The Couple: Deedra and Brian Lonquist
Wedding Date: June 27, 2010
Photography by Capture Photography
Tell us a little about you and your beloved: Brian and I met back in 2003. I worked at the UPS Store, and he worked for FedEx. It took Brian eight months to ask me out, and we have been together ever since.
We are truly each other’s best friend and confidant. Brian proposed exactly one year after our first date, Valentine’s Day 2004. At the time, I was in school and told him that we would wait to get married until after I graduated. Well, I graduated in 2005, and we got married five years later!
It was a long engagement, but couldn’t have been better timing. Currently I am using my Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design as an Editor/Communications Specialist for an association and Brian works for Boldt Construction, scheduled to graduate in May of 2011 with a Bachelor’s in Construction Management.
What was the most amazing part of your day? For me it was the very moment my dad took my hand to walk me down the aisle. Seeing everyone there all at once, and hearing the powerful words of the music in the background, made me almost start hyperventilating.
I started to cry, and my dad looked and me and squeezed my hand tight to help calm me. It was so amazing and overwhelming all at once. The past eight years just flooded my mind. It was really happening! So amazing.
Ceremony Site: Lakeside Beach, Lake Tahoe
Reception Venue: Lakeside Beach Grill
Photographer: Capture Photography
Wedding Planner: The Bride
Caterer: Lakeside Beach Grill
Cake: Sarah Robison (Brian’s cousin) and Bel Air
Flowers: Mom’s Wholesale Florist
Favors: We had two favors: One was Love Birds Salt and Pepper Shakers and the other was a CD with music from the ceremony and reception. Rachelle Lyon, Deedra’s bridesmaid, designed the CD label.
Wedding Dress: David’s Bridal
Bridesmaid Dresses: David’s Bridal
Hair: Heather Adams of Brockway Hair Design
Makeup: Heather Adams of Brockway Hair Design
Invitations: DIY by Deedra
DJ/Entertainment/Band: Lake Tahoe Entertainment
Honeymoon location: Lake Tahoe
Any other of your wedding vendor(s) you’d like to call out? Rowena Pegg, from Lakeside Beach Weddings! She was so laid back and really made my experience less stressful. I had so many compliments about the staff from the reception. They did a wonderful job!
By far, I was so thrilled by my photographer, Shellie Kennedy from Capture Photography. She brought to life all of the hard work I did in planning my wedding. I can’t tell you the excitement I felt when I first saw the pictures from the wedding.
First Dance Song: Songbird by Eva Cassidy
Any advice you’d give to our readers who are planning their weddings right now? Try and take your time. Give yourself plenty of time to do your homework and research, a year would be ideal.
You really want to have an idea of what it is that YOU and your future husband want. You will be inundated with other peoples’ ideas, desires and demands.
Please remember that this day is about you and your mate, not about mom, or grandma, sister, friend… Don’t be afraid to say no.
Most importantly, make sure you have a budget to go off of. It is so important. It is really difficult to plan anything without one.
Choose your wedding party wisely. You will need people who are willing to do anything for you, no matter what.
Keep a detailed binder of everything…your research, your quotes, your ideas, your receipts, etc. It will pay off to be organized!
Be choosy when it comes to selecting a photographer. They are responsible for capturing the most important day of your life. Don’t choose a photographer because their prices are cheap. You will certainly be disappointed. Have a decent budget set aside for a photographer. I highly recommend my photographer. The day of the wedding goes by so quickly. Having beautiful pictures to look back to remember the day is absolutely priceless!
When it comes to invitations, be weary of size and bulkiness. I handmade my invitations and they were beautiful, but the cost for postage alone was $1.40 each.
Remember that something is always bound to go wrong, no matter how organized your are. Just accept it now, and your day will go more smoothly.
Anything that you would have done differently if you were given the chance? I probably would have gone with a local florist. My flowers were beautiful, but transporting them from Sacramento to Lake Tahoe had its challenges.
I would have liked to have someone take pictures of all the details I worked so hard on, and of my guests. I kept my photographer busy taking pictures of us!
Also, I would have done something different for my guest book. We had a simple guest book with 100 pages or so and everyone just signed their name. I wish people would have taken a page a piece giving us advice, etc.
But overall I don’t have any complaints. Our wedding was perfect!
Photos courtesy of Capture Photography
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