Photography, Ben Wagner Photography | Venue, The Press Room | Location, Tacoma, Washington | Floral, Sugar Flora | Hair & Makeup, Blushing by Jen | DJ, DJ Chardonnay
The Press Room — A Dream Venue for any Tacoma Wedding Photographer
I had been looking forward to Blake and Cecily’s wedding ever since we did a gorgeous Seward Park engagement shoot as part of their full-day wedding package for a Tacoma Wedding Photographer. We had such a good time during the engagement session (including photos with their adorable golden retriever) that I knew the wedding would be a fun one. What I didn’t know was how the stunning venue – Tacoma’s The Press Room – would make this day a truly special one, which I documented both with photographs and a documentary PhotoFilm.
The Press Room is located in Tacoma’s Opera Alley, and used to house the printing presses of the Tacoma Daily Ledger and Tacoma News Tribune. The venue’s theming is somewhere between speak easy and pre-war rustic. I arrived early, and with a full-day booking and their well-organized timeline, I was able to start by spending plenty of time taking detail shots and exploring the venue to document the wedding day preparation. This included Cecily’s preparation in the hair and makeup chair, and Blake getting ready (assisted by the groomsmen).
Once the groom was ready the group killed time with white claws and cigars. These are the little moments I love as a Documentary Wedding Photographer. Yes the big moments are important, but the 15 minutes Blake spent waiting for his bride, hanging out with his best friends sipping white claws, smoking cigars, and just spending time together, are worth documenting too.
Once everyone was ready it was time for the first look, Blake and Cecily opted for a more formal first look session, and with beautiful spring weather we went out into Tacoma’s Opera Alley with a lovely patch of yellow painted wall that formed a great background for this emotional first look. Around half my couples opt for a formal first look, while the rest either choose a traditional “walking up the aisle” first look, or choose to skip the tradition entirely and get ready together. Either way, as the Wedding Photographer I love helping couples pick the route that best fits their personality.
With the first look complete we did a quick portrait session, including wedding portraits at Tacoma’s Spanish Steps, just a few blocks away. While I specialize in documentary or candid style of wedding photography, this doesn’t mean we won’t do any portraits! With Blake and Cecily, since we worked together already on their engagement shoot, we were able to quickly get them some great wedding day portraits and then get them back to the party.
After returning from the portrait session, the guests were arriving and the final details wrapped up to get the venue ready for the ceremony. One of the things I love about The Press Room is the dramatic, natural light that fills the ceremony space in the afternoon of a sunny PNW day. As a PNW / Seattle / Tacoma Wedding Photographer, you learn to live with poorly lit indoor wedding ceremonies. But the Press Room bucks this trend, with a beautifully lit ceremony and reception space that really enhanced the emotions of the wedding ceremony.
After the ceremony the wedding moved upstairs to the Press Room’s second level for a cocktail hour while the main floor was flipped for the reception. There was a dinner, followed by all the usual events: speeches, first dances, garter/bouquet toss, and a lively dance floor. When I left, ten hours after arriving, the party was still going.
The Press Room Wedding Photography — The PhotoFilm
The Press Room Wedding Photography – Select Photographs
In the following gallery you will see images in both Color and Black and White. Each couple receives all digital photographs edited in both color and black and white.
