I’m excited to launch our new “Real Weddings” feature on the blog today! I’m hoping that this will be a fun read and provide some insight for couples who are currently engaged. Enjoy!

Lindsey and Andy are such a sweet couple, and their love for each other was so evident on their wedding day! It was a privilage to be a part of it! Lindsey was my perfect bride- a great balance between knowing the look she wanted and trusting me to do my job. I knew I wanted to feature her first because she’s so thoughtful and genuine, and I knew her answers would reflect those aspects of her personality.

Special thanks to Theresa at Aubin Ahrens Photography for getting these beautiful photos to me so quickly!

Lindsey Niuman and Andy Tolman
August 7, 2010

Photo by Aubin Ahrens Photography

Photo by Aubin Ahrens Photography

Photo by Aubin Ahrens Photography

Vendors:

• Venue: Alderbrook Resort and Spa
• Caterer: Alderbrook Resort and Spa – Kristin Wiseman
• Makeup: Andrea Aiken – Alderbrook Resort and Spa
• Wedding Coordinator: Studio G Occasions – Karen Guyt
• Photographer: Aubin Ahrens Photography – Theresa and Ned Aubin Ahrens
• DJ: Generation X Productions: Jered Delpalacio and Ollie
• Cake: Kathy Reese
• Videographer: Capstone Media Productions – Veronica Brown
• Invitations/Programs: Costco

Favorite moment(s) of your wedding day:  I know this sounds scripted, but it really isn’t…the one moment that I got really emotional on our wedding day was when I saw the absolutely gorgeous bouquet that Paula had made for me.  I was so happy that I cried and that was really the only time the whole day that I got teary.  Aside from that moment, Andy and I agree that our favorite moments were when we saw each other for the first time and when we were pronounced husband and wife at the end of our ceremony.  We also really loved getting to spend time with all of our family and friends throughout the day.  Seeing all of our hard work and planning come together when we walked into our reception venue (the tables all set, place cards at each spot, candles lit, floral centerpieces in place, the cake, and all of our friends and family sitting around the room) was also pretty awesome.

Photo by Aubin Ahrens Photography

Photo by Aubin Ahrens Photography

Advice for engaged couples:  Hire Paula and Paisley Petals as your florist!!  Seriously, she did an amazing job!  We would definitely recommend doing your research and meeting your vendors before you hire them.  We either met or got personal recommendations for each of our vendors and we couldn’t be happier that we chose the vendors we did.  We were very pleased with all the services we received.  One very important piece of advice that we can offer is to allot at least an hour of extra time to get ready before your photos and ceremony.  Unfortunately, our hair stylists were 45 minutes late and didn’t finish getting everyone’s hair done until an hour and a half past the time we were supposed to have been done.  This was very upsetting, because our photo sessions before the ceremony were cut 1.5 hours short which resulted in a rushed and stressful photo shoot.  Our photographers did an awesome job within the crunched time frame they had to work with, but we missed out on getting photos with different combinations of family members and the bridal party.  It would have been so much more fun and relaxing not to have to rush through things.

Photo by Aubin Ahrens Photography

What you’re up to now:  We are still living in Madison, Wisconsin and are looking forward to moving back home to Washington once I graduate with my master’s degree in social work from the University of Wisconsin in May of 2012.  I am currently attending school full time and am looking for a part-time job since the group home for teenagers that I worked for closed due to county budget cuts at the end of December.  Although I miss my job and the income, it is really nice to have so much more time to focus on school.  Andy is currently working for a clothing company down town and is hoping to attend graduate school to obtain a master’s degree in public administration.  Andy still loves to play hockey and golf and is looking forward to warmer weather so he can get back out on the golf course.  We enjoy being parents to our two cats and look forward to starting a family once we move back to Washington.

Thoughts on working with Paisley Petals:  It was an absolute pleasure working with Paula and Paisley Petals.  From our very first meeting, I could tell that Paula was a true professional who was as knowledgeable as she was friendly.  Paula is a very talented, caring, and sensible florist who will be honest with you about what she can do for you within your budget.  When we first met, I described the color palette and “look” that I wanted as well as the different types of flowers I liked.  Paula listened to my ideas, asked great questions, and did a wonderful job of explaining what she could create for me.  I was thrilled with what she came up with and felt so comfortable knowing that she really understood what I wanted.  I was planning our wedding from Wisconsin and Paula did a fabulous job of communicating with me through e-mail, sending me pictures, and making plans to meet in person when I knew what dates I would be in Washington to finalize wedding plans.  Paula was always very responsive to any questions or comments I had which was incredibly reassuring, especially since we were planning everything from across the country.  When I wanted to make some changes to our original design, Paula was very accommodating and fair.  She told me what the additional cost would be for her to add the flowers that I wanted and was happy to make the changes upon my approval.  On the day of our wedding, Paula was incredibly punctual and hand delivered my bouquet to me and my bridesmaids.  She labeled each bouquet, corsage and boutonniere with the recipient’s name which was such a nice personal touch.  She made sure our centerpieces, flowers for the cake, and flower bundles on the aisle chairs for the ceremony were perfectly arranged and set up.  Hiring Paisley Petals was one of the best decisions we made for our wedding and was definitely money well spent.  The value and quality was remarkable.  Everything looked amazing and we couldn’t be happier that we chose Paisley Petals as our florist.

Photo by Aubin Ahrens Photography

Photo by Aubin Ahrens Photography

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