Celia & Jesse tie the knot at Wisteria Hall

As a Seattle wedding photographer, I’ve seen my share of venues, and Wisteria Hall is up there as one of my favorites. Nestled in the heart of the Washington Arboretum, it is the perfect nature escape on the edge of a bustling city.

C&J chose Wisteria Hall because of it’s proximity to nature and the elegant simplicity of the space, which allowed them to bring it to life with their own special touches. Bonus…it’s one of the more affordable wedding venues in Seattle (somehow??? Don’t jinx it…). And with all the expenses that pile up for a wedding, it’s nice to have one thing that doesn’t make you and your fiancé go “ouch”.

Wisteria Hall has two terraces and a reception hall, all of which have different capacities. This allows for great versatility for your wedding day when deciding what part of the wedding you want to be located. The South terrace is quite large and could be utilized for up to 90 guests, while the West terrace is made for something a little more intimate with up to 30 seated guests, plus more for standing room.

Cut back to C&J and their wedding day…these two had already eloped the previous year ended up wanting to do something special for their friends and family. And special it was! Their relationship was obviously one to be admired by everyone who came to support and celebrate them. Not to mention their certified-cutest-kid ever, Matteo was in tow, who arguably was the star of the event.

Just as we were wrapping up family photos before the ceremony, the rain that was forecasted for the day decided to show up. And show up it did.

Ever heard the phrase that its good luck to get rain on your wedding day? What about a torrential downpour? No? Well, Celia and Jesse know all about that, as the rain came for us all just minutes before the ceremony started.

Of course Celia and Jesse were good sports about the unwelcome guest. Hey, if you’re gonna have a wedding in the PNW, especially before July, just know that it might rain. And if it does, might as well embrace it. There’s not a lot you can do besides wait it out. However, while Seattle and the surrounding areas are known for being wet, its more of a drizzly misty wet, and it rarely rains as hard as it did on this day.

Once the rain stopped and the sun came out, everyone, guests and vendors, banded together to wipe down the seats with towels in record time to get ready for the ceremony! It was a really sweet moment that reminded me the importance of community.

After a tear jerker of a ceremony (I’m always crying at these things, even as the photographer), we ventured to the terrace to have a fun little cocktail hour before dinner. Since C&J were already legally married, there was no need to go off a sign a marriage certificate while the guests enjoyed their drinks and hors d’oeuvres. So the couple was able to mingle with everyone before dinner, which I thought created such a familial and close-knit vibe.

For dinner, we moseyed to the reception hall. There is enough space for up to 80 people, which is a decent sized wedding. One of my favorite features of this hall are the old schoolhouse windows that allow for natural light and greenery as a backdrop while you’re indoors.

While C&J made their rounds to their loved ones, it was obvious that their union had brought together so many people that otherwise wouldn’t have met. Everyone was all smiles for the rest of the evening as they soaked up the love (and maybe a little rain).