Seattle Escala Wedding

Who doesn’t love a dose of glam sophistication to brighten up their day? Julia and Deric’s Seattle wedding is doing the trick for us in the form of a black tie affair and intimate celebration all captured by the wonderful Carina Skrobecki and coordinated by It’s Your Day Events. Just wait until you see all the incredible signage and paper goods for the reception — our jaws hit the floor.

From the bride, Julia: We tried to approach the planning from the perspective of the guest. When we first sat down to plan, we tried to list all of the things about the weddings we’ve been to that we didn’t love or that made us uncomfortable. By approaching it this way, we were able to focus our budget on key elements that would be memorable for everyone (food, drinks, music, venue) and spend less on the things most people tend not to notice (fancy chairs during the ceremony or custom invites). For example, I LOVE all things paper, so the invites were really important to me in the beginning. It was pointed out to me that most guests toss the invite in the garbage without much thought, so the $2500 hand-illustrated invites I wanted were probably not a great idea! Instead, we opted for simple invites from Minted, but spent money upgrading the paper and adding beautiful calligraphy and vintage stamps. Everyone raved about them anyway and we were able to use the money saved on really killer dessert from Hotcakes! In the end, focusing on the guest allowed everyone to have an amazing experience and we were able to relax knowing everyone else was taken care of!

Bouquet recipe: Ranunculus, hydrangeas, and roses.

Our colors were black and gold. Originally, we had talked about doing a Gatsby theme, but then the movie came out right in the middle of our planning and it seemed like everyone was doing it! We kept the black and gold, but planned the rest of the wedding without a major theme. We just wanted to keep everything formal and modern without being too stuffy. The wedding was in Downtown Seattle, so we knew it needed to feel like we were in the city. We had three major DIY projects: the save-the-dates, the centerpieces, and folding 1000 paper cranes. Yes, we folded 1000 paper cranes! Our save-the-dates were little boxes filled with champagne flavored candy, stamped with a custom stamp from Antiquaria with all of the info, and wrapped with a miniature black bow tie. We had so much fun assembling these and our guests loved getting adorable little packages in the mail (who doesn’t?)!

Any advice for couples planning their weddings now? Don’t procrastinate! We left a lot of details until the very end that could have easily been taken care of in advance and saved us a lot of headaches. At the same time, don’t stress too much! Something will go wrong, no matter how much you plan. The food was the most important element for us, so we had the menu/catering details squared away first. On our wedding day, the caterer forgot the drink mixers and Hotcakes, so it was a scramble to get enough for all of our guests. In the end, everything felt perfect, despite the major hiccup.

Wedding Music:
Bridal Party Processional: “Let it Be” (Vitamin String Quartet)
Bridal Processional: “Can’t Help Falling in Love” (Vitamin String Quartet)
Recessional: “Any Way You Want It” (Vitamin String Quartet)
First Dance: “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” Elvis Presley
Other: “You Are the Best Thing,” Ray LaMontagne
We had quite an eclectic mix during the night! At one point, our 3 year old flower girl was dancing with the entire wedding party to Bugatti by Ace Hood (censored of course)!

From the photographer, Carina Skrobecki: Julia and Deric kept their wedding intimate, classic, and tasteful. Julia owns her own children’s boutique shop in Spokane, WA (and has an affinity for all fabulous paper goods), so it’s only natural that she had an eye for all the details for the day, including the paper crane backdrop behind their sweetheart table. The day from beginning to end was laid back, thoughtful, and to say the least: a total breeze. We lucked out with beautiful weather in February in Seattle so we took most portraits outdoors in the streets, but also took advantage of the beautiful architecture inside Escala — they had a gorgeous wine cave, a grand staircase, and eclectic furniture scattered everywhere. The ceremony itself was short and sweet, but very romantic. They had a good friend from college officiate as the two of them exchanged vows outdoors on Escala’s grand patio. Once the reception started, it was clear that they were aiming to have a great time! Black and gold signing was placed among white hydrangeas and really elevated the already timeless look of the venue. I love that even when it came to the food, it was a reflection of their taste — the cutest, tiniest, and tastiest finger foods were served during dinner (think miniature tacos, burgers and tarts!) and was unlike anything I’d ever seen at a wedding. Overall, as “grand” as the wedding was, it was still a very intimate feel, with only their closest friends & family present. It was truly a special evening to be a part of. Wishing them the absolute best!

Wedding Location: Seattle, WA / Photographer: Carina Skrobecki / Second Shooter: Sergio Mottola / Coordinators: Ashley & Christina of It’s Your Day Events / Floral Design: Wendy Morgan of Ravenna Bloom / Wedding Venue: Escala (*Fun Fact: Escala is the setting of the 50 Shades of Grey novels! Tourists are always outside taking pics. They do not typically host events, but we are lucky enough to have friends that live in this gorgeous location!) / Wedding Dress: Maggie Sottero / Wedding Shoes: Jimmy Choo / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: J.Crew / Groom’s Suit: ASOS / Wedding Caterer: Lisa Dupar Catering / Dessert: Hot Cakes / DJ: A Sounds Unlimited / Rentals: Grand Event Rentals / Day-of-Materials and Calligraphy (except table numbers): Carolyn Kach / Table Numbers: Rifle Paper Co. / Wedding Invitations: Minted