Real Wedding: Christina + Paul’s Rainy Romantic Wedding

I think this wedding is such a perfect example of why rain doesn’t ruin your wedding day – it will only make it that much more memorable + beautiful! Christina + Paul chose Whidbey Island in Washington state for their wedding. Such a breathtaking location! A bit about the day from Christina: We tried to keep it simple and more like a relaxed party with family and friends! We choose our venue because not only was it close enough for all of my extended family from British Columbia to drive, but Paul was born on Whidbey Island and lived there for a few years when he was younger. We rented out the picnic shelter, and luckily with the rain we got the whole park to ourselves!

seattle wedding sign

Paul is a graphic designer and did the save the dates, invitations, and programs.

wedding invitations

map vendor guide

groomsmen in vests

wedding bunting

rainy wedding ceremony umbrellas

Most memorable moment of your wedding day? Feeling all the nervousness turn into excitement, as 10 minutes before the ceremony I waited in the trailer with my bridesmaids and watched everyone drive in. At the same time, my friend Lynda and my cousin did a practice run of Dreams by the Cranberries (they were about to play guitar/sing for the ceremony) and it was beautiful. Then when I got down the aisle Paul gave me a hug and whispered “It’s all good!” before the ceremony started. And the whole ceremony was perfect..all the umbrellas..hearing Paul make the vows..the whole day was memorable:)

bridesmaids with umbrellas

And how gorgeous is her dress! Christina found it at a thrift store for 15 dollars! Wow! The tag says Jessica McClintock Bridal. I had to pay for alterations, but it was such a great find. And these photos by Sergio Mottola – just WOW!

rainy wedding portraits

rainy wedding portraits

seattle wedding sergio

I love that they had wood grilled pizzas! Best wedding food ever!! :)

wood grilled pizza wedding

Any advice for those planning now? I found it really nice and helpful that the wedding ceremony/reception wasn’t over-planned. It was open to change or add things as we wanted and as the day went on. Rather than expecting everything to go off perfectly, we let things unfold naturally.

A lot of people said that because we were so happy despite the rain, it helped set the mood for a fun day. However, I think having all of our loving family and friends there who celebrated throughout the rain helped us be so happy. Surround yourself with people you love and who love you, and enjoy the day! We had a lot of people visiting the week of and I loved being able to just hang out and eat nachos, go in the hot tub, meet new in-laws, or go out for dinner with friends as if it was any other week (but with an extra exciting Saturday to look forward to)!

Vendors
Photography: Sergio Mottola – You can see the entire wedding here on Sergio’s blog.
Venue: Rosario Beach at Deception Pass State Park on Whidbey Island, Washington
Hair + Makeup: My sister’s friend lovingly (and patiently) did my hair and makeup (so well!) but of course the rain got in the way :)
Shoes: I went back and forth between beige sandals, barefoot, and my TOMS shoes (the sparkly silver ones)
Bridesmaid Dress: I asked each bridesmaid to get something in grey, and it looked so good together, I couldn’t have imagined it better.
Groom Suit: Paul wore a vest and shirt he already owned, and we bought some grey pants and had them altered a bit by a family friend in Washington.
Event Planner: My mom!
Floral Design: My grandma helped me find a whole bunch of milk glass from thrift stores for the tables, and then I wanted either hydrangeas or something big and colorful but couldn’t decide. Then the week of the wedding we were driving to a house on Whidbey Island and found the dahlias being sold on the side of the road. We got everything for $50! Our friend Bailey came out for the wedding and she is a florist so she put all the flowers together for us the day before. My requests were all white for the bridesmaids, and at least one red flower in my bouquet because Paul loves red.
Cake: My wonderful roommates and friends made a croquembouche for me (I reeeally wanted one)
Music: We put together a playlist throughout the summer and then some friends adjusted it to perfection during the wedding! We rented the speakers and sound system.
Catering: Rolling Fire Pizza made roasted mushrooms, garlic pita, and pizza.

Thanks so much Sergio for sharing your work with us and congrats to Christina + Paul!!

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