A Garden of Romance

If you’re searching for a picturesque venue for your upcoming nuptials, look no further than a farm garden wedding. Imagine exchanging vows under a canopy of fragrant flowers and towering trees, surrounded by the peaceful countryside. The natural beauty of the venue will create a relaxed and intimate atmosphere for you and your loved ones to celebrate your love. Embrace the idyllic setting for a truly unforgettable wedding.

Katie & Meg’s incredible Saltwater Farm wedding day combined the best elements of a Pacific Northwest wedding—a lovely couple, gorgeous scenery, amazing food, and an incredible vendor team! Katie and Meg celebrated their beautiful marriage in front of a stunning view of the Salish Sea on the lawn at Saltwater Farm. After a convivial cocktail hour in the gardens, the reception was held in the stylish reception barn. Katie of Revel Events helped create a stunning reception tableau with florals from Camas Designs, beautiful signage and decor, and a delicious meal catered by the Coho Restaurant.

How did you meet?

Despite going to the same college in Chicago, we didn’t meet until years later in Seattle. Like all of the most storied and epic romances of the 21st century, we met on a dating app!

What is your proposal story?

In October of 2020, after a whirlwind of a year that included 8 months of quarantine, buying a house, and bringing home our puppy Archie, we took a trip to Leavenworth, WA for a cabin weekend away in the mountains. In an impressive feat of secrecy and collusion with Archie, Katie had snuck a ring and a bottle of champagne in her suitcase. Katie proposed to Meg before a homemade dinner with candles, champagne, and a very confused puppy looking on. Not to be outdone, Meg was also ready with a ring, and proposed to Katie at sunset on the dock of the lake just a few days later. The Double Proposal was complete!

Tell us a little a bit about your wedding

As transplants to the Pacific Northwest, it was really important to us to showcase the beauty and magic of a PNW summer to our out-of-town family and friends. Many people were traveling in to Seattle for the first time for the wedding, so we wanted to provide guests with an incredible introduction to the PNW’s amazing landscape. We wanted to be outside with a beautiful backdrop. We didn’t want to go over-the-top with decor so we could let the beauty San Juan Islands shine. our colors were inspired by the scenery as well – mostly blues, greens, and gold.

Tell us about your attire choices.

We both wanted to wear dresses on our wedding day, and the only coordination we had with each other was making sure we didn’t pick the same dress. Katie wanted something classic and simple, and Meg went a bit out of her comfort zone with a dress with more body and beading.

What was the most important to the two of you while planning? Was there anything that you chose to splurge on or skip?

An important aspect of planning our wedding was finding a venue that could host us for the whole weekend, where we could hold multiple events. We wanted as many opportunities as possible to connect and celebrate with our family and friends over the course of the weekend. Saltwater Farm was our dream venue, and it was a great place to gather everyone over the course of the weekend.

It was also really important to us work with vendors and wedding pros that were not only inclusive for LGBT couples, but those who put in thought and effort to how our wedding could be unique and special without making us feel like we were atypical. It was wonderful to work with people who went above and beyond to make our planning process feel inclusive and actively asked about our preferences for which traditions to keep, which to modify, and others to leave out.

What were your favorite parts of the day?

I think our favorite part of the day was just seeing all of our loved ones from all parts of our lives in one place. Getting to celebrate with everyone together was a very special feeling.

We also really enjoyed taking a few moments to ourselves directly after the wedding ceremony to take it all in and take a few deep breaths together. The day was a whirlwind and looking back, this small break with no guests, planners, photos, etc. was something we really cherished.

Other highlights include fun photos with the wedding party, taking an oyster “shot” at the cocktail hour, laughing and tearing up at the wedding toasts, and the band’s horn section getting Grandma Jeanne in the center of a dance circle.

Tell us about your wedding flowers.

Our florist did an amazing job making both of our bouquets unique to our own personal style while still looking cohesive and complimentary.

Tell us about your wedding cake.

We had a small wedding cake and various little desserts to create a dessert table that was almost gone in record time! Bite-sized treats were easy to grab and there was something for every

What did you do for favors?

We had small gift bags for guests at our welcome drinks event. Included were engraved wood coasters with scenes of the San Juan Islands (orcas, ferries, the lighthouse, etc.), and some local treats. The San Juan sea salt caramels were a big hit.

We also attached everyone’s reception seat assignment to a custom leather luggage tag as a nod to our appreciation for everyone that traveled from near and far to celebrate with us.

Please describe any DIY, handmade, or personal details.

We had a lot of fun designing and building our own wedding website, designing the programs, menus, and table signage, and creating the custom luggage tags. Designing those things ourselves made it feel personalized, unique, and cohesive.

Did you include any family heirlooms or special traditions?

Meg had her late grandmother’s brooch and a piece of her mom’s wedding vail pinned to her bouquet. This is something Meg’s mom gave to her the morning of the wedding, and was also something her sister had at her wedding a few years before.

We also included framed wedding photos of our grandparents and parents as a fun way to celebrate the love in our families.

Meg’s family is Quaker, and we chose to include the Quaker tradition of all wedding guests signing a custom marriage certificate as witnesses to our marriage. This served as a type of guest book, and is now framed and hanging in our home.

Do you have any advice for couples planning their weddings now?

If possible, take your time! A longer engagement helped spread the process out and helped us enjoy planning smaller tasks at a time rather than everything at once. Leaning on trusted professionals also helped tremendously. We also recommend doing everything you can to get to spend time with guests. We took photos before the ceremony so we could enjoy our cocktail hour with everyone, and it was a wonderful experience!

Did any of your wedding pros deliver a standout experience?

Our wedding planner Katie Stringer from Revel Weddings and Events was incredible. She helped make sure every detail was thought of, and brought professionalism, local expertise, and support every step of the way.

We also loved working with our photographer Adrien Craven, who made us feel comfortable, beautiful, and relaxed throughout our wedding day.