Shangri-La on the Green | Kylee + Evan
This wasn’t the first time I was able to photograph Shangri-La on the Green. Back in 2014 (how is that 7 years ago already?), a friend from high school contacted me about photographing his sister’s wedding. I met with Anna + Jared and was thrilled that their wedding became my fifth ever wedding I photographed. It was a fun day, as most of the vendors were other friends from high school. (I actually grew up down the street from the caterer). As you know, has changed in seven years, so it was exciting to go back to this venue for Kylee + Evan’s wedding.
The first time I shot Shangri-La, I was super pregnant. It was June and I was due in September so I was about 26-28 weeks pregnant or so. I pulled up to the venue to find it was situated on a hill. Parking is on the top level, the reception space is on another level, and the ceremony space was at (what I thought was) the bottom of the hill. I still remember laughing as the Mother of the Bride asked where my hospital was (it’s down the street in Enumclaw like 10 minutes away).
Green River Couples Portraits
It was fun to see the venue with a new set of eyes after gaining seven years of experience. We arrived extra early (by accident) I was able to scout the venue a bit before Kylee and her crew arrived. One thing I didn’t know from my previous experience at this venue, was that there’s a trail directly down to the Green River where you can get out on the rocks. I knew Evan would be “overjoyed” to stand on another rock for photos.
You may not remember but Evan complained about every rock I made him stand on during their engagement session. If I remember right, his exact words were “Oh yay. Another rock to stand on.”
Eco Friendly Shangri-La on the Green Wedding
One thing Kylee expressed was super important to her was to support small businesses and keep things as eco friendly as possible. Many of the vendors she chose were female owned and operated, which gave this woodsy wedding a beautiful feminine touch. She purchased her wedding dress second hand, and it was gorgeous! Of course, she also brought the glam with her incredible Betsey Johnson shoes. (Maybe someday I’ll tell you about my Betsey Johnson obsession, but today is not that day).
When we got there, all the guys were ready to go and I was so proud of Jake for not missing a beat and figuring out the getting ready photos. Evan wasn’t as pleased since Jake made him take his jacket off a dozen times or so. But this is one of those things that we tend to do so you’re not rushing to get ready at the last minute.
Boho Bell Tent Getting Ready Area
One small downside of this venue is there’s only one getting ready area. It’s up in the top of the cabin, but it’s dark and cramped. Kylee solved this problem by bringing in a beautiful bell tent for her getting ready suite. It doubled as their honeymoon suite for the night of their wedding so she and Evan didn’t have to leave the venue! It was the perfect end to their day before heading off to their Mexico honeymoon!
