A Colorful Wedding in the Woods on Bainbridge Island

A short ferry ride across the beautiful Puget Sound from Seattle, Washington lies Bainbridge Island. There are beaches. There are dense + beautiful forests. There are views of the Cascade Mountains.

This magical spot is where D + Sam chose to tie the knot. And the celebration they created was full of so much color, love, and vibrant self expression.

“As a queer and trans/nonbinary couple, we really felt freedom to express ourselves authentically,” D + Sam say. “For us, this meant we had a three day wedding weekend reminiscent of an adult summer camp, dressed in colorful custom outfits, created our heartfelt ceremony from scratch, had D’s brother officiate, had cake toppers of our two beloved dogs, featured fabulous Seattle drag queens as entertainment, and kept the vibe intimate.”

Environmental education nonprofit IslandWood is based on Bainbridge Island, and their deep-in-the-woods event spaces provided a backdrop for D + Sam’s day that was rich in natural beauty. And together with Hallea Events the couple put together a wedding weekend packed with unique + unforgettable details.

“At a time in which queer and trans rights continue to be threatened, we found it essential to say our thanks and blessings during our ceremony to all the queer ancestors who have come before us and queer youth who follow us,” say D + Sam. “We prioritized supporting wedding vendors who are LGBTQIA+ themselves or hold another marginalized identity (especially BIPOC folks).”

D + Sam’s thoughtful + colorful celebration has us totally inspired on so many levels. And Theo Nash’s pictures really do say it all, so we can’t wait to show you!

D + Sam’s blue stone herringbone and simple gold wedding bands came from Bhansali and Automic Gold.

D worked with wedding stylist Alyssa Cole to find their wedding day look at Brides By Young. We are loving this timelessly elegant off-the-shoulder Demetrios wedding gown!

“I worked with the incredibly talented Seattle designer S. E. Pattison to workshop ideas,” Sam says, “and to build from scratch a wedding outfit that represented my authentic queer self.”

The First Look

We are absolutely here for all of these cascading trains!

Bahtoh was behind the day’s bright + joyful florals, and D + Sam’s bouquets are just the beginning of the show-stopping things they made out of flowers.

Some wise words about wedding day style from the couple: “You and your body don’t need to change for the big day, so ignore any messaging that says you need to lose weight or change how you look before your wedding. With clothing that fits and feels like you, you’ll look incredible and feel fabulous in the body you have now on your wedding day.”

We cannot get enough of D’s hot pink sequin edge wedding veil from Madison Chamberlain!

Peep some more amazing Madison creations in this colorful New Orleans wedding, this 90’s inspired wedding shoot, and this nontraditional NYE wedding!

“We took elements of western masculine and feminine attire and sought to combine them in a way that felt outside of traditional gender norms,” says Sam of how he and S. E. Pattison created this one-of-a-kind look. “The result was a stunning gold to cream ombre ensemble, complete with cream platform Doc Martens, that embodied the wildest dreams of our queer masc elders.”

“The first piece I found was a stunning headband by Jennifer Behr that brought color and sparkle to the forefront,” remembers D.

Jordan Hafford created D’s wedding day makeup look, and not only did Bahtoh take care of the day’s floral design, they also did D’s wedding updo!

Meaningful personalizations + embellishments like this romantic veil embroidery are one of the wedding trends we’re obsessed with right now!

Can we get a round of applause for Sam’s burgundy feather wedding earrings!?

A Ceremony in the Woods

“We told our guests to dress fun, funky, and colorful,” the couple remembers, “and they went all out!”

Gotta love when Mother Nature hands you a beautiful visual metaphor for marriage! “The bride’s brother married us in the forest,” D + Sam say, “at the base of two trees that have grown together.”

 “As nature lovers we wanted the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest to shine while also having our floral design be a star of the show,” say D + Sam of how they perfectly balanced the naturally beautiful setting with their vibrant wedding day decor.

Totally in love with Sam’s multi-textured gold wedding day look like we are? Check out our big list of all the best gold wedding dresses to work some metallic shimmer into your own Big Day.

Our Musical Choices
Processional
“Rainbow Connection” from The Muppet Movie + "A Thousand Years” by Christina Perry
Recessional
"This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)" by Natalie Cole
First Dance
"L-O-V-E" by Nat King Cole with a remix feature of "Soulful Strut" by Young Holt Unlimited to do a surprise Parent Trap handshake!

A Vibrant Reception

Look at this fun + festive floral wedding reception seating chart!

We love when guest favors like these fresh cut floral bud vases double as escort cards!

BBJ La Tavola provided the lovely lavender linens that gave the reception tent its pastel purple anchor color.

Tabletop details from Cort Party Rental balanced the exciting + explosive floral centerpieces with timeless place settings.

OK. What a brilliant way to include your pup in your wedding day! A custom beaded pet portrait wedding purse!

So into those metallic silver pendant lights from Light Smiths!

What’s better than a disco ball? A Disco BAR!!

The Fancy Cat Studio captured the wedding’s bright + joyful modern aesthetic with paper goods like these hot pink wavy edge menus.

This lush + colorful greenery-filled floral hanging installation was a real jaw-dropper. Check out our collection of wedding tent decor ideas for lots more inspo!

Our Favorite Memory
It was especially emotional when we first walked into and saw the wedding reception tent. Both of us had avoided sneaking a look before it was ready and that paid off. When we walked in with our planner for the first time we both began crying because it was so perfect and exactly us! It was even more beautiful than we imagined and our months of discussions with our wonderful wedding planner paid off. Just stunning!

Very into the retro-meets-modern vibes of this swanky seating banquette by Wander Design + Rentals.

Blue Wave Band was on hand filling the reception tent with lots of live music to get D + Sam’s guests up and dancing.

Blue Box Bakery created D + Sam’s wavy-edged two-tier pastel dream of a wedding cake. Those adorable tiny floral details!!

How stunning is the purple wedding dress from Elizabeth Dye that D switched into for the reception?! Loving the tiered tulle look!

A Wedding Day Drag Show!

The queens have arrived!!

Some of Seattle’s fiercest drag queens came out to help D + Sam celebrate including Betty Wetter and Dion Dior Black!

Queen Andrew Scott was there too!

And Beau Degas!!

Our Advice
Don't just do things because they are common, "normal", or "a wedding has to have xyz." Instead think about what would make you both happy and represent you as individuals, and as a couple, authentically.  Focus on what excites you! 

You definitely do not want to miss the wedding day video that Gold Hairpin created for D + Sam. Press play below!

Congratulations on your breathtaking, colorful Bainbridge Island day, D + Sam! GWS is so happy for you both!