I was honored to photograph the wedding with Narayan Mahon, a fellow ‘Cuse grad and an accomplished commercial and editorial photographer. (Look for his piece in Harper’s on illegal gold mining in French Guiana.) Narayan was doing double-duty: wedding photographer and groomsman too!

The wedding flowers were cream colored roses and hydrangeas.

Toby is a cycling coach, and the officiant is one of his students.

The ceremony took place in the amphitheater of the music center. Toby and Amy’s vows were heartfelt and sweet as could be.

 Amy looked absolutely radiant, and wore a megawatt smile all day.

Two cute-as-a-button flower girls, one Toby’s niece and one Amy’s niece.

Wick, one of the groomsmen, congratulates Toby. The reception took up the upstairs of C.I. Shenanigan’s in Tacoma, which offered a sweeping view of the water and lots of room for dancing.

Anne Phyfe Palmer (center), owner and director of 8 Limbs Yoga, is the class instructor.

Memo and Gali, 8, walk down the aisle together. Gali wore a beautiful gown from The Frog Princess.

Kristin’s dress featured intricate beadwork.

Kristin’s dad, Patrick, walks her down the aisle.

The couple’s wedding rings. In lieu of a guestbook, Kristin and Memo invited guests to write their good wishes on river rocks. They brought a small, potted maple tree, which they will plant at home and surround with the rocks.

During the ceremony, Kristin and Memo recognized their parents and their daughter, Gali, who received a special surprise. Gali peeped inside a flap in the wrapping paper  – it was fairy doll from the Tinkerbell movie!

A warm, sunny day.

Mr. and Mrs. Diaz make their entrance at the reception.

The cake-topper versions of Mr. and Mrs. Diaz.

Kristin’s sister, Andrea, with a gorgeous bouqet. Left, Kristin wore a ring that had belonged to Memo’s mom.

The reception hall offered stunning views of the sound.

Kristin and Memo share a dance.

There were a lots of kids for Gali to play with.

 Kristin dances with her godsister’s daughter, left, and her dad, right.

 Kristin’s family cheers on the new couple as they drive off after the reception.

Juicy? Check. Savory? Check. AMAZING?! Check. These are men who take their meat seriously.

It was a great time for the bride and groom’s families to meet, and for everyone to stuff themselves silly on Californian hospitality.

The French bread was toasted on the grill, then dunked in plenty of melted butter. It was insanely delicious.

Memo’s brother, David, drove a U-Haul all the way from California with the family grill and a load of firewood.

Wedding guests came in from near (the Tri-Cities) and far (Nevada).

Memo and Kristin’s daughter, Gali, 8, sits with Grandpa Jack.

Memo’s extended family came up from California for the wedding. Memo’s dad, Javier (wearing apron), supervised the grilling.

Kristin’s mom, Karleen, has had a busy summer, with two weddings between her three children.

Memo’s uncle Carlos made an amazing fresh salsa.

Memo serves up pieces of tri-tip to his brother-in-law, Scott, and uncle-in-law, Mike.

Kristin’s stepmom, Chris.

Karleen passes around a platter with two kinds of cake, baked by her niece Amy.

Ethan pauses to give Princess Kitty a rub. Gali says Princess Kitty has lived up to her name.

My first post went up today: it’s about the opening celebration for the Quileute exhibition. The cavernous Brotman Forum was packed with people all day — our official head count came in at more than 1,600.

Cai Guo-Qiang’s installation, Inopportune: Stage One, arcs overhead. You’d be surprised how many comments I get about that piece: “What’s with the cars?!” Or: “Is this where the ’Cash for Clunkers’ program ended up?”  Haha.

The woman who wove these hats said she used cedar bark, which is pliable when it’s wet.

So when 4 o’clock on Saturday drew near, we pulled out our umbrellas and parkas and gamely stepped across the wet grass for a beautiful wedding ceremony.

From doing engagement photos for Monica and Jason in July, I knew this couple was super photogenic. Look at Monica’s great smile as her dad walks her down the aisle.

The bridesmaids joked that their bouquets brought some sun to the day.

 Monica’s mom, Maria, lovely in purple.

Monica gets a kiss from her dad, Bernardo.

Lace detail on her veil.

Monica says she came to peace with the rain by focusing on its aural quality. She closed her eyes and listened to the drops strumming on umbrella tops.

Congratulations, Monica and Jason! Have a great Tahiti honeymoon!

I’ve included some information about the art from the SAM site below. Serra’s work is especially nice to experience. Walking through, I always feel like I’m moving through a school of fish.

Richard Serra, Wake, 2004

For Richard Serra, space is a substance as tangible as sculpture. He uses materials and scale to alter perception and to engage the body, encouraging consciousness of our relation to space. The towering, curved-steel forms of Wakewere achieved with computer imaging and machines that manufacture ship hulls, including a demilitarized machine that once made French nuclear submarines. Wake is composed of five identical modules, each with two S-shaped sections positioned in inverted relation to one another—gently curving serpentines of convex and concave parts that suggest tidal waves or profiles of battleships. The surface of acid-washed, weatherproof steel reinforces this industrial effect. Wake’s powerful silhouette belies a complex configuration of parts; the whole cannot be known at once, but can only be experienced with movement and in time.

The breeze was giving Ian a styling new ‘do.

In July, the admissions department took a tour with the park’s gardener. (Hands down, the best staff meeting yet!) Bobby described the challenge of keeping the grass looking lush, despite park’s all-organic mandate and the hundreds of dogs relieving themselves at the park each day. Not easy. He does a fantastic job, though, and there was nary a suspicious brown circle in the grass at the amphitheater.

The tall di Suvero in the meadow is one of Allison’s favorites.

Mark di Suvero, Bunyon’s Chess, 1965

The criss crossing steel beams of Mark di Suvero’s Bunyon’s Chess operate like broad brushstrokes drawn in space, a vocabulary that was radically new in sculpture at the time it was made. The artist’s first private commission, Bunyon’s Chess was created specifically for outdoor presentation in Seattle and makes wood a prominent element—a counterpoint to the structure of stainless steel. Di Suvero’s interest in sculpture’s kinetic qualities, inspired by Alexander Calder, and the artist’s use of found objects have remained constants in his career. His numerous public and private commissions, often monumental in scale, are sited worldwide.

And here’s the gazillion-dollar view. It’s amazing that this prime piece of waterfront real estate is now a public sculpture park – with free admission. The Calder’s one of my favorites: it looked great when it stood in front of the Asian Art Museum and it looks just as lovely silhouetted against these Puget Sound sunsets.

Alexander Calder, Eagle, 1971

A third-generation American sculptor, Alexander Calder studied mechanical engineering before studying art. While in Paris in the 1920s and 30s, Calder developed two distinctive genres of sculpture: mobiles, or sculptures that move, and stabiles, which are still. Eagle, created at a time when Calder was recognized as one of the world’s greatest sculptors, reveals the artist’s distinctive combination of pragmatism and poetry. Architectural in its construction and scale, Eagle displays its curving wings, assertive stance and pointy beak in a form that is weightless, colorful and abstract.

Thanks, Allison and Ian, for being such awesome models (after a long day at work, too). Hope you enjoy these pictures!

The anthurium has a pretty heart-shaped flower.

Love the expression on these kids’ faces. They’re wondering when we’ll leave so they can play.

Volunteer Park’sgot some great big trees, and Yuli’s mom enjoyed seeing the varieties. As we walked around the park, she pointed out unusual bark, leaves, height, branch formations. We take these things for granted in the Emerald City, but back home in Taipei, nature is practically non-existent.

The Chinese camels guarding the front of the Asian Art Museum are replicas, perfectly okay for climbing. The marble originals, from late 14th-mid 17th century, are housed inside the Seattle Art Museum downtown.

I’d never met Yuli’s mom before, and I was struck by how much she looked like my mother. It wasn’t just her eyes, nose, mouth, or her hair and the shape of her face. It was her mannerisms too, and what she wore and how she walked. The resemblance was so strong it was kind of freaky. Maybe in 25 years, Yuli and I will look alike too!

Jack, 8, was beat by the time we checked into his hotel room. Poor kid. Pretty nice view of downtown, though, from the 32nd floor. He did perk up later when the hotel employee brought up his luggage and he unpacked his Star Wars action figures.