Q’emiln Park Grand Pavilion Wedding
(Post Falls, Idaho)
Lena & Mike – 6/10/16
Venue & Wedding Details:
Q’emiln Park stretches along the south bank of the Spokane River in Post Falls, Idaho. This family-friendly, waterfront public park maintains four covered entertaining areas (shelters) available for seasonal event rental. This venue is perfect for the bride and groom looking for a venue with water views, reasonable price point, easy access, and lots of room to roam. The Grand Pavilion area used by Mike and Lena is a large, open-air pavilion which looks across the park’s grassy knolls to the shimmering Spokane River beyond. On this particular day we were especially glad for the pavilion’s built in heaters and clear, roll-down window walls. You see, while the moody and dark skies of this early summer day added to the striking natural beauty of the surroundings, the weather left us all chilled and a bit damp.
Luckily, this adventurous couple and their bridal party would not be deterred from venturing out from under the cover of the pavilion for photographs. Mother Nature rolled up her sleeves and teased us with sunny skies followed quickly by flash rain showers. We incorporated the lovely tulle draped throughout the pavilion, some fun and vibrant umbrellas, and lots of tree canopy coverage to achieve our photo images of this special day.
The bride was stunning in an enchanting ivory corset bodice mermaid style lace gown. She opted to forego the use of a veil, instead, sweeping her chestnut brown hair into an elegant up-do crowned by a rhinestone embellished headband . The girls’ bouquets paired delicate white lilies with dusty lilac roses, sprigs of baby’s breath and a hint of green (tying the color scheme to bridesmaid dresses and the natural setting). We loved the sweet sentiment of the remembrance picture locket pinned into Lena’s bouquet. Bridesmaids wore silky, tea-length dusty lilac dresses which paired nicely with the gunmetal grey suits of the groomsmen. Our groom looked dapper in his contrasting light grey suit and white accessories.
Mike and Lena created a fuss-free wedding day by enlisting their family and friends’ help with food and decorations. A finger food buffet, tempting homemade desserts, whimsical painted wine bottle centerpieces, and fun glass mug keepsakes with chalkboard style name tags added personality without breaking the couple’s nest egg.
Highlight of the Day:
Mike and Lena share an undeniable bond, but the connection between Lena and her siblings (brother and sister) was especially touching and significant. After the married couple’s introductory first dance, Lena was led by the hand back onto the dance floor by her sister and joined, immediately, by their brother. The three hugged, laughed, and shed tears together while the music played … It was as if only they three occupied that special moment. The rest of us looked on at the love and support shared and couldn’t help but be moved by the display.
Voice Behind the Lens:
Unexpected things pop up during every wedding celebration. As professionals, we try to allow extra time during a wedding photo session for such SNAFUs. Case in point: a few hours before the ceremony, one of the groomsmen became unable to attend (or be a part of) Mike and Lena’s wedding. A replacement groomsman was quickly brought on-board, but all full-group wedding party pictures had to be delayed by over an hour waiting for the new groomsman to get ready and arrive. The ample time we set aside to complete the day’s photography doesn’t just allow us to capture candid images of the couple in varied setting, it takes the urgency (and resulting stress) out of the day. We simply photographed different sub groups of the wedding party until our latecomer arrived … then away we went without missing a beat (or image).