Simply By Tamara Nicole: Seattle Weddings: amy walton photography

This post has been a long time coming, I just wanted to make it perfect for my bride and dear friend Corey.

She was SUCH a pleasure to work with and so very much fun!

Not to mention stunningly gorgeous:)
(all of this amazing photography done by Amy Walton Photography, love her!)

Although I can't make this perfect enough, here we go!

Venue: The Woodmark Hotel, Kirkland WA

Wedding of Corey and Kyle

(her Vera Wang gown, lovely!)

The bride Corey is pretty much drop dead gorgeous and the sweetest thing ever. This wedding stood out and was more personal because of the couple's story and their strong family ties.

From Corey (the bride):

"A little about us: We dated for 12 years, finally got married 7-16-11. We have 4 children. Our engagement was a trip to the tattoo shop where my fiance tattooed CC on his ring finger as my new initials. We got married at the Woodmark Hotel in Kirkland, WA. We had around 95 guests. I had an amazing team. We designed a children's play area, an all white lounge area, blue dance floor lighting, and blue velvet draping to name a few. I loved planning my wedding and would love to inspire other woman in planning theirs. My wedding was whimsical, detailed, and very personal."

Not only do they look like models straight out of a Calvin Klein ad, but their children are pretty adorable too! Corey and I worked together on so many details to help personalize their special day and show who they are through the event. Some of the DIY projects we worked on were the rose cones for the ceremony, the invitations, the escort cards, table numbers, labels for the flip flops as well as the cupcakes.

We worked together with David from Green Room Decor to build a VIP-style lounge area with some fun modern lighted tables, furniture and up-lighting as well as a fun child lounge area full of coloring books and video games. Corey had used striped straws and frappucino bottles for milk for the kids (she got the idea off of my lil blog here!)

The Woodmark Hotel in Kirkland, WA in Carallon Point gave us the perfect backdrop for this wedding. The forecast all day was rain on and off, but last minute the sun came out and we were able to hold the wedding outside with some gorgeous views of the boats and water in the harbor! That's Washington weather for you!

The reception was full of love for the couple. Corey's little sister surprised the couple with a fun slideshow of pictures of all of the families fun memories which brought people to tears. You could tell that family was super important to this couple!

Corey's daughters and niece were little "fairies" with wands and wings, adding to the whimsical charm of the wedding.

The groom Kyle has a twin and so throughout the wedding and reception people were going up to his brother and congratulating him! So funny but he just played it off with a smile.

All in all the guests and Corey, Kyle and kids had a blast!

Corey's friend had found a great deal on a photobooth on a "deals" site and gave her as a gift the day before the wedding. This was the hit of the reception! Thanks to Digitainment the guests were having a ball!

Some words/advice from the bride:

How did Kyle propose? No proposal! We had talked about getting married since our 10 year anniversary. We knew we were going to, we just didn't know when. My little sister and brother had their weddings in the summer of 2010. One month later, Cassie started persuading me to look at venues and get the ball rolling on my wedding. She made all the appointments with the potential venues. After meeting with them, she told me to place the brochures on our counter for Kyle to see. Kyle came home and said "the Woodmark looks good, also look into the Kalani lodge, that place is beautiful!" I guess Kyle just needed a little push(=

What was the most stressful part about planning your wedding? Guest list was the most stressful, who should come and who deserves to come.

What were your two favorite "moments" on your wedding day? Walking down the aisle for the first time and Kyle's speech to me.

Describe your favorite personalized details and why they are important to you. I loved the name cards and flower cones. The months before my wedding I became Crafty Corey all because my planner took the time to show me how important the small personal details were. Over the months my entire family helped in some way with the crafts.

What advice do you have for other brides?

Get a wedding planner! It will allow you to be in the moment. Every single moment! The six hours go fast, breath, and take it all in. It truly is a once in a lifetime experience. Let the planner deal with all the wedding day issues.

Did you include any traditions in your wedding?

Having my late grandma in a locket around my bouquet will be the tradition I would like my daughters to carry on. I also used the same white hanky my sisters carried on their big days.

What were some of the handmade elements included in your wedding?

We had a kids area. It was fab! We designated a corner for all things kids. They had funky white chairs, light up tables, bean bags in fun colors, coloring, and crafts. For their special treat we made milk bottles with each of their names on them filled with strawberry milk.

What inspired you when you were planning your wedding?

My inspiration was a picture of a head table my older sister used for her wedding as well. It was a picture of exotic summer flowers. I carried it with me everyday so I wouldn't stray when other cool ideas came up.

AND afterwards a sweet review from my gorgeous bride Corey:

"If you are looking for a planner in Seattle, look no further. I was stressed and overwhelmed before I met Tammy. Now I am as calm as can be! She has kept me way under budget allowing me extra $$for those last minute details every bride needs to make their wedding unique and interesting. We have the best time when were together. She is extremely organized, amazingly crafty, and knows all the "hottest" wedding ideas. I didn't have to research a thing, she came to me with all the ideas(-: Which is what every bride needs! I will recommend her to all my friends. She travels too! "