Photography, Ben Wagner Photography | Venue, The Cattle Barn | Location, Cle Elum, WA
Cle Elum’s The Cattle Barn Wedding Venue
Intimate. When Wedding Photographers use that word, it’s often code for “small”.
Micki and Ben’s Cattle Barn wedding in Cle Elum, WA was not a small wedding (the guest count was in the 100-150 range). But it was distinctly intimate. There was a closeness and a familiarity amongst the wedding guests that was unusual for a larger group. Everyone seemed to know, well everyone. And this led to a fluidity among the group. There didn’t seem to be the little cliques that can develop at all day weddings, the college friends staying away from the high school friends, the work friends never having met the family.
Instead it seemed as if everyone was one big happy family. This started with their small, mixed-gender wedding party. Choosing a man of honor and best groomsmaid sends a signal right away that even the wedding party will be an un-divided affair. And it was, the wedding party mingling in and out of the respective suites while the bride and groom stayed sequestered.
When I arrived I headed straight to the ranch house. Friends and family were in and out, immediately mingled in a big swirl of who’s who. After everyone was ready, we headed out for a couple of quick bridal party shots. As a documentary wedding photographer I keep my bridal party and couples quick, but in this case we spent a few extra minutes of bridal portraits in the beautiful blue Mustang convertible Micki and Ben had borrowed for the wedding.
The ceremony was held with the stunning Swauk Valley in the background. Afterwards a cocktail hour unfolded as the crowd played lawn games and drank from the bar inside the Barn proper. Emotional speeches followed. Before dinner was served, there was a traditional family toast that the entire wedding participated in, a shot and a beer that gave—unsurprisingly— a jumpstart to the party.
And what a party! A raucous dance floor where everyone from the oldest grandparent to the youngest flower girl danced the night away.
At the end of the night, the couple did a grand exit, a line that swept all the way from the Cattle Barn to their Mustang, waiting to whisk them away to their married life. As the car pulled away, my camera and flash couldn’t keep up with the sports car, and my final shot of the the night blurred into a impressionistic image.
The Cattle Barn Wedding Photography — The PhotoFilm
Select Wedding Packages include a 4K PhotoFilm — combining your wedding photographs with recorded sound to create a one of kind photographic documentary. A way to relive your special day for many years to come.
The Cattle Barn Wedding Photography – Select Photographs
The gallery below includes a select group of photos Micki and Ben’s Cattle Barn wedding day. In the following gallery you will see images in both Color and Black and White. Select wedding photography packages receive all photos edited in both color and black and white. Any film wedding photography images are delivered depending on the chosen film stock.
Having a The Cattle Barn wedding? Let’s chat!
Click any image to view in fullscreen or slideshow mode.
Digital images photographed on the Leica M11, Leica Q3, and Fujifilm XT5. Film photographs taken on the Leica MP on Kodak Tri-X and Portra 800 film stocks, as well as a vintage Yashica Mat with Ilford HP5.
Film processed by Panda Lab, Seattle, WA.
