On Sept. 1^st, 2018 Amy and Andy said “I do” on a perfect sunny day in the Columbia River Gorge at Skamania Lodge.  After three years of dating the couple made it official with all their friends and family surrounding them.  Read on to learn more about this beautiful couple and their gorgeous September wedding in the Columbia River Gorge.

 

Amy and Andy first met at a summer barbecue, a set-up by one of Amy’s coworkers (Andy’s brother) at the time.

“Connor knew that we would be a match and had told Andy about me, but I had no idea it was a set-up!”

The pair instantly and naturally connected.

“I had made a Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake for the BBQ which ended up being Andy’s favorite – they say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach!”

The pair started texting the next day then went on a date a few weeks later and the rest was history.

 

Diamond Beach

Andy asked Amy to marry him in Laguna Beach in August of 2017 after they had been dating for just over two years.

“I thought that our trip to Laguna Beach was just a relaxing getaway and had no idea that Andy had already found and purchased my dream wedding ring and had even asked my parents for permission.”

Amy thought that the proposal was still at least a year away.  Andy had been intentionally throwing her off!

“The first night of our trip we took a walk along the beach while the sun was setting.”

After a few minutes of walking down the beach, Amy could tell that Andy was acting a little strange but she still didn’t suspect anything.

“When Andy got down on one knee I was shocked and could not stop crying tears of happiness!  It was such a beautiful proposal and an unforgettable feeling for both of us.  It was the most beautiful sunset I’ve ever seen!”

Amy and Andy later found out that the specific beach in the Laguna Beach area where they got engaged is called Diamond Beach!  A perfect place for a picturesque proposal.

“We went back to Laguna Beach after our wedding, stayed at the same hotel and went back to the exact spot where we got engaged.  It was the perfect place to go after the wedding to de-stress and reminisce!”

 

Amy had a lot of fun planning her big day and getting to see her vision come to life.

“I had no idea how many details and decisions it would involve and because of that I was SO thankful to have hired a day-of wedding coordinator, Allison at Luxe Event Productions.”

Amy chose a day-of package but found their team there to help the whole way through!

“It was such a huge stress relief to have their support, vendor recommendations and expertise.”

Amy also shared her wedding planning process with her sister/Maid of Honor.

“She made the experience so fun and memorable.  On the day of the wedding she made all my stress and worries go away, I couldn’t have gotten through the day without her!”

For Amy the best part of planning was seeing it all come together on the big day.

“My favorite part of wedding planning was creating a vision and then seeing it come to life on the day of.  Everything was actually more beautiful than I had imagined thanks to an awesome team of people!”

 

Saying Yes to the Dress

When it came to finding the perfect dress to marry Andy in Charlotte’s was the first stop.

“I loved my experience at Charlotte’s!  It was my first stop and I ended up not even going anywhere else!”

Amy found her dress during our Justin Alexander Trunk Show in the Fall of 2017.  One of our favorite trunk shows of the year with special guest, designer Teri Hilferty!

“I was there for the Justin Alexander trunk show which was a really cool experience since one of the designers was there and even brought me the dress that I ultimately chose!”

Amy said “I do” wearing a gorgeous strapless crepe design from Justin Alexander: style #88004.  This gown was one of the preview designs that Teri had brought for our trunk show making Amy one of the FIRST brides to choose it for her big day.

“I really loved every dress that I tried on, but I knew when it was the one!  I felt really comfortable being honest about my thoughts on each dress and didn’t feel pressured or rushed to make a decision.”

On Sept. 1^st 2018 at the beautiful Skamina Lodge in the Columbia River Gorge, all of the planning and work that Amy had put into the big day came to life!

“It was such a memorable day and I have so many favorite moments!  I loved sharing the day with my closest friends and family but there are a few moments that really stand out.”

Before the ceremony, Amy and Andy chose to do a note reading where they couldn’t see other but held hands while reading notes that they had written each other a few days before the wedding.

“It was such a special moment and also helped to calm my nerves and get some tears out before the ceremony.”

The couple didn’t do a first look, just the blind note reading so another favorite moment for Amy was her walk down the aisle.

“Seeing Andy for the first time walking down the aisle was unforgettable!  I was SO excited to see him and to marry him.”

Finally, Amy fondly remembers the moments directly following their ceremony.

“After the ceremony, before our family photos began, Andy and I sat at a table at the alter where we signed our marriage certificate and we had a few moments to just relax, take it all in and spend some time together just us two.  It was so nice to have that time together to catch up and recoup before the rest of the night!

ADVICE TO REMEMBER

Thanks to advice from several previous brides, Amy made a huge effort to be present on the day of the wedding and to take in every moment knowing how quickly it would all go by.

“When walking down the aisle, take a breath and look at the people who came to celebrate with you.  For the reception, look at your décor and appreciate all the details that you worked so hard on!”

“Most importantly, don’t forget the real reason of the day: to marry the love of your life!  If possible, find a couple minutes for just you two.  For us it was right after the ceremony and it really is one of my most memorable moments.”

“Lastly if you can fit it into your budget, hire a good videographer!  Our videographer really captured the feeling of the day and so many special moments.  We are so thankful to have a beautiful highlight video along with all the raw footage that we can look back on forever. (Totem Ent is amazing!!)”