Woodland Meadow Farms Wedding Photos
Snohomish Wedding Venue
From the Happy Couple:
How did you guys meet?
We have a long story, beginning all the way back on their first day of freshman year of high school, at Everett High. We were friends at school—sharing every science class all four years. Bree thought Eric was a very nice guy who was REALLY smart, and quiet; whereas Eric thought Bree was a talkative, goofball. In high school Bree became very close friends with Cassie Fannin and crashed her family parties like they were her own—Eric and Cassie grew up as close family friends, so his family always attended the Haines family gathers. This is how Eric and Bree continued seeing either other after going to different universities.
It was at a Haines family wedding that Eric and Bree discovered they may actually like each other, as more than just old science buddies. They spent the whole wedding together laughing, dancing and apparently falling for one another. The rest is history. They moved in together after a year, bought a puppy about six months later and moved into a home that Eric purchased six months following that. Almost three years after the Haines family wedding Eric popped the question to Bree while hiking.
How did you get engaged?
Eric and I went hiking, something we do often in the summer. We were at Peek-A-Boo lake and once we reached the top he popped the question. I was completely surprised. He even caught it on camera which is an amazing memory we have for the rest of our lives.
Eric's Point of view:
The day of the proposal started like any other, for Bree at least. Meanwhile, I had been pondering this day for months. I had two other days planned in previous months that I eventually decided against, finally picking out August 7th. After considering my options on how to go about it, I decided I didn't want to go over the top, as it may ruin the surprise, but didn't want to be too boring, as this day would be talked about throughout our lives. This is how I chose a hike. It's something we both enjoy doing and I know would be an opportunity to find solitude in the amazing setting that the Pacific Northwest has to offer. The next step was finding the hike that wouldn't be too busy, but also wasn't so far away. Peek-a-boo lake it was.
After the one lane gravel road up, we started off just like any other hike, the difference being that I spent the next 3 miles thinking of what the heck I was going to say when the time was right. After some time at the lake, I set up my camera with the time-lapse setting for a unique way to go back and watch it all unfold, while telling Bree it was on self-timer and to prepare for the photo. We smiled for a few moments while I fumbled around to pull the ring from its tiny pouch in my pocket. The time had come. As Bree attempted to corral Blitzen and smile for the photo, I dropped to one knee. The three miles of thinking and preparing went out the window as my nerves got the best of me. I stumbled through about a sentence and a half before scrapping that plan and going with the four most important words of the day: Will you Marry me? I was pretty darn confident she was going to say yes, but seeing the surprise and pure joy on that girls face is something I will never forget.
Bree's point of view:
Eric and I had decided to go for one last hike, due to the fact, that all of our weekends the rest of that summer were devoted to weddings. That Friday I was invited to a comedy show with my friend Brooke (MOH) and it was a BLAST, but that meant I had to get up super early the next day, and needless to say that was a struggle. Nevertheless, I knew how much he wanted to go hiking, so up I got at five in the morning. I was surprised when I got home that he said I could go back to sleep until about eight (I should have known right then, as usually he is pushing me out the door for early hikes).
Once I was up and ready to go, we set off. I was pleased to see he was not annoyed with my late start or the fact that I was still very…sleepy. We drove for well over an hour to get to our destination, peek-a-boo lake. The only notable part of this drive was the extremely long mountain road, which was one lane, with a cliff on one side and a wall of rock on the other (I was terrified). We started our hike with Blitzen in tow, taking pictures and laughing at my slow progress. I remember thinking this is a great day—there was not a single other person on the trail, the trees were providing great shade, plus Eric was in a great mood.
Once we reached peek-a-boo we took off our shoes and walked on a floating log, watched Blitzen decide if he wanted to swim or not, and Eric took a dip. Eric informed me he got a new app that allows you to take a timed photo, so we got all set up for our "family" photo. I was floored by the fact that Blitzen wouldn't sit down for the picture and that Eric didn't seem to care! Though, it became clear why he didn't seem to care, it was because he was busy dropping down on one knee. He said a bunch of, what I'm sure, were very sweet things, but all I heard was "will you marry me?" and all I could think was "REALLY, this is happening!?! Oh man, oh man, oh man!" And "Holy cow I get to wear that thing!?!" I started hugging him before I even said yes, but once I did he slipped the ring on my finger and I was completely in shock.
Come to find out it wasn't just a timed photo he was taking but a time-lapse video that captured the whole thing. It was the perfect way to capture the moment, because it was a moment that I never want to forget; the moment I realized I get to spend the rest of my life with a man that makes me happy, who makes me laugh and who always amazes me with how caring he is—I cannot wait to celebrate.
What inspired you while planning your wedding?
I love things to be simple but full of sparkle. I knew from the first day of planning that I wanted gray, navy and white; I also knew I needed to find a way to include glitter! Once I figured that out I considered the venue, the vibe is very “backyard party” so that's what I wanted it to feel like-- fun and relaxed-- nothing too fancy. I always wanted our wedding to be one that people leave thinking, “that was too fun.” So guess the biggest inspiration was FUN.
What were some of your favorite wedding day details?
I think my favorite detail of our wedding was our party favors, it took us a long time to decide what we wanted to put on the glasses our guests took home. Once we settled on a picture “puzzle" involving our now shared last name it became my favorite detail. We were also very happy with our food! Pizza is our thing, when we first started dating that is what we did for all of our dates. It really helped the day feel personal.
Did you have any DIY details?
We had TONS of DIY details. My bridesmaids and I made all of those mason jars-- my house will forever be covered in sliver glitter! Eric also made the WSU and UW themed corn-hole game, it was fun for us because we knew our wedding would be split between the two schools. I made the photo booth frame and props that were Harry Potter themed, because we LOVE Harry Potter.
What were some of your favorite moments from your wedding day?
I wish I as able to pull out individual moments more but it was truly all a blur! Our best people were great delivering hilarious and heart warming speeches! I know that my fathers speech was amazing and very touching. We remember the feeling of finally seeing each other that day as a huge relief and a huge source of excitement because it was REALLY happening once we saw each other. Every minute of that day seemed perfect and unforgettable but it is all mixed together in a ball of happiness now.
Advice for future brides
Take your dress in early to get alterations-- that ended up being my biggest source of stress for the whole wedding. Also, know that it’s going to go much, much faster than you thought, even if you are prepared for it, it will fly by-- so hold on and have fun because it will only happen once and it’s awesome!
