Thank you Jessie and James for letting me be a part of your special day and for completely trusting me. I am in love with so many images from your day. Not only because of visual reasons, but simply because I know the love behind these photos is so genuine and true.

And a shout out to my friend and awesome second shooter, Jeramie Shoda. He seriously rocked it and I am so thankful to have had him helping out!
Be sure to check out his awesome work. : )

Jessie’s dress was beautiful. The detailing was incredible.

I love Jessie’s reaction to seeing herself completely ready! So cute.

While I was hanging out with the girls, Jeramie took some awesome photos of the guys getting ready.

I was in love with this backdrop for their “First Look”. It. Was. Perfect.

I have so many favorites of Jessie and James…

I love this shot Jeramie took. Everything about it makes me smile.

Jessie’s ring was actually James’ great grandmother’s from Holland. So special.

Love. Love. Love.

Okay, this is probably one of my favorites from the day.

Jeramie’s angle. Love it.

Jessie, you are stunning!

♡♡♡

One of my favorites of Jessie, she is just glowing!

I could not have asked for a better location. This place was so dreamy.

I loved this antique chair they incorporated into their wedding.

Love these two shots Jeramie captured. He is pretty much awesome.

Such a fun, loving group of girls!

And such an awesome group of guys too! (they look so cool huh?!) : )

Ceremony time!

I love, love, love this photo.

Such a beautiful backyard wedding!

Yay! ♡

Ok I must say that Jessie and James had the best decor for their wedding. All they wanted was their day to be colorful, relaxed, and intimate…I’d say they accomplished just that. : )

Best dressed little girl ever. So cute.

So many fun and creative details! ♡

Okay, I’m sorry but I could NOT get enough of this little guy. He was just loving all the camera action!

Alright, so for all of you who were not at this wedding…this was probably one of the funniest moments of the day. Totally unexpected, but awesome. This little girl ran right in during the Garter Toss and stole the garter from the guys. She could not have been more excited about this haha!

I loved what Jessie changed into for their exit. So summery and fresh. : )

Alright folks, hands down my favorite image of the day. And possibly one of my favorites of this whole year. I love how simple this shot is, but knowing there was so much emotion behind this photo just makes my heart warm. (sigh…♡)

I hope you all enjoyed this wedding as much as I did!
And once again Jessie and James, thank you so much for choosing me as your photographer. It was a complete honor to be a part of your special day.

And here are all the people who made this day possible:
Wedding Dress: Oleg Cassini from David’s Bridal
Hair: Jennifer from Salon Enve in Everett, WA
Bridesmaid Dress: Suzi Chin Maggie Boutique from Nordstrom
Menswear: Suits from Men’s Warehouse
Caterer: Celebrate! Catering from Everett, WA
Wedding Cake: Karl’s Bakery, Everett, WA
Florist: The Petal and The Stem from Mill Creek, WA
Photography: Tonhya Kae Photography
Second Shooter: Jeramie Shoda

A couple weeks ago I was looking at some of my photography friends blogs, just admiring and gaining inspiration from all the fabulous work out there. I then came across the sweet and talented Stephanie Fay and saw she was doing a FREE Wedding Giveaway for the 2011 year! I immediately thought this was a BRILLIANT idea and knew I just had to do something like this for a special couple out there!

So it’s official all you newly engaged couples out there…I’m doing my very first FREE Wedding Giveaway for the 2011 year! I am so excited about this I can hardly wait to see all the couples who apply! So I thought I’d make this contest a little challenging but still really fun. I want all of you to exercise those creative muscles!!!

Here is the contest:

* As a couple, I want to hear your story. Every couple has their own unique story, so be as open and honest as you’d like! I truly want to feel like I already know you two, even before I ever meet you! Tell me why winning this contest is important to you! Send your email to tonhya{@}tonhyakae{dot}com

Here are the rules and requirements:

* The couple MUST be getting married in 2011.

* The contest is only applicable to new inquiries.

* I have to be available on your wedding date.

* Please provide WHERE and WHEN your wedding will be as well as the VENUE the wedding and reception will be held at. If you do not know this information, please DO NOT apply. You MUST know these details before applying.

* Please also send me a photo of you and your fiance for the final winner announcement!

* The wedding can be ANYWHERE. Yes, I said anywhere! (If the wedding is outside of the Seattle Area, all travel expenses must be paid for by the bride and groom.)

* The chosen couple will receive: 7 hours of wedding coverage, a second shooter, DVD of originals for printing and viewing, and a personal online gallery for viewing, purchasing, and sharing images with family and friends! (Upgrades can be purchased.)

* The last thing you must do is leave a comment on this post listing your NAMES, WEDDING DATE, and LOCATION.

Well friends, that is pretty much it! Pretty simple right?! : )
The winning couple will be chosen by me and will be based on the most deserving story and most creative video. The winning couple will be announced November 1st, 2010. I already know this is going to be a tough decision because I know so many of you out there deserve this! So I have something special to offer EVERYONE who applies for this contest. Even if you do not win, I will be giving those who applied a 10% discount on any of my wedding packages! I can’t wait to hear from all of you, feel free to email me with any questions.

Happy Friday!

These two are pretty much the sweetest couple. I’ve known Jessica for years and knew right away that she was going to make a gorgeous bride. I actually didn’t get to meet Josh until the day of the their wedding. Once I met Josh, I knew God had brought these two together for a reason. The love that was in the air on their wedding day was simply beautiful. Both families were so sweet and so happy the entire day. I know I say this a lot, but it’s after weddings like this that I am so incredibly thankful that this is my job. This was one of the best days of their lives, and I got to be a part of it…crazy right?! I feel so honored and grateful that I was invited to capture these two and the love they have for one another. Jessica and Josh, you two are beautiful…inside and out. I know God has great things planned for you two!

I hope you all enjoy this extra long post. I had such a hard time narrowing it down!
Be sure to leave these two some love because they totally deserve it. ❤

I simply adore this ring shot Kelsey captured.

Love this one.

These were complete grab shots and ended up being some of my favorites from the day.

To all you bride’s who aren’t sure about doing the “First Look” before the ceremony…DO IT. I love these moments and the expression on Josh’s face is priceless.

Pretty much from here on out, Jessica was all smiles!

It sure was a hot day in Pasco…100 degrees I’m sure! But these two were such troopers.

Ahhh…shade.

Some more of my favorites!

You two are so beautiful.

Loooove this one.

Marti’s Flower Carte did an excellent job with Jessica’s bouquet. So pretty.

Okay can anyone else agree that it should be illegal to be this pretty! (sigh) You are stunning Jessica!

Another favorite of mine…ok get use to it, I have a lot of favorites from this wedding!

Ceremony time.

Tears to laughter…their vows written to each other were beautiful.

Yay! Married!

This was another sweet moment of the day. All the parents held hands on their way out…

This melts my ❤…

Such a beautiful group of ladies.

First dance.

Another favorite that Kelsey captured…Jessica and her father have the cutest relationship.

And so does Josh and his mother. She was so sweet…every time she was near Josh she began to tear up. ❤

All the boys had their own mugs with their names engraved on them, cool idea.

Okay haha, I just had to post this.
The money dance somehow turned into “Let’s throw the groom as high as we can and hope he doesn’t get hurt“…oh boys.

I.O.U. Love it.

This image just makes me feel. ❤

❤

So happy to finally be married.

This day could not have been as great as it was with out some of these wonderful people.

Assistant: Kelsey Cappelletti
Florist: Marti from Marti’s Flower Carte
Venue: Stone Ridge Event Center
Videographers: Media Mason Videography
DJ: Rhythm Dance Productions
Catering: Garcia’s
Hair & Make-up: Salon Monroe
Dress: David’s Bridal

For the past month or so I’ve just felt so weird, and in a complete rut in my life. Like I was stuck. Going no where. But wanting so bad to escape…pack up and move! For those of you who know me…you know I’m all about making quick decisions and just going for it. Well instead…I stopped, and prayed. It’s absolutely amazing how much God has changed me this past year. Continually convicting me of my old ways, and forcing me into situations where I have the perfect opportunity to show just how much I’ve changed. I deal with certain situations completely different than I use to a year ago. All I can say is…God is good. Very good.

Forgiveness.
A word that has been on my heart for the past couple weeks. A constant ache in my heart that I wished would go away, but of course it wouldn’t. And then the strangest thing happened…I forgave. I was apologized to by someone who I have not spoken with in 9 years! Right when that I happened, I felt so convicted by my own sin of not forgiving. And so I did. We all have people in our lives that we’ve held grudges against, remained mad at, and even stopped talking to because of different issues/arguments. We can’t just stop there. We have to pray for those who have hurt us and/or those who we have hurt. Two verses come to mind when I think of the word forgiveness.

Luke 7:47-48
Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.” Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

Mark 11:25
And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.

These two verses just really spoke to me this past week. So if there is someone out there you feel you need to forgive, you should. Okay, there…I’ll stop preaching hee hee. As I continue to write this post I feel myself not really knowing where to go next. So in that case I want to introduce you all to Jessie and James. If you missed their sweet engagement session, you can check it out here. I have tons of great things to say about these two, but I’ll save it for their full post.

This picture is more than just a picture to me. This picture makes me feel.
This picture shows me what love should look like. It paints a picture of something I wish for in my future.
This short second in life that was captured has more meaning behind it than most may realize.
This picture is by far one of my favorites. Of all time. I know its simple…but that is what I love about it.

So thank you Jessie and James for sharing that special second in time with me. It was truly an honor to be a part of your wedding day.

And because this image reminds me of one of my favorite verses…

Corinthians 13:13
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Hope everyone enjoys today.

❤