Getting Ready at W Bellevue

Excited isn’t the right word because it just doesn’t seem big enough. Today I’m sharing the first glimpse into our wedding day and my heart is exploding.

For the evening of our rehearsal dinner and the night after the big day, we stayed at W Bellevue in a Marvelous Suite. Here’s the thing: we’re still not over it. When we walked in, I promptly lost my mind for a multitude of reasons. The view, the lounge, the record player (and record selection!), the free standing bath tub overlooking the city…every little design detail…I can’t handle it. Also, W has my favorite hotel pillows of all time and I couldn’t wait to be reunited.

We decided to do our portrait session two days before (I recommend this to every couple or at the very least doing a first look) so that we would not only have more opportunities for photos, but be able to spend as much time together as possible on the day of. That’s exactly what we did! I woke up around 7:30, laid in bed for awhile (the pillows!) and then took a bath until it was time to start getting ready.

I loved this suite for getting ready on the day of. There was a sliding door separating the bedroom and the living area in case I was getting ready and wanted privacy. Anyone could come visit and Bennett was able to have his own area while I did my thing.

Beyond the amenities, it was stunning for photos. The biggest windows you can imagine flooded the entire suite with the best natural light. There was a vanity in between the bath and sink area where I did my make-up (convenient magnifying mirror included) and it ended up being so comfortable and perfect.

When it was time to leave the room we took some photos around the hotel and on our way to the car. We were on track to arrive at the venue on time (as someone who has shot weddings before, this is extremely rare) so I was feeling 100!

The wedding happened and everything was perfect. More details coming soon!

We went back to W around midnight (a swift 10 minute car ride from our venue) and relaxed. We were heading to Italy the next day so it felt like Christmas Eve for us. We couldn’t have asked for a better experience surrounding the best day of our lives. It felt like we were right at home and that meant the world to us.

All photos by Vivienne Tyler Photography (!!!) The biggest thank you and so much love to her for not only making us feel comfortable and collected while we were getting ready, but capturing this special morning and the entire day so effortlessly.