NAMES Liesl Matthies and Jeremy Elson LIVE IN Downtown/First Hill OCCUPATIONS She’s a diagnostic medical ultrasonographer; he’s a researcher at Microsoft Research HOW THEY GOT ENGAGED They flew in his Cessna to a secluded spot near the San Juan Islands; he had hidden a ring there for her PRE-WEDDING PARTY Her best friend took her and her sister, whose wedding was two months after Liesl’s (see Matthies & Nickle Wedding), to San Francisco WEDDING DAY WEATHER They picked the weekend with the highest average temperature and the least probability of rain, and it was sunny and beautiful NUMBER OF GUESTS 104 COLORS OF THE DAY Reds and hot pinks to contrast with the blues at their venue; they asked guests to wear sexy reds and pinks too, so it would feel as much like a New Year’s Eve party as a wedding THEME Art deco, cabaret, and the Mad Hatter’s tea party inspired an otherworldly, madcap environment CULTURAL TRADITIONS Even though they set out to have a secular wedding, they ended up observing many Jewish and Orthodox Jewish traditions; they had a “nontraditional traditional” wedding complete with a klezmer band SIGNATURE DETAILS OF THE CEREMONY Because of the strong belief in gender equality and same-sex unions, both parents walked them down the aisle; both bride and groom completed male- and female-specific traditions; and all of the wording in the ceremony and ketubah was gender-role neutral THE DAY IN THREE WORDS Spectacular, wildly fun, and creative
Photographs by La Vie Photography
CEREMONY, RECEPTION, AND CATERING The Ruins
PHOTOGRAPHER La Vie Photography
OFFICIANT Rabbi Michael Adam Latz from Kol Haneshamah
INVITATIONS Stuhlberg’s
FLOWERS AND CAKE The Ruins
CEREMONY AND RECEPTION MUSIC Shawn’s Kugel
GOWN Marcella’s La Boutique
ACCESSORIES Alexandria Rossoff
FORMAL WEAR Nordstrom, Luly Yang
HAIR AND MAKEUP Bellatrix Studios
RINGS Fox’s Gem Shop, Alexandria Rossoff
CHUPPAH Daniel C. Robbins
REGISTRY Pottery Barn, Williams-Sonoma, Macy’s
REHEARSAL DINNER Library Bistro at Alexis Hotel
HOTEL FOR GUESTS Alexis Hotel, Pensione Nichols
