This amazing November PNW backyard wedding was planned in 6 weeks, y’all. SIX WEEKS.
When Cassandra first contacted us, they were actually planning to get married in 2018. We booked their date, and as we got closer to their engagement session, she messaged me – “Do you have any dates available still in 2017?” I sent her back our open dates, and she asked if they could move to one of them, and there started their whirlwind journey of planning their day for November 18.
Cassandra and Sam wanted something small and intimate – their closest friends and family only. A backyard wedding at Sam’s grandparents house seemed like the perfect solution. The decor was fall inspired with beautiful rich jewel tones of burgundy, navy blue, greens and gold … and of course, lots and lots of candles! One of my favorite decor pieces was the split log wall behind the head table, and the fire-pit Sam built for the big day (which was also incredibly popular among their guests). Since November in the PNW is chilly, and especially when you’re hosting a backyard wedding, their favors were two-fold – snuggly blankets on each chair, and delicious caramel apples. They finished up the evening with a sparkler exit, too.
As their day neared, we all kept a close eye on the weather. When your November backyard wedding is in eastern Washington, you know that you need to be prepared for everything – rain, snow, a mix – and the forecast definitely looked like snow for awhile … but the weather pleasantly surprised us all with warm sunshine! It couldn’t have been more perfect.
Now, I know we all want to hear the fun details – the how they met, how he proposed, and all … but that’s usually better told by the bride herself. I’ll let Cassandra tell the stories, and when you’re done reading, make sure to leave them some comment love on their November backyard wedding in the PNW.
We met on Tinder lol!!!! First date was in Ellensburg (halfway point between our two houses) and it was truly love at first sight!
I had my ring “picked out” for months. Every time we went to Costco I had to show Sam how pretty and sparkly it was. One day we went back to Costco and as I went to say hello to “my ring” I was sad to see it was gone! Not letting this get in the way of me dropping hints about wanting to be married, I picked out another ring with matching wedding band and tried my best to sell the pair to Sam! That weekend he went and met my father in Ellensburg, where he asked him for his permission to marry me. (Thankfully he said yes!) They rode their motorcycles back to our house and my dad stayed the weekend, shockingly giving away no hints!! That Monday (Memorial Day) Sam was being very strange but I didn’t think too much of it. After driving around for quite a while after running errands, Sam finally took me home. Little did I know, he was looking for a spot to propose to me. Once we were home I automatically threw on my pajamas and once I walked around the corner to see what Sam was up to, he was on one knee in our living room asking me to be his wife. And of course he had my original ring! I said yes, and after he said “if you liked the other ring set better, we can trade this one in.” OBVIOUSLY I did not and I was thrilled he had the ring my heart loved since the moment I saw it, but I was happy to know my tacky hints had been heard! 🙂
He is very close with his family and his grandparents have beautiful property- we are honored to be getting married there!
All of it ! First look is a big one.
AWESOME VENDOR TEAM:
Backyard Wedding Venue: Private Residence, Grandview, WA Photographer: GSquared Weddings
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AWESOME VENDOR TEAM:
Backyard Wedding Venue: Private Residence, Grandview, WA
Kate of GSquared WeddingsWedding Photographer & Certified Wedding Coordinator
Kate Gansneder has documented 640+ weddings since 1997 and has a reputation for making camera-shy couples forget the camera exists. Couples consistently describe her as someone who knew what they needed before they did, felt like a trusted friend rather than a vendor, and made them feel genuinely calm on a day that could have been overwhelming. 380+ five-star reviews and 11x WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards later, she is still the person who arrives 30 minutes early with everything you forgot you needed.
Okay, wait. SIX WEEKS?! That is freaking unheard of!! I can’t believe that! Anyway, you did such an amazing job capturing their big day! I’m in love with the tones in your editing!
Kate Gansneder has been photographing weddings since 1997 and has documented over 640 of them across Seattle and Snohomish County. That is not a number for its own sake. It means she has been in the room for enough first dances, enough ceremony tears, enough getting-ready chaos and family dynamics and moments that almost did not happen - that she reads a wedding day the way most people read a room they have been in a thousand times. Automatically. Without thinking about it. Already knowing what comes next. That depth of experience shows up in ways couples do not always expect. She notices you need water before you know you need it. She clocks who in the getting-ready room is spiraling and who is holding it together for everyone else, and she adjusts without announcing it. She handles the thing that almost went wrong before it becomes visible. She walks in and the energy shifts - calmer, warmer, more settled - and most couples cannot tell you exactly why, only that it happened. Couples who were convinced they were camera shy come home with photos of themselves laughing so hard they bent backwards. Couples with complicated family dynamics come home with portraits where everyone looks genuinely happy. Couples who were dreading the formal photo portion of their day come home saying it was actually fun. This is not luck. It is 640 weddings of learning exactly what people need in front of a camera and delivering it before they have to ask. Her 20+ years of experience as a wedding coordinator also helps. The reviews say it better than any bio could. Couples describe Kate as someone who made them feel calm when everything felt overwhelming. Who knew what they needed before they did. Who felt like a trusted friend rather than a vendor they hired. Who shielded them from problems until there was a solution. Who gave them unreasonable hospitality on a day when they deserved exactly that. She is a passionate advocate for Color Integrity editing - your photos should look like your actual wedding day, not a trend that peaks and ages. Her work has been featured in HuffPost, Style Me Pretty, and PNW Weddings. GSquared Weddings has 380+ five-star reviews and 11x WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards. She runs on caramel mochas, arrives 30 minutes early to everything, and will absolutely compliment you during portraits without realizing she is doing it until you giggle. Fair warning.
12 Comments
Wow! What an incredibly charming backyard wedding! And they put this magic together in 6 weeks?? So dang impressive
Wow, doing a backyard wedding in November is ambitious, November PNW backyard wedding turned out wonderfully! And that cake? Wow!!
Absolutely adore the idea of a backyard wedding and the PNW is the most perfect place to have it! You did a lovely job capturing their sweet day!
what an absolutely beautiful wedding in the PNW! You captured their wedding day perfectly!
Okay, wait. SIX WEEKS?! That is freaking unheard of!! I can’t believe that! Anyway, you did such an amazing job capturing their big day! I’m in love with the tones in your editing!
So beautiful! Love that first look especially. <3
What a beautiful wedding! It looks like you got some great light too!
So crazy this only took 6 weeks.. these are beautiful!
6 weeks! They did an insanely amazing job!
This story is so cute and the photos are so pretty! I have always wanted a PNW Backyard Wedding!
Pacific Northwest backyard wedding in SIX WEEKS?! This is fabulous!!! <3 <3 <3
I love back yard weddings! so personal and beautiful