Seattle, WA – Olympic Sculpture Park Engagement Photos // Pioneer Square Engagement Photos

Olympic Sculpture Park and Pioneer Square are two of the most popular spots for engagement photos in downtown Seattle. I lost count of how many engagements sessions of Seattle engaged couples I have photographed in these locations, and they have become personal favorites of mine. They are always on my recommendation list, if you are looking for that Seattle city feel, as these have the backgrounds with the most genuine Seattle personality to offer. 

I did not meet Lauren and Andrew right away, our first time was the day of their engagement in downtown Seattle. The couple lives in San Francisco, but Lauren holds Seattle close to her heart because she was born and raised here. I had the pleasure to schedule a consultation with Lauren’s mom, Suzanne, who is gracefully helping the couple with their wedding planning, being a Seattle local. We all know it is not an easy thing planning things from far away, especially one of your most special days of your life. Their story is below, as always, in their own words. 

Andrew: How we met

“San Francisco, CA – 2015: It was a Wednesday night in late December, and like many young men similar to me, I went to a bar with a few friends. It was 25 cent wing night at Bullitt on Polk St, and one of the traditions held by our group was to try and consume a mountain of 20 wings each. 

Typically this bar is packed and finding a seat can be a slog, but San Francisco is nearly a ghost town during the holidays, and Bullitt was no exception. As my friends and I entered the bar, all they could see were the empty tables. They rushed in to stake their claim, but my eyes were locked on a pretty girl sitting by herself at the bar. I suggested to my friends that we should sit at the bar, and I proceeded to sit next to her. 

She was wearing a red jacket and yoga pants and watching the basketball game on TV. The warriors were playing the mavericks and were getting crushed. Pretty soon I turned to her and made a few remarks about the game. We started chatting and didn’t stop the entire night. She ended up sticking around with us for another drink and was more than happy to indulge on a few chicken wings. 

At the end of the night, I asked for her number and we said goodbye. It wasn’t until two days later, on New Year’s Day, that I texted her. We went out that night and then again a few days later. On our third date, we went to Costco, which she wad oddly excited about. We spent over an hour combing through every aisle, making sure not to miss a single sample. We had a lot of fun that day, which isn’t a feeling that somebody typically says about Costco. It was that day when I knew there was something special between us. 

Six months after we met I asked her to move in with me. A year later we were engaged. Come August 18, 2018 – we will be married.“

Lauren: The Proposal

“San Francisco, CA – 2017: I volunteered that morning, per usual, on a Saturday. When I got home, there was a note at the top of the stairs and a single red daisy attached to the string of a white balloon. It said I was going on a scavenger hunt around our North Beach neighborhood and would be answering questions at each stop to determine the next location. The following note was in our house plant, Freebie, which said to put something nice on and charge my phone. Hilarious as I looked down at my phone and it had 5% battery. (He knows me too well.) The next clue was in Andrew’s clothes hamper which said to take his laundry to our laundryman, Kim. Also hilarious because that is very Andrew… always fitting in time for chores. Once at the laundry mat, Kim gave a flower/balloon and asked me several questions which lead me to our favorite cafe called Italian Homemade. There, the hostess gave me a bag of meatballs to eat in Washington Square Park. At the park, I saw another flower and balloon on a bench. (Unfortunately, the bench was occupied so I had to awkwardly grab the balloon from behind the man!) After sitting for a moment, I received a text from a mystery number telling me to eat my meatballs!!! So I did while also chatting with my mystery texter (later found out it was Andrew’s friend Michael). The next stop was Tony’s Pizza where bartender, Money, gave me a glass of wine. Next stop was Coit Liquors where I was given a bottle of champagne at the counter and was told to go to Coit Tower. The guides at Coit let me cut the line and treated me to a private tour of their murals with trivia questions before ending up at the “final question”. After riding the elevator to the top floor, I was lead to a private balcony overlooking San Francisco. I followed a trail of red flowers leading around the curve of the balcony to find Andrew waiting for me. He got down on one knee and proposed, an ode to tradition amidst our non-traditional engagement, and we toasted looking out over our home. Because we’d allowed adequate time to consider this big life step, I felt completely comfortable and confident saying YES.”

“But the fun didn’t stop. I thought we were headed home but Andrew wanted to swing by Tony Nik’s bar. Inside were a group of our closest friends with a homemade engagement party sign and photos of us on the tables. I was shocked again! We hung out with our pals for a few hours to celebrate.

But the fun STILL didn’t stop. Andrew said that he was taking me to dinner so we got into a Lyft. Walking into the restaurant, BOTH of our families jumped out from behind a curtain. I LOST IT at this point. All week I had been wishing my parents were in town for the engagement weekend, and even expressed that to my mom who said they’d be in Chelan. Spending the evening with our extended family, the ones we love most, was one of the most special times of my life.”

A PIECE OF ADVICE FROM LAUREN AND ANDREW:

While planning your wedding, make a List with 3 things that are most important to you and follow it: 

For Lauren, those three things are:

1. Make it easy for our important guests to arrive

2. Beautiful decor

3. Low stress

Andrew had a similar list

1. Unique venue

2. Close to airport

3. Casual meals

Their August wedding in Chelan will be absolutely amazing! I feel lucky and humbled to be their photographer.