Dawning a black wedding dress, this bride celebrates her special day with a bit of edge and Fall flair. We chatted with the photographer, Emma Lee, to get the inside scoop for how this inspiring Seattle rooftop elopement came together.

DID: How did this styled shoot first get started (who contacted who to get the ball rolling?)
Emma: I approached The Eventists about doing a styled shoot. After the stressful year we had, I felt like I hadn’t done anything creative in a long time and was itching to do something fun. The Eventists was the first vendor I reached out to – I love working with them! From there we knew we wanted to do an urban location and Hotel Sorrento was perfect.

DID: What was the inspiration for the theme/style of the shoot? How did the location of the shoot influence it?
Emma: I really wanted to do a shoot with a black dress! When I looked at Pinterest and other inspiration, all the weddings I saw with black dresses had the same color schemes, which I wanted to avoid. I wanted to do something warmer to go with all the ‘fall vibes’ I was feeling. Angela from The Eventists took my idea and ran with it, creating the color palette and textures we used.

DID: Tell us about the ceremony look. What elements were included and why?
Emma: 
We knew that we were utilizing a venue that already had a dream backdrop, the city of Seattle. We knew we didn’t want something that was going to compete with that element so we kept the floral arrangements low. Seattle in the fall time is inevitably grey. We thought the bright and full-bodied colors of the flowers would provide a stark contrast, making it pop even more.

DID: Tell us about the reception look. What elements were included and why? 
Emma: We wanted the reception space to accompany all things fall. We chose a patterned tablecloth because it can feel so far from the “norm.” From there we chose warm statement pieces to create quite a full tablescape. We are huge fans of texture and creating something that you need to take a few minutes to digest. We love to intertwine elegance within bold statements, which you can see take place in this look. We also wanted to add a fun element to the reception, that was solely for the couple. So we brought in the cigar bar as a fun activity for them! When you elope you miss out on some traditions, like bouquet toss or toasts, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have some fun element to celebrate!

DID: How did the team of vendors work together?
Emma: We worked together so well! We really wanted to work around sunset, so we had limited time to do both the ceremony shots, and flip it for the reception events. Working together and coming together got everything done in a timely way!

DID: What was your favorite part of the shoot and why?
Emma: I loved the cigar bar! I think there is so much emphasis on ceremony location when people think about eloping, that they forget they can have a reception too! I think this was a great way to remind couples to have fun when planning their elopement and to remind them to plan something fun for their celebration. I also really loved the location we chose. So many people think of mountains and being out in nature when eloping, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Hop on a plane and visit a cool city!

Vendors: Photography: Emma Lee Photography; Planning/Styling: The Eventists; Floral Designer: Bond in Bloom; Venue: Hotel Sorrento; Officiant: Rev. Ray Van Winkle; Black Dress: Shona Joy; Cake: From V With Love; Cigar Bar: San Juan Cigars; Fur Shawl: Lost In Time Inc; Hair and Makeup: Carissa Blossom Artistry; Jewelry: Freeman Jewelry Design; Pottery: Shelby Bond Ceramics; Rentals: CORT Party Rental; Veil: A & M Enterprises