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Bri & Brady
August 19, 2017
Photography: Clinton James
By: Kenji Guttorp
Bri first met Brady at a Mariners game. The meeting was short. At the time Bri was living in Bellingham and Brady was in Seattle. It might not have seemed like love at first sight, but in hindsight, the writing was on the (center field) wall. The first impression was enough. Bri eventually accepted Brady’s advance and a short time later they went on their first date together at a bar in Seattle. Brady was upfront and direct, leaving a lasting impression.
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“He basically grilled me on our first date,” Bri recalled. “He went down a list of questions he had, a list of what is right for him and every single answer I gave to his questions were, to a tee, what he was looking for.”
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“We were pretty much married after our first date. We were inseparable,” Bri said.
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For the next year, they dated long-distance, either Bri would drive to Seattle or Brady to Bellingham, keeping it light and fun with weekend trips until Bri moved to Seattle.
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The Proposal
After a year-and-a-half of dating, Brady brought up his plan to move to San Diego. What came next was something Brady might not have expected.
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Bri said she pointedly suggested he should either propose or she wouldn’t be going to San Diego
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“Well, I am not going to propose to you,” Bri remembered him saying, “and I was like, ‘OK, fine. Then I am not going!”
Brady, perhaps realizing his mistake, proposed shortly after at Bri’s family’s beach house on Lummi Island. He planned a huge family gathering for the weekend, where he would then pop the question.
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But the plans fell through. They decided to go anyway to get away. But before they left, Brady asked Bri’s father for permission for Bri’s hand, and got his blessing.
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Armed with a bottle of wine, two chairs propped on the beach to watch the sunset, cheese and crackers and a GoPro set up behind some logs to capture the moment, Brady pulled Bri in front of the camera, got on one knee and proposed. “It was amazing,” Bri said. “He somehow got away to set up hundreds of candles throughout the entire cabin. It was all lit up when we went inside.
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Armed with a bottle of wine, two chairs propped on the beach to watch the sunset, cheese and crackers and a GoPro set up behind some logs to capture the moment, Brady pulled Bri in front of the camera, got on one knee and proposed. “It was amazing,” Bri said. “He somehow got away to set up hundreds of candles throughout the entire cabin. It was all lit up when we went inside.
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The Wedding
They kept things simple, beautiful and elegant in a more traditional sense. The bride selected neutral and champagne colors, the bridesmaids all wore champagne-colored Vera Wang V-neck style dresses. The groomsmen wore matching dark navy suits with white vests.
Personal touches were woven throughout their wedding, giving the reception and ceremony an intimate feeling.
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“Our ceremony was one of my favorite parts of our wedding,” Bri remembers. “My brother officiated our wedding. I think he should officiate everyone’s wedding.” Brady’s sister sang a rendition of “Come Away with Me,” by Norah Jones.
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To both, having family there to lend a hand planning and pulling off the wedding was paramount. It was important for them to have them involved in the ceremony.
“My reception was like a dream. It was the best day of my life,” Bri said. “Everyone you love is around, in one spot having fun. It’s an amazing feeling to have all those people there for you and around you. I never wanted it to end.”
The Details
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Venue: Hotel Bellwether
Photographer: Clinton James Photography
Dress: Maggie Sottero Ball Gown
Alicia’s Bridal
Hair and Makeup: Salon Bellissima Bellingham
Desserts: Barb’s Pies
Music: Whatcom Sound
DJ: Jack Duran
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First Dance Father: “There Goes My Life,” Kenny Chesney