After photographing their engagement, rehearsal dinner, and wedding photos, we feel truly connected to Betty and Craig. Plus, we had such a good time at their image premiere party that we had them over again to look at their photos for pure fun!
Here are some of images from their wedding coordinated by the amazing Michelle
(Married and More with Michelle). Following the pictures and for for a great read, check out Betty and Craig’s love story in Betty’s own words.
Craig and I come from humble beginnings. He drove out to Seattle in 2004 from Toledo to take a job
with an internet start-up (Altrec), packing his belongings in a Honda Civic. So to come to Seattle, to
make a life for ourselves as young professionals (marketing manager and controller), and to be able
to treat our family and friends to an elegant, intimate event filled with personal touches, is truly what
made our wedding weekend so special.
Who says you can’t meet a nice guy at a bar?
Craig and I met in April 2006 at the quintessential Belltown nightclub known as Tia Lou’s. I was
out with a friend for girl’s night, and Craig was out with one of his buddies. His friend struck up a
conversation with us, and Craig came by and joined in the conversation. We danced and exchanged
numbers by the end of the evening. It turned out that we lived a few blocks away from each other in
Belltown, which was convenient during our first years of courtship.
In September 2009, at the end of an all day trek on Maui’s Road to Hana, Craig proposed as the sun
was setting. We swam in the “Seven Pools” at Haleakala National Park. It was getting dark, so we made
our way back to the car, and he stopped at a grassy area on a cliff overlooking the ocean. Craig got
down on one knee, with tears in his eyes and said, “I love you” and that is when I saw the beautiful
ring! “Will you marry me?” he asked. I started crying tears of joy. “Yes!” I exclaimed. There were
other tourists nearby who cheered after hearing the commotion. It was an unforgettable day!
We immediately decided to get married in the summer of 2011. Both of our families would be flying
from out of state to attend the wedding. My family is from American Samoa and Craig’s family is
from Ohio. We knew the best season to show off our new hometown of Seattle is the summertime.
Nothing beats Seattle in the summer! After having a few months to enjoy the engagement period
(including an engagement party at our neighborhood version of “Cheers” – Black Bottle – in November
2009), we started planning our wedding in March 2010.
Our first step was to hire Michelle Engvall of Married & More with Michelle as our wedding planner.
At our first interview, she was warm and inviting and really wanted to know more about us as a couple
and what we envisioned for our wedding. Being an island girl, I wanted to have a Northwest-meets-
Polynesia feel to the wedding. There were other elements we wanted to bring to the wedding – a
Vegas nightclub feel to the reception, a red carpet photo booth (I love to read US Weekly and watch E!
News), and traditional Polynesian dances, to name a few.
We wanted our guests to look forward to a first-rate experience when they visited Seattle for our
wedding weekend. Our wedding website and save-the-date would be their first introduction to the
big event. Our engagement session took place at the Olympic Sculpture Park, our favorite restaurant
La Vita e Bella, and our rooftop deck at the Parc in Belltown. Studio Joe + Jill created a photo save-
the-date card that included our wedding website address. Our guests loved the save-the-date as well
as our wedding website. The website (powered by mywedding.com) was a fun way to share pictures,
hotel information, Seattle area attractions, information about ourselves and our wedding party, etc. I
also used the blog feature to document the wedding planning process. It’s nice to look back now and
see a little diary throughout the process (Torn between two dresses! Shedding for the wedding!) We
continue to update the wedding website with photos and videos of the big day. It’s a nice way for both
guests and family/friends who could not attend, to view the fun images from our wedding.
For our invitations, we met with Paper Moxie to design island inspired invitations with our wedding
colors of purple, silver and chartreuse green. Sheryl Bracken designed beautiful invitations with orchids
and Swarovski crystals that accomplished the “bling” factor. As the months flew by, we continued to
meet with vendors to perfect the theme of our wedding: Northwest-meets-Polynesia, with a lot of glitz
and glamour added to the mix.
Soon enough, our wedding weekend arrived! Out of town guests were treated to a personalized
Seattle-themed welcome bag in their hotel room. We purchased white gift bags from Target and clear
labels from Staples. We printed our purple wedding logo – BCB – on the labels and attached them to
the gift bags. Viola – lovely personalized bags that didn’t cost an arm and a leg to make! Each bag
featured a Space Needle ornament tied to the bag, Spice Market cinnamon-orange teas, Johnson Berry
Farm jam, Seattle Rain scented travel candle (all selected during an afternoon visit to Pike Place Market),
Starbucks Frappacino and personalized Jones Soda in grape flavor (in line with our wedding colors). We
also added bottled water, trail mix, candy and chips from Costco. Paper Moxie supplied the welcome
bag tags, welcome note, and itinerary. We received so many compliments on the welcome bags! It was
nice to share a piece of Seattle with our out of town family and friends.
On Friday, August 5th, we hosted our wedding party and out of town guests to a rehearsal dinner at
the Orchid Room in Palisade restaurant in Magnolia. We enjoyed the Northwest-meets-Polynesian
cuisine including crab cakes, kalua pork sliders, macadamia-nut crusted chicken, and yummy lobster
tails. The view of the city skyline and sailboats on the marina was quintessential Seattle. We had a
great time visiting with our guests, taking pictures on the deck of the Orchid Room with Joe Hein of
Studio Joe + Jill.
Side note: Brides, if you can afford it, it’s a great investment to have your wedding photographer spend
a few hours at the rehearsal dinner. I’m so thankful that Joe was there to capture the toasts from
Craig’s dad and my brother; as well as us greeting our family and friends that we haven’t seen in a while.
Craig and I handed out our wedding party gifts, which were a big hit –
North Face jackets. Craig works
for Altrec.com, a sporting goods online retailer, so when we thought of wedding party gift ideas that our
friends could use regularly, it was a no brainer. In Seattle, we love to wear North Face gear no matter
what season it is. For the ladies and man of honor, I purchased jackets of different colors and textures
– taking into account each person’s sense of style. Craig settled on a tried-and-true favorite jacket of
his, and purchased the same jacket for his groomsmen. The rehearsal dinner was a fun lead-in to the big
day.
The special day finally arrived – August 6, 2011. It was overcast in the morning, so I was a nervous as
we were getting hair and makeup done in the bridal suite at the Hyatt at Olive 8 (our “hub” hotel).
However, the clouds parted that afternoon, just in time for wedding party and family photos! We
enjoyed taking photos on the Seattle University campus. The ladies and man of honor posed with
vintage purple, green and ivory umbrellas from Bella Umbrella.
The ceremony took place at the Chapel of St. Ignatius at Seattle University, where I went to
undergraduate school. The chapel is just breathtaking – the way different colors of light bounce off the
walls depending on the time of day.
Kevin Bradford, our floral and décor designer, enhanced the space with purple and green orchids,
white hydrangea, and beautiful candles. He surprised me by wrapping my bridal bouquet in silver
crystals. What a nice touch! Craig and I had a traditional Catholic mass for our wedding ceremony,
officiated by Fr. Pat O’Leary. We loved incorporating our family into the ceremony, from the readers to
the Eucharistic ministers – it was a heartfelt service. As for music, we hired Mary Frank on harp, piano
and vocals, and Maria and Mark Vega for vocals, and they did a fantastic job. It was touching hearing
the harp as I walked down the aisle to Pachebel’s “Canon in D”.
After the ceremony, our guests gathered to send us off in a sea of bubbles. I clearly recall exiting the
church, seeing all our loved ones blowing bubbles in the air, with the sun reflecting off the bubbles. It
was surreal! Craig escorted me to our awaiting white Bentley, courtesy of British Motor Coach. We
were whisked away to Kerry Park for some photo ops, while our guests made their way to the Harbor
Club Seattle for the reception.
One of the reasons we chose the Harbor Club for our wedding reception, is because each room is
distinct and it enabled us to treat our guests to different, fun experiences throughout the evening.
As guests went to the 17th floor of the Norton Building and entered the Harbor Club, they were
greeted with beautiful floral and décor; a tall Manzanita branch with orchids and candles; our photo
guestbook, but most of all, sweeping views of downtown. During cocktail hour, guests sipped on our
signature cocktail – Maui Maitai (in honor of Craig’s proposal), and snacked on shrimp cocktail that was
arranged on our ice sculpture from Creative Ice. The ice sculpture had our logo carved into it – BCB.
You could say we had a “branded” wedding – our logo was a recurring theme in the wedding – on the
ice sculpture, in the programs and menus, on the dance floor lighting, on our red carpet photo booth
backdrop. The logo was designed by Craig’s co-worker; and since Craig is in marketing, he had the idea
to incorporate our “brand” in the little touches of our wedding.
A special surprise in the ice sculpture was specifically for Craig’s dad, Martin. We had a separate little
ice bowl made with a sign, “This section reserved for Martin Bokesch” and placed a few shrimp in the
bowl. A few years ago, at Craig’s older sister’s wedding; there was a shrimp cocktail ice sculpture as
well. However, by the time Craig’s dad arrived at the reception, the shrimp disappeared and he did not
have a chance to enjoy any. The reserved section was Craig’s way of saying, “Don’t worry, dad! We
saved some shrimp for you!” Martin had a kick out of it!
Another touch during cocktail hour was our baby picture slideshow, which played on dual screens in
the bar area. It was a long slideshow (we have lots of pictures), but guests could enjoy the show while
mingling. I was also able to link the slideshow onto our wedding website for family to see after the
wedding.
When Craig and I arrived to the venue, we were whisked away by our wedding planner Michelle Engvall
and Sandra Peterson, catering manager for the Harbor Club. Craig and I walked along the “back way”
through the kitchen, thanking the chef and wait staff as we walked by, and had a sneak peek of the
dining room before guests were seated for dinner. Craig and I walked in, and were blown away! You
plan and imagine what the room would look like, but when you see it come to fruition, it’s an amazing
feeling. Manzanita branches with orchids and candles; green & purple orchids and white hydrangea
centerpieces, crisp silver linens – all with the backdrop of Elliott Bay and the Olympic mountains in the
background as the sun was setting. Breathtaking!
We had special touches in the dining room as well – we had table names in addition to table numbers.
Each table represented a place that was special to us and that we’ve visited: Tia Lou’s, Road to Hana,
Bangkok, Waikiki, Bora Bora, Buckeye Country (Craig’s an Ohio State fan). On the table cards, we
wrote a little description of why the place was special to us. Our wedding favors were salted caramel
chocolates from Fran’s chocolates (a Seattle staple).
The orchid theme carried over to our four tier Belgian chocolate and carrot wedding cake, courtesy of
New Renaissance Cakes. The cake was adorned with green and purple handmade orchids. It also had
crystallized sugar, which was so pretty and fit well with the glamour effect we were going for.
After admiring the dining room, Michelle escorted us to the dancing area of the club, which was in a
separate room. When we walked in, our jaws dropped yet again! The Cascade room was transformed
into a Vegas-style nightclub/lounge, complete with white draping, purple uplights, candles, white
leather soft seating, and a custom white bar with purple uplights. It was amazing! Kevin Bradford did
a phenomenal job of transforming the space. Sandra said that is the best she’s ever seen the Harbor
Club look – and she’s seen a lot of weddings in that space!
The Harbor Club staff set aside some appetizers and our signature drinks in the lounge area (since we
missed cocktail hour), so Craig and I had a chance to relax and enjoy the moment while outside, our
guests were being seated for dinner. I loved the fact we had an opportunity to sneak away, have an
exclusive peek at both rooms, while guests enjoyed cocktail hour. It was our little quiet moment, after
the excitement of the ceremony, and before the grand finale of the reception.
Then it was time for our grand entrance, and what an entrance it was! We had the pleasure of having
not one, but two great DJs and emcees from Emerald City Productions, Bryan and Dan Kretz. Bryan put
on his NBA announcer hat on and introduced the wedding party. We chose the Chicago Bulls theme
song, Sirius by the Alan Parsons project, for the wedding party entrance. The introduction was as if
we were announcing an NBA team – how we knew the groomsman/bridesmaid, the name of their
college, and finally their name. The bridal party happily played along, some carrying props (rose petals,
a Nintendo remote control, etc.) – they all created a tunnel for us so when Craig and I were introduced,
we were able to High-5 the “team” before settling into the head table. It was a fun entrance; it brought
us back to the days of watching Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippin!
Guests feasted on beef tenderloin and grilled wild salmon during our plated dinner. My Uncle Dino
performed a song, “My Little Girl” by Tim McGraw, which was sweet of him to do. After cake and toasts,
guests were in for another surprise as they walked into the Vegas-style lounge/dancing area in the
Cascade Room. “Awe inspiring!” exclaimed the Man of Honor, Chris Norwood. “Now we see how the
other half lives!” joked another guest.
Our guests settled into the white leather couches and ottomans, and were treated to a same-day edit
video, courtesy of Laura Randall and her team at Edit 1 Media. Craig and I were teary eyed as we saw
ourselves earlier in the day: as I was getting ready, our first glimpse and our wedding ceremony. We
chose the song “Marry Me” by Train for the video and we were so glad we did!
Craig and I chose “In Your Eyes” by Peter Gabriel for our first dance. We used to dance to that song
in his old apartment on the 24th floor at the Centennial in Belltown, with the city skyline in the
background. It was fitting that we danced to that song, with our family and friends watching, on our
wedding day. After our first dance, we added some island flavor to the reception with two Polynesian
dances. First, my cousin Victoria Barber performed a Hawaiian hula to “Love and Honesty” by the
Hawaiian Style Band. The song meant a lot to me, as I performed a hula to that same song seven years
ago at a friend’s wedding. Tori did an incredible job and so many guests remarked how lovely her dance
was!
In the Samoan tradition, it is custom for the high chief’s daughter to perform a Samoan siva (dance)
during special occasions in the village. In honor of my father, the late High Chief Gaisoa Seigafolava
Robert Pene, I performed a traditional Samoan siva at our wedding. Craig led me onto the dance floor
as “Lavalava Samoa” by the Five Star Band started to play. It is tradition for family and friends to join in
the dance as well. I remember how happy I was, being surrounded by a sea of faces of people I loved,
smiling and dancing around me. Everyone was on their feet, taking part in this special dance. I felt so
blessed!
Our DJs expertly transitioned into open dancing with Jimmy Buffet’s version of “Brown Eyed Girl” after
the Samoan dance. The surprises did not end there – the late night drinks contained purple lighted ice
cubes: LiteCubes. It added to the fun vibe of the “BCB Lounge” area. We also opened our red carpet
photo booth for pictures. There was a library section of the Harbor Club that we transformed into a
red carpet event.
As guests walked from the lounge area to the red carpet room, they were met with red velvet ropes
leading to a red carpet in front of a backdrop containing our logo and purple orchids. The backdrop was
flanked with a palm tree on each side. It’s a classic “Step and Repeat”, Hollywood style! The red carpet
was my idea, because I love to read and watch celebrity news. Craig, however, took charge of the
backdrop and worked with Red Carpet Runway to design a wonderful custom backdrop for the room.
We wanted our guests to feel like celebrities that night, and they certainly did! There was a line all
night for the photo booth- we had to add an extra half hour to the photo booth because it was wildly
popular!
Speaking of which, Joe and Jill Hein of Studio Joe + Jill did an amazing job capturing the special moments
at our wedding. Joe posted the photo booth pictures on Facebook the Monday after the wedding, and
our guests had a chance to look through the photos and download digital copies for themselves. We
cannot wait to see the rest of our wedding photos! They are truly artists who create glamorous images,
and we loved working with them. Joe and Jill made us feel completely at ease in front of the camera.
OK, back to the wedding night….another popular surprise for our guests came at 11:30 PM. As a late-
night snack, another Seattle staple was served – Dick’s cheeseburgers! That was a huge hit with our
family and friends – who doesn’t love a Dick’s cheeseburger while dancing the night away? We had a
fabulous dance party; there were still a lot of guests left for the last song of the night, “Don’t Stop
Believin’” by Journey.
When the reception ended at 12:30 AM, guests congregated to the 2nd Avenue entrance to the Harbor
Club. Michelle’s assistants passed out sparklers to our guests, and they waited for me and Craig to
make our grand exit. What happens next is another surprise: the crowd hears a loud boom, and they
see a flock of white birds released into the air (doves or seagulls) I am told. This happens before we
come out of the building. This remains a mystery because a number of friends told us this happened,
but it wasn’t something that Craig or I planned. I asked Michelle about it the next day, and she does
not recall planning this either. The mystery of the birds – in any case, it was a lovely surprise if it did
happen and we thank whoever arranged that!
Our dream wedding ended with us, the bride and groom, walking through a beautiful sparkler tunnel,
being cheered on by our family and friends. Our chariot, in the form of a white Bentley, awaited us. It
was such a beautiful event! All the hard work and planning paid off!
The next morning, our out of town family and friends joined us for brunch at Il Fornaio in Pacific Place,
where a bountiful breakfast buffet was served. It was Seafair weekend, so after brunch some family
members caught glimpses of the Blue Angels in the sky on a picturesque sunny, Sunday afternoon.
We’ve received so many compliments on our wedding weekend – “First class!”, “Belltown’s first
platinum wedding!”, but one that hit home for me was from my brother Robert, “Dad would’ve been so
proud of you and Craig!”
Growing up, we didn’t have a lot of money in Samoa. In fact our family didn’t have a car until I was
18. And the only reason why we were able to get a car was because my grandfather made a promise
that the first grandchild to become valedictorian in high school, he would buy a car for him/her. So
when I became valedictorian of my high school, he bought me a car which I left for my family when I
came to Seattle University in 1995.
Craig and I continued our special celebration with an incredible honeymoon – we spent 2 weeks in
Tahiti, spending time in Moorea, Taha’a and Bora Bora. We stayed at overwater bungalows at the
Hilton Moorea, Le Taha’a Resort (where Ali’s season of the “Bachelorette” was filmed) and finally the St.
Regis Bora Bora (where “Couples Retreat” was filmed). We highly recommend newlyweds using a travel
agency, it made our trip so much easier! We used Pacific for Less, and couldn’t be more pleased. Just as
Michelle was an organized wedding planner and helped make our wedding planning a smooth process,
Claudia and Jennifer at Pacific for Less ensured everything was taken care of during our honeymoon. I
could go on and on about how great the honeymoon was, but that’s another novel for another day J
To read more about our wedding, visit our website:
www.bettyandcraig2011.com
Reception Venue:
Harbor Club
Coorinator:
Married and More with Michelle
Invites/Programs:
Paper Moxie
Decor/Floral:
Kevin Bradford Designs
DJ:
Emerald City Productions
Cake:
New Renaissance Cakes
by Joe
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