Nika and Jim’s love story began when they were both living in busy and bustling London. Knowing that they were going to have guests flying in from all around the world for their wedding, they wanted to make the location and experience as unique and memorable as possible. That is why they settled on Gig Harbor, the charming Pacific Northwest fishing town, a far cry from the London Tube and smog that they had grown so accustomed to.
Jim grew up in Gig Harbor and his Aunt and Uncle, who still live there, offered up their one hundred year old netshed as a venue. The couple fell in love with the quirkiness of the building and the rusty boat crane that would serve as their altar. The Pacific Northwest inspired the entire design of their wedding. Gig Harbor sits on the Puget Sound and has a panoramic view of Mount Rainier, thus inspiring the “Where the mountains meet the sea” theme. The color palate was also drawn from the environment and was a natural continuation of the theme with dark navy for the sea and deep ochre and gold representing the mountains.
Planning a wedding 5,000 miles away proved to be a difficult task, especially without a wedding planner. While living in London, Jim and Nika relied on their American family for the planning process. Jim’s Dad built tables and benches out of palettes and his Mom incorporated Nika’s heritage through one hundred hand sewn white and blue cushions inspired by Russian pottery. This added an even more personal touch to the already eclectic and incredibly thoughtful wedding design.
For the ceremony and reception, It was important to the couple that their multicultural guests felt welcomed. They took inspiration from pubs in London and decided to have random and fluid seating to allow guests to mingle. After the ceremony, Nika and Jim took a sunset boat cruise, taking in the iconic Gig Harbor views. Guests danced the night away on the boathouse dock with Mount Rainier and the sun setting in the background.
