Wedding: Jon & Gladys
Right after Thanksgiving of last year I had the pleasure of photographing the wedding of Jon and Gladys at the Rosehill Community Center in Mukilteo, WA. This was a late-in-life second marriage for both bride and groom after both of their spouses passed in the not too distant past. Both were more old school, and wanted a minimal wedding where both families—and friends—could spend time together.
The wedding parties walking to the altar
The first formal portrait of the Jon and Gladys as newlyweds.
The venue is lovely! Overlooking the Mukilteo Lighthouse Beach Park, the Rosehill Community Center has a commanding view of the Sound, with the Clinton Mukilteo Ferry going to and fro, as well as the lighthouse—a very popular place for photo shoots of all kinds.
Being November, we didn’t expect much of the weather, but the wedding day was blessed with clear blue skies and decent light. The Rosehill Community Center’s main hall is a large open room with floor to ceiling windows that are quite breathtaking. The space is a wonderful space for gatherings and celebrations of all kinds. I had, in fact, photographed the Everett Philharmonic Orchestra’s Gala concert there earlier in the year, so I was familiar with the venue.
As splendid as Rosehill is, it is not without it’s challenges—like any venue. Where the music gala I photographed faced the stage away from the sun, weddings are generally set up facing the water into the light. This means wedding couples tend to be backlit and some of the gorgeous backgrounds gets lost. Every venue has its strengths and its weaknesses.
My approach, in general, is to always work with the moment and so, going with the backlighting, I opted to expose for the couple and just blow out the background.
The vendor team was headed up by Lynda Jorden of Celebrations by Lynda, who orchestrated a beautiful event from start to finish.
Ted Mase, the DJ and emcee was amazing—his team kept the proceedings moving and he was able to get a few more people to speak up with comments, toasts, etc.
Venue & Vendor Links
Candid reception moments
“Jon and Gladys were an amazing couple to work with and were a beautiful example of finding happiness at all walks of life. There was one picture you did where they were laughing while cutting their cake that I absolutely love and will stick with me for a long time. All the pictures turned out so beautiful, and I think they exceeded the couples’ expectations.”
—Lynda Jorden, Celebrations by Lynda
The wedding ceremony
