Beautiful outdoor wedding for Anais & Chris
Anais and Chris said "I do" at home. Their own backyard. A handful of guests. The kind of small, daylight ceremony that doesn't need much from us except showing up and staying out of the way.
Natural light did most of the work. The emotions did the rest. Smiles that were actually smiles. A first look with no choreography. Kids running around without being told to stand still for pictures.
If you're reading this because you're weighing an outdoor ceremony: the biggest advantage isn't the view. It's the space. Kids can move. Older guests can sit in the shade. Your photographer can walk two hundred feet in any direction and find a new frame. That second part matters more than you'd think — an indoor ceremony locks us to three or four vantage points. An outdoor one opens the room up.
The light
Outdoor Washington weddings in early fall give you soft overcast for most of the day with golden breaks at the edges. We shot this one through a partly-cloudy afternoon, which is arguably the best light you can get — full diffusion on the faces, enough directional punch for the portraits to feel three-dimensional.
If your venue choice is the backyard and the forecast calls for overcast, don't panic. Overcast is a photographer's best friend. Direct sun at noon is the fight.
What to steal
If you're planning a backyard ceremony in the Pacific Northwest:
- Aim for 90 minutes before sunset for vows. Overcast or not, the light gets warmer as the sun drops.
- Put the ceremony chairs facing north or east. The couple won't squint. Guests won't either.
- Hire one photographer, not two. A home wedding with fewer than 40 guests doesn't need a second camera — it needs one photographer who's comfortable moving around a small space.
Thinking about a small outdoor wedding in WA?
We cover the Puget Sound, Tacoma, Bellevue, and the Olympic Peninsula. If you've already picked your backyard or you're still figuring out the venue — see our Seattle coverage or start a conversation.
