Thanks to Joseph for the photo – he says the newlyweds are Heather and Josh, coming off the King County Water Taxi at Seacrest Pier, after getting married on its 3:30 run today. Congratulations! ADDED MONDAY AFTERNOON: We’ve heard from the newlyweds themselves in the comments, and they provided the link to video of the wedding itself:
I hope the happy couple or someone close to them may eventually turn up here with the backstory, if there is one. Last Water Taxi romance story we featured was two years ago https://westseattleblog.com/2008/07/water-taxi-more-romantic-than-a-venice-gondola
.
they got engaged on the WT. But married, I believe, on shore.
And if anything like the Swinery’s back story, let’s be sure get a good heap of what their exes have to say about ’em!
JanS – WHY is all I have to say? Why would you get married on the water taxi? Maybe they met there? We were on it last night – still wondering WHY?
I met Josh at a party here in W Seattle. He lives locally near Morgan Junction. They had this planned for a several weeks, but tried to keep it quiet to keep the Water Taxi run from being over-whelmed by well-wishers.
very cute & a happy story. i wonder where they had the reception/after-party?
Wow! That is a cost-effective marriage! Sign of the times perhaps . . .
congratulations! Why Not the WT? The Water Taxi is a great place to marry – fun, unusual and obviously what they wanted! Best Wishes for a Long and Happy Life together!
dear a: because it’s unique, quirky, fun, and totally romantic — that’s why! people who fail to see this are simply devoid of creativity and are probably sarcastic about life. (boring, boring, yawn, yawn; there are other colors beyond gray & beige, people!)
btw: the reception party afterwards — with the happy couple riding in on a watery chariot, pulled by their groomsmen, to the totally rad raps of Tupac — was Way Awesome. the rest of the night was absolutely fabulous, as 130 sexy guests (including grandma) wined, dined, and did it like they do it on the discovery channel. HA!
Hey Michelle, you really ought to listen to that song. I sincerely hope all of your family and friends didn’t engage in “doing it like they do on the Discovery Channel.”
.
That’s just wrong! :-)
We are heading off for honeymoon, but wanted to thank all the well wishers and let the curios folks know we’d provide a full story when we got back… or sooner if we have some extra time in the airport:)
If you want a little taste of the story now and to see how perfect the water taxi was, check out our ceremony on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oY3v_16SrKA
Enjoy the weather this week, All!
AWESOMENESS!!!
My question is…how many people does the boat hold and how long is the sailing…I know a couple getting married and they want a wedding on or near the water!
Congrats to Heather & Josh!!!
haha! i Do know the song. just going for the alliteration. was about to quote tupac, but that would have been way more obscene. and who Doesn’t love the discovery channel?
BEST WISHES TO JOSH & HEATHER!!! =)
that is very cool.
(p.s. the question about why is natural curiosity…..no reason to get nasty about it, Mich)
capacity of the water taxi is 150 people; the crossing takes 10 minutes.
Congratulations, Heather and Josh! You did a great job of keeping this a secret – what a surprise! The video is marvelous! As a ULC Minister myself (ordained for the same reason), I can only sing the praises of your friend, who so lovingly agreed to take on the responsibility of officiating your commitment. I also love the way he kept peering around at the distant shore. See you when you get back, Mrs. Bring/Kinko ;-)
The Short Version:
Josh and Heather chose the water taxi for their wedding ceremony because they like the water and the views. Many of their out-of-town guests were staying downtown at the Alexis hotel near the water taxis dock. The water
taxi made it easy for the non-car-having visitors to get across the sound to the reception in west Seattle at the Duwamish Longhouse instead of driving around an unfamiliar city.
The Long Version:
Many years ago before BP’s massive malfunctioning oil drilling rigs, before the Puget Sound was named the Puget Sound, and when Vikings ruled the seas, a very strong, gerthy man decided he would separate the Olympic peninsula from Vancouver BC and allow the waters to flow in from the seamingly endless sea to create a place nestled between two mountain ranges called Seattle. The gushing waters filled the dramatic valleys and created a mystical region that seemed to ooze of stunning beauty but only lit by soothing sunshine a few isolated weeks per year. At first, man was confused by these spurts of sunshine, but eventually man understood that the dreary, gray days they had endured for the past 9 months were simply a test of the wills of man to determine if one was fit, ready, and prepared to fit a whole summer’s worth of activities into the compressed “Seattle summer.” People enjoyed this sunshine in many ways. At first, man would walk around the area north of Lake Union and balance rocks one on top of another 3 or 4 feet high as could still be witnessed today. Others would cook grains, sugars, and malts in large tubs of water through the cold months. They would wait to drink this special fermented water until the sunshine made them feel confident enough to drink the special water knowing that the outdoor conditions and temperature would make it tolerable to fall asleep outside of their shelters since the special water made them do such idiotic things. It has been said that this region now boasts an abundance of masters who compete by making different flavors and potencies of this special water and distributing it to those who enter their gates. Once Matador Talarico lost his Poggie in his Corner Pocket only to Tug it onto Easy Street where it Royally landed on a Cupcake and a Husky ate it and jumped into the Foamy, Velvety waters of Elliot Bay because a Nouveau Diva from Charlestown had tried to steal it. This Poggie was sought after by many men and women, but none had succeeded in finding it within the bellows of a dog that had once jumped in the bay years ago. It was said that the gushing waters through the newly separated bay had flushed the Poggie southerly into a network of streams and rivers. More recently, Lord Jona-Kai had embarked on a journey with a group of friends and rafts to float down the Yakima river in hopes of finding the magical Poggie during a spurt of fair weather. After several annual trips to find it, the expedition grew in size, but the misuse of special water made the conquest too challenging and the Poggie was never found. A couple years ago, a lovely photographer had joined Lord Jonah-Kai and embarked on the journey. A few days prior, an architect had a powder blue van jam-packed with all of his worldly possessions in search of sun and warmth. Before his permanent
departure, Retich J Vanderby had convinced this creator of buildings to guide them in the design of a glorius raft which would float them down the river in search of the Poggie. They woke up early, loaded their vehicle, and setoff for the long 8 hour voyage from Seattle to the Yakima river after several stops for food, plastic flotation devices, rope, paddles, and even extendable marshmallow roasting sticks. They setup camp along the river and waited with go-juice ready. While doing very manly things like building a campfire and trying to assemble a tent purchased on Craigslist without reading the directions, the architect noticed a beautiful lady setting up her tent nearby. Distracted by her glowing beauty and inability to assemble his tent, he approached her and began an awkward conversation. The next morning, they tied their rafts together, floated down the Yakima, and searched for the Poggie. They did not find the Poggie, but it brought them together. After the weekend, they left for their homes – she went to her house, and he stowed his stuff back into his van and got setup on his buddies’ couch. Unsure whether to leave town or not the next morning for the sunny climate of southern California, the beautiful summer in Seattle and a pending phone call to the lovely photographer enticed him to stick around for awhile. He called the lovely lady, and they planned a stroll along Alki Beach. This led to more camping trips, surfing trips, and other adventures. After many fun times had passed, she asked him to get his stuff together for a secret adventure on the forthcoming wintery weekend. She surprised him with a surfing trip to San Diego. After their first surfing session, they crawled onto the beach for a rest. After a few awkward moments, he removed his wetsuit glove and pulled out a ring that his jeweler Uncle Joe had helped him pick out over Thanksgiving. As soon as she had a glimpse of the shiny ring, she sputtered a few sounds and attempted to remove a ring from her wetsuit booty (that she had surfed in and walked about a mile). By the time he had popped the question, she finally maneuvered the silver ring she had custom-made, and she tried to ask him the question first. Confused, she accepted his proposal and they set out for libations. After enjoying the beautiful weather of sunny San Diego, they began planning their wedding in an even sunnier, tropical spot: Sayulita, Mexico. They chose their colorful friend, Nick Egan, to officiate their wedding, and the 3 of them set out for Sayulita in January to test out the location for their wedding which they planned to have several months later over the July 4th holiday. After a day of surfing and a curious night of sampling all the various street meat from all the local vendors, Montezuma’s Revenge set in and confined the couple to their bed and bathroom for the duration of their trip. Upon their return from Sayulita to Seattle, the bride’s mom had arranged a Mexican themed engagement party for the couple’s friends and family at the Alki Tavern where the regulars taught them the swervy “Stadium Dance” that is guaranteed to get you a spot on the jumbotron at a Sounders match when executed properly in perfect cadence. At the party, the couple announced to their loved ones that their wedding would not be held in Mexico due to the sour memories of Montezuma’s Revenge. Instead they had chosen a wedding that would be on the water, near the beach, with views of Seattle. The groom rides the water taxi a couple days per week to take a break from his architecture work and teach a design course at the Art Institute. He loves the views and relaxing transportation provided by the water taxi, so he thought it would be a cool idea to get married aboard the vessel. He also had a history of sailboat racing aboard a J35 sailboat named “The Boss” and imagined it being fun to have its 80-year-old Capt Wayne Berge perform the wedding aboard the Whidbey Island Race Week award-winning boat. Since Capt Wayne had his boat for sale, the water taxi seemed to be the better option with its capacity of 150. Because the groom is originally a buckeye from Ohio, and the bride has family from all over the globe, there was sure to be loads of out-of-town guests. The bride arranged for them to stay in downtown Seattle at the Alexis Hotel, so they could be nearby the tourist attractions. Because the couple lives in West Seattle and have great memories of their first date on Alki Beach, they wanted their reception to be in this area and nearby the water taxi’s Seacrest Dock. Because the Alki Bath House was slightly too small, they chose the nearby Duwamish Longhouse for their reception. The water taxi was the best way to transport such a large group of people across the Sound. On the day of the wedding, the groom and other guests who parked on the West Seattle side boarded the water taxi to pickup the bride who stayed at the downtown hotel the night before. When the water taxi arrived downtown, everyone disembarked the vessel and lined the dock to greet the bride and her bridesmaids as they arrived at pier 50. As they waited for the next boat to arrive, friends and family had a chance to talk, meet, and enjoy the beautiful weather. The groom’s friend Kohei Yamamoto did a careful job lining up all the guests in order along the dock, so they could board the boat in the most efficient manner. Two generations of world-reknowned cellists, 90-year-old Grandma Phyllis accompanied by Aunt Audrey, were the first to board with their cellos. Grandma used to play aboard Alaskan-bound cruise ships and also the Seattle Symphony, and Aunt Audrey is in the Toronto Symphony. They setup their cellos at the front of the boat and played a charming duet as guests boarded the floating wedding chapel. The wedding party waited upstairs while the guests entered and posed for photos for those waiting in line on the dock. This also gave the bride’s father the chance to warn the groom that he would “send the Samoans” if he did not treat his daughter with respect. After the guests were seated, the cellos played “here comes the bride” as the bridal party got into their places. Revered Nick Egan began his speech as can be seen on the attached video. After a few pauses and ad lib stories, the couple got married and joined the reverend and witnesses upstairs to sign the paperwork. Crewman Aaron arranged to have the captain say a few celebratory words at this time. Once everyone had disembarked the water taxi, Kelly distributed bubbles to all the guests who lined both sides of the dock to cheer the newlyweds as they made their way back to land. As they walked up the dock, grandma was still lingering on her way up as she enjoyed her share of applause for playing such exquisite wedding music. The couple followed behind and received eyefuls of bubbles, and Kelby waited in the parking lot with the groom’s 1967 VW bus ready to transport the bridal party. They went around west Seattle and took some photos around their favorite spots while entertaining passerbys with their creatively decorated van done by Brent, Al, and Doug. After they finished taking photos they met many of their guests at the Alki Tavern where they cooled down with a tasty beverage as they waited for the finishing touches to be made at the Duwamish Longhouse by Kevin and Alegria. Guests began to arrive at the Duwamish longhouse where ice cream in waffle bowls with all the toppings were waiting for them which was graciously suggested by Jack at the Husky Deli, and Jaspers BBQ was smoking ribs, brisket, salmon, and pulled pork in the parking lot. Once the guests had their fill of ice cream, they made their way into the longhouse where they put on a “hello my name is” nametag, grabbed a souvenir wine glass, and enjoyed the reggae music of DJ Kryspin of Adams DJ Service. Before long, the lights dimmed, “Chariots of Fire” began to play, and fog emanated from under the closed doors. The music switched to Tupac’s “Two of America’s Most Wanted,” the doors opened, and the whole bridal party pulled the newlyweds in by a chariot built by Kelly McIvor. The couple greeted their guests, ate some BBQ, and began the normal wedding traditions like the boquet toss caught by Kelsey, garter toss (the groom found a stuffed lemur up there), the cake cutting (made by Rena) and the toasts. During Rev Nick Egan’s toast, he forgot his champagne glass, so the groom poured him a glass. Nick took the bottle – not the glass. After the toasts, the cookie table was revealed. This is a tradition from Youngstown, Ohio where all the ladies spend weeks making dozens and dozens and dozens and dozens of cookies. The cookie table had well over 2000 homemade cookies – many of Italian variety which is the prevalant culture of the Youngstown area. To bring in some Seattle culture, another table was setup with all Costco cookies. Just kidding – there was a coffee cart with various espresso drinks available. Throughout the night, there was plenty of dancing and even a few games of beer pong and flip cup broke out below the 20′ high cedar ceilings of the longhouse accented by lower white patio lights like you see above Christmas tree sale lots. After the dancing, the married couple went off to Hotel Alexis and left the next day for Kauai for some surfing, snorkeling, hiking, relaxing, and plenty of sun.
The rehearsal picnic on Alki beach with 100 people, the water taxi wedding and longhouse reception were the BEST ever! Being the mom, I just loved every minute.
Sorry, comment time is over.
| 27 COMMENTS