Marybeth + Sean
Wedding Date & Location:
September 20, 2024 in Issaquah, WA
MaryBeth threw beige to the wind and created a wedding that was as bold, playful, and personal as she and Sean. On the very last day of summer, they swapped muted tones for a riot of vibrant colors bridging summer and fall. Every detail had a wink of fun—from custom crossword programs and a rotary-phone guestbook to a flash pickleball match during the first dance, Chick-fil-A for dinner, a donut wall bursting with color, and a send-off shower of mini pickleballs.
Because she works in event planning, MaryBeth over-communicated every detail ahead of time so she could relax and let friends and family (their self-made “vendor team”) run the show. The payoff? A seamless, joy-filled day in perfect 65-degree sunshine. Their first look at the altar made for emotional photos, cocktail hour gave them a breather together, and the crowd-surfing finale—in matching Nike sweats—sealed the night.
Her takeaway for other brides? Pause and soak it in. She wishes she’d taken more time to look around at the details she worked so hard on—and definitely hire a videographer to capture it all!
What was the vision for your wedding?:
I wanted it to be fun and colorful! Since it was the last day of summer, I wanted to scratch the beige trend and go with vibrant colors that meshed summer and fall. Incorporating little pops of fun details throughout the wedding was a goal of mine so we included a custom crossword on the programs, a rotary phone guestbook from After the Tone, a flash-pickleball game during our first dance, Chick-fil-A for dinner, a colorful donut wall, and a dangerous send off with a bunch of mini pickleballs. I really wanted the first look to be at the altar. I knew it would make things a bit harder, but it was something I always wanted. My actual job is event planning so I'm used to the day of craziness. But it was difficult to take a step back and let everyone else do everything while I was getting ready. A lot of work went into over communicating what I wanted so that I could just relax the day of and trust my friends and family that were running the show! The wedding was mainly done without many vendors. The only "vendors" we hired were our photographer, Katie Wilke, Chick-fil-A (which was dropped off), and Top Pot Doughnuts (which were picked up). Our family and friends did everything to set up and serve. It was a huge blessing to have them all help out.
How did it go on the day-of?:
I had big ideas for the wedding that some people may think to be ridiculous. But I wanted it to be fun. Adding personal touches like a pickleball match or the love of Chick-fil-A was a huge hit. Although it felt crazy at some times, it was super fun planning a wedding that was a bit outside of the box. Our first look was at the altar which was super fun. Although it made logistics slightly more difficult, it was totally worth it. We had a cocktail hour in between so Sean and I were able to spend some alone time, as well as complete all our photos with the bridal party and the families. Plus our photographer Katie Wilke is a rockstar and got through the photos in no time. I was nervous about the weather, considering it was Western Washington. But the weather could not have been MORE PERFECT. 65 degrees and sunny. Not too hot, not too cold, all you needed was a light jacket... or some sleeves on your wedding dress. We prepped all the cocktail appetizers a couple of nights before the wedding and I had some friends assemble and serve them. That worked really well. Chick-fil-A was amazing. They were there on time (I was nervous about Seattle traffic) and everything was still warm! We had a friend emcee, who had emceed several weddings and he was really really great. He kept things on schedule and moving, and was a super fun personality. Although I knew the ins and outs of the day, everything was a blur in the moment and it was wonderful to have someone who was so on top of things to keep us on track. For music, I created a playlist for every single portion of the wedding. We didn't have a DJ, rather we had a friend be in charge of it all. I had one playlist for the prelude, one for the ceremony (processional and recessional), one for the cocktail hour, one for the dinner, one for dances, and one for THE dancing. They helped our friend keep track of when and what he needed to play. Although I didn't want to change out of my BEAUTIFUL dress, We did decide to end the night in black and white Nike sweats. Much to our surprise, after we had changed and right before the send off, our emcee made us do one more dance, which then ended up being a crowd surfing experience for my husband and I (I was thankful for those sweatpants then!). My bright idea for the send off was to let our guests lightly toss mini pickleballs at us while we were leaving. I should have known that people wouldn't lightly toss them at us but rather pelt us. Made it all the more memorable though :)
What is your #1 tip to future brides?:
Whatever you do, please take a minute to look around and take in the wedding. People recommended I do that and I totally forgot and I feel like there were lots of things I missed! I wish I would have taken a second to look at the details. The tables, the food, the dessert... it's all a blur! It was overwhelmingly beautiful in the moment! Also, hire a videographer. We didn’t and we wish we did!
