (even if his speech was hilariously terrible), the day was wholly, perfectly them.
What was the vision for your wedding?:
I had always dreamed of having my wedding along a special fjord in Norway, however, it didn't quite turn out like that! It's funny how everything changes once you actually get engaged. To me, the wedding didn't need to be some expensive blow-out celebration. I just needed my loved ones there. We actually had booked my dream Norway wedding where we would get married on that special fjord at the home of a family that I was an au pair for in 2016. Unfortunately, most of our loved ones wouldn't have been able to make it, and that just wasn't negotiable for us. The next plan was to have it at the family farm where my mom and I started a flower farm together. Sounds great right? Well, the dates didn't work out for when the flowers would be in bloom. Dang. So now my Pinterest board is all over the place while I'm getting suggestions for Norway, flower farms, and everything in between. At this point, I'm totally lost and disheartened, until our family friend offered up his home. Yay, the day is saved! Now just to find a photographer that doesn't absolutely break the budget. Well, no luck there. Until I remembered that my fiancé's ex-wife is a photographer. "Isn't that going to be weird?" you might ask? Nope, it wasn't in the slightest.
How did it go on the day-of?:
Fast forward just a couple of months and I'm getting married to the love of my life, on the west side of Washington where I grew up most of my life, on Day Island, on the beach, with a gorgeous view of the Tacoma Narrows bridge, and I have the most incredible pictures to prove it. That area is home to a large octopus sanctuary right there in front of the bridge, so of course I had to rock the Octopus lined fishing boots. Andrew (my fiancé) and Emily's (my photographer) daughter was our flower girl and it was just so magical. The wedding was small, about 45 people, but it was just how we wanted it. All of the food was made by my mom, my sister, and my brother-in-law and it was INCREDIBLE (thank you Brandon, Alise and mama). Highly recommended small food items as opposed to a sit down dinner, it allowed for conversation to keep flowing and we were able to avoid the dreaded seating chart. Of course not everything went to plan! We learned the day before that my sister had accidentally forgotten her bridesmaid dress and her shoes. My mom, siste, and her husband went to the rental car company, quickly added him to the contract and his plan was to drive over 5 hours BACK to north Spokane, sleep for two hours, and then drive all the way to Tacoma again in order to get the dress and shoes. I said hell no to that! It just wasn't worth it. We were saved by my maid of honor's husband who was able to pick up the items before they flew in to Seattle the day of the wedding (thank you Brando and Riley). Day of the wedding was absolute chaos, Andrew's panicking, no one knew when to walk down the aisle, no one remembered the boutonnieres, almost forgot the bouquets, it started sprinkling rain, and I'm trying not to black out from nerves. But it was PERFECT. These are the stories we remember from our wedding, that we can look back on and laugh about. From throwing fish to the seals in my wedding dress, to dancing to Edelweiss for my father-daughter dance, our wedding was so uniquely US and the people who were there made it special. My brother was able to come home from Korea and wear his dress blues which of course was the icing on the cake to a perfect day (until he told the worst best-man speech in history. Love you Bjorn!)
What is your #1 tip to future brides?:
Really understand what your non-negotiables are for your wedding. For me, I wanted to be married in a place that was special to me, and my brother had to be there. I would have had my wedding in the middle of January if that meant my brother could come home, everything else was unimportant. Knowing these non-negotiables, I was able to plan around them accordingly and that really helped with the vibe of the wedding (beachy) and the timeframe (whenever Bjorn could come home from the Air Force). You got this!
