How the Magic Happens
Friday, February 27, 2009 at 1:00AM 
Seattle Style was touched when we received this amazing wedding by local photographer Chalk Ballerina. Not only are the photos of Jesse and Heather beautiful and memorable, but the stories that the photographer, Charis Brice shared with us brought tears to our eyes! Happy tears, of course!
Q: What was the most memorable part for you from Heather and Jesse's wedding?
A: There is a very specific hum in the air when a wedding ceremony begins. Tensions mount, voices fall to whispers and tears prepare to flow as the moment of marriage approaches. For Heather and Jesse this hum was palpable – everything was set for their outdoor modern sculpture garden ceremony and I could feel delight and giddy anxiety in the air as the music began.
And then, horror of all horrors (or so I THOUGHT), it started to rain… hard.
It was at this moment and the moments directly following the rain that my favorite memory of Heather and Jesse’s wedding day occurred. In those moments after the rain began to fall – in the moments when Heather and Jesse could have cursed the sky – they instead went with the flow, and magic happened.
The bridal party was given stylish umbrellas, the guests were whisked to an intimate white tent, and the ceremony began again in earnest. The moment that stands out to me from all the moments of the day is the moment that Jesse and Heather saw one another…Heather walked towards Jesse in the rain. As they took in the beauty of one another their faces were infused with gratitude, awe and delight… the sweetness and purity of their emotion in that moment absolutely took my breath away.
Because of Heather and Jesse’s ease and flexibility, the rain that could have dampened the moment only served to make it more lovely… after the ceremony I couldn’t imagine it any other way.
Q: What is your favorite thing about being a fabulous wedding photographer in Seattle?
A: I am a firm believer that being a wedding photographer in Seattle is the best job on Earth. Stated in a different way (albeit a bit more selfish), I have the best job on Earth. Seattle has an energy to it that creates the perfect context for the magic of a wedding. The longer I photograph weddings, the more I love it. My favorite thing about being a wedding photographer is (I know, this is weird) photographing weddings.
A wedding day is so full of intimacy and humor and beauty and emotion - being in the midst of the remarkable, beautiful chaos that is a wedding day is truly one of my favorite things. I love feeling the energy in the room surging - it is so tangible that you can almost you can almost feel it on your skin. I love catching the tiny glance between two sisters that speaks to years and years of hardship and love. I love watching the bride and groom navigate through their day - the ways they support each other - the looks of hilarity about strange situations - the tender embrace during a dance that says so much more than "I love you."
Q: Do you have wedding advice regarding wedding photos that you'd like to share with Seattle brides?
A: Go with your gut; go with what you love. From the choosing of your photographer to the way you structure your day - go with what you know. I really believe that when you see a photographer's work you will KNOW when you have found the right one. Once you have felt that surge of connection as you look through a certain website, go with it. If you want that special "walk down the aisle" to be the first time your sexy man sees you - GO WITH IT - go with what you know. It is the photographer's job to photograph YOUR wedding day, not to structure it in the way she wants it to be structured. A good wedding photographer is an expert at adapting to her environment - this assessing and adapting to the dynamic nature of the wedding day is one of my favorite parts of the job (it makes it exciting!). Whenever I hear couples who are "encouraged" by their photographer to re-structure their wedding day, I cringe a bit (okay, I cringe a LOT). Feel free to say "NO" to these subtle pulls towards change; go with what you know - go with your gut - go with what you love.
Thank you, Chalk Ballerina for these tear-jerking stories of love, loyalty, and above all a great attitude about wedding day rain.
Reader Comments (17)
The one with her holding the umbrella is so beautiful! Makes me excited for my August 2010 wedding :)
Blast! I so wish Miss Charis had been around 32 years ago when my sweet lady and I tied the knot. Her images are not mere photographs, but rather living, breathing memories of one of life's sweetest moments. Simply Enchanting!!
After seeing this article and these AMAZING pictures... I am booking my wedding with Charis Brice TOMORROW!
That is FANTASTIC!!!!! We are so happy to have helped you find your wedding photographer ... great great choice :)
I just started crying. This photographer really has some passion and I hope she'll still be a wedding photographer when I get married!
Charis (Chalk Ballerina) was our photographer for our wedding last September, 2008. I heard about her from a girl that attended the same Engagement Encounter weekend as I, so I looked into her website and contacted her. We started off by having her shoot our engagement session. I couldn't get enough of our pictures. They were so beautiful! I couldn't imagine having anyone else capture our memories that day, and the day of our wedding. Our memories are on our walls as pieces of art, not just pictures. We are truly blessed to have had had her for our special day. I look forward to having more photo shoots with her in the future to add to our ever so personal art collection. You will not be disappointed with her work. She is truly an amazing photographer, artist and person. The best around.
GORGEOUS!!!
I am so impressed by these photos. And the name, Chalk Ballerina, I love that name!
Charis is SOOOOO talented (and sweet and personable). What a beautiful wedding!
I met with Charis for my booking this week after seeing these beautiful pictures and she was amazing even without a camera in her hands. I told her about my hopes and dreams for the big day and she seemed SO excited even with only knowing me a couple hours. Thanks Chalk Ballerina... I can't wait to see your art come alive. :)
I am overwhelmed by all the amazing comments for this post!! :)
I completely agree with all of them!! Chalk Ballerina is AMAZING!!
Your Senior Editor,
It felt like we hired a close friend to do our photos. She was extremely easy to work with from beginning to end, so much so, that we feel that she will somehow always be in our lives. After seeing her work online when searching for a photographer for our wedding, we jumped at the chance to have her work the ceremony. My husband was a little concerned about having someone follow us so closely, including the preparation. But not only did my husband feel comfortable getting his picture taking in his monkey boxers while shaving minutes before our ceremony, but she saved the day by helping with the little things that we were both too nervoous to handle (pinning of flowers, necklace clasps, etc.) We await our final product and expect nothing but the best.
I want to express how much in awe I still am over the beautiful work Charis had done for my wedding. I confess that about once every 2ish weeks or so I pour over the moments she captured. There are just soooo many tiny details that are doomed to be lost or taken for granted while you are rushing around in an absolute "Love high" that day that are relived in pictures.
Thank you Charis! I would have had no one else! and you truly are a "Master of the unspoken Moment"
much love
- H & J
Charis did my Bridal and Wedding photos back in October. I have never been so thankful for the way she captured the memories, friends, laughs, tears, and more. My bridal pictures were beyond incredible. She made me feel (and look) like a model. If you love things captured the way they happened, and want to REALLY remember these special days, I would tell you to HIRE HER ASAP.
I met Charis on a school assignment. Not only is she really nice, but she's passionate about what she does. She's always excited to help me with my work [being an aspiring photographer], and she's just all around amazing.
:)
Incredible pictures. If only Charis had done our wedding pictures 29 years ago today. Our pictures would be prominently displayed instead of under our bed collecting dust.
I was a guest at a wedding Charis photographed recently and was so impressed with her modus operandi. She blended with the guests and didn't allow picture taking to interrupt the flow. I had the pleasure of viewing the pics later. She managed to capture the fun of the reception with flattering shots of guests and wedding party. She's awesome.