There is something extra special about helping plan your friends' weddings. You know them on a deeper level and a lot of the time mutual friends play parts in their big day and you get to be a part of the party!! That's why it was such an honor to be a part of Evan & Ashley's big day. The mix of friends involved in their wedding was so fun!

My old roommate, Amanda, met Evan at a Hawkeye football bar nearly 11 years ago and brought him & Damien (the best man) into our circle of friends. Wow, 11 years ago. Funny, I haven't aged a day... anywho, He and Ashley soon met, became friends, fell in love, and the rest is history.

Amanda, their matchmaker, flew in from Malta for the wedding and was a bridesmaid. My dear friends Pat, Jake, Mike and Damien were groomsmen as well as my husband Sean (Aaaw!). And as if that wasn't enough, two of Ashley’s bridesmaids were past clients of mine, based on Ashley’s referral, of course. So just the group of people alone made this wedding super duper special to be a part of! Plus, when friends trust you to help them with their day, it's a pretty amazing feeling.

Evan & Ashley had their first look at the iconic Gasworks Park, which led to some pretty amazing shots of them and the bridal party.

I put Evan in touch with Mary Doud who created my engagement ring and wedding band so she could help him create Ashley’s engagement ring. It turned out so gorgeous! And Evan & Ashley won the Sholdt silent auction item at Get Hitched Give Hope for their wedding bands!! Yay GHGH!!

They had their ceremony & reception at the Tyee Yacht Club, which is run by Ravishing Radish. Ashley wanted to keep the color pallet fun for summer by using blues, pinks and yellows.

Remember Amanda? Well, in addition to her being the the matchmaker extraordinaire and a bridesmaid, she was also the graphic designer for all of the day of paper! And the graphics that she used were a perfect tie in to their personalities. Honestly, what can't she do?!

Another super special moment for me (because ya know, it’s all about me, right?!) was that Evan & Ashley chose to use our dear friend, Susan Anstine, to officiate their wedding. Susan was the officiant at mine and Sean’s wedding a few years ago and she's the best! Their ceremony was beyond personal and heartfelt. Ashley didn't leave a dry eye in the house when she spoke her vows to Evan. It was like an onion chopping competition had just gone down. They were that good!

After the ceremony, guests were able to enjoy the dock of the club during cocktail hour – it was a perfect August day in Seattle! And check out my hubby - ain't he cute?!

A delicious dinner was followed by an amazing dessert with cakes from Nuflours. Then, per our usual friend group ways, we had an epic dance party! It was exactly what you would want as a wedding guest (a super fun party) and as a bride & groom (a room filled with a ton of love and happiness). It was apparent that everyone involved was so excited for Evan & Ashley to finally become Mr. + Mrs!!

Evan & Ashley just recently celebrated their 1st wedding anniversary, and in just a few short weeks, they will welcome their very first addition to the family!! I cannot wait to meet baby girl Rhead!! I'm so excited for you two!!

It was such an honor to be a part of this wedding and to celebrate the two of you tying the knot and I can't wait to be a part of your newest adventure! Thank you for including me in your big day!

And a big thank you to all of the vendors who helped to make this day so special!

Venue- TYEE Yacht Club

Catering- Ravishing Radish

Photographer- Sparkfly Photography

DJ- Kris Simonsen

Hair- Lucki Thongdy

Makeup- Off White Makeup & Beauty

Dessert- Nuflours Bakery

Officiant- Susan Anstine