Dean and Melissa met in March, 2018 when they both started working at the same Wendy’s. In fact, the first time Dean walked in, he definitely caught Melissa’s attention. Less than a week later, he asked her out, she said yes and “we have been inseparable ever since.” Since then, the Weidert’s story has been filled with challenges they never could have imagined. But this only made them stronger and more passionately committed to each other. 

Melissa had been diagnosed in 2012 with two brain diseases and underwent three brain surgeries in five months. While dating Dean, she was also working two jobs and, as a certified personal trainer who enjoys everything fitness, was preparing to compete in a bodybuilding show. Dean, a maintenance technician who loves to solve problems and work with his hands, dove head-first into this not-so-simple situation, supporting her in every way he could, from cooking and weighing out meals, to laying out her work and gym clothes every morning so that she could get an extra 20 minutes of sleep. They poured themselves into their individual successes and together reached out to help others find their own potential and confidence.

In December, 2018, Dean proposed on the exact spot where he had been standing when Melissa saw him for the first time: in front of the frosty machine at Wendy’s. A month later, Melissa was diagnosed with brain cancer, but that didn’t stop them. “But, we knew we were going to be in for a fight,” she said. They had already started planning their wedding with Patricia Naumoff from Wedding Planning Idaho & Washington (WEDNI), who is also a cancer survivor. When she heard of Melissa’s diagnosis, she introduced them to an amazing team of people who made their dream wedding come to life. “Patricia was the heart of the whole operation,” said Luba Wold, the Weidert’s photographer. The entire community, including Luba and Lavender Manor in Deer Park, WA, donated their time and services, from engagement to wedding, and it all came together within a quick 3-4 months, since Dean and Melissa didn’t know how much time they might have. 

The greatest challenge leading up to the day was Melissa’s health and exhaustion, but when that day came, “I felt great,” recalled Melissa. “We were able to enjoy the biggest moment of our lives pain-free.” Lavender Manor “put their heart and soul into every detail,” she added, “and we were very thankful to know that everything was taken care of. They worked so hard to make sure I had no stress!” The most touching memories of the night were all about the people who celebrated this most important moment with them. From the food to the cake, the photos, the dress, the dancing, and of course the smiles and laughter, it was a perfect night.

“It was an amazing opportunity to be a part of something like that,” said Luba, “It is a rewarding feeling to be in a position to help and make a difference in someone’s life, especially someone so deserving and appreciative of what they received!” 

Dean and Melissa refer to Patricia as “one of a kind” and remain incredibly grateful for all of the WEDNI members who donated time, money and services. “I didn’t give Patricia a lot of exact details as to what I wanted,” said Melissa, “and somehow she captured exactly what we had dreamed of. We wouldn’t have changed a single thing.”

Tyler, a Boise native, and Ali, originally from Vietnam, met at The College of Idaho in Cataldo and fell in love while carpooling through the fall semester and interning at Clearwater Analytics in Boise. Their relationship wasn’t always easy, particularly with two years long distance – Tyler lived in Boise while Ali lived and worked in New York City, NY and then London, UK. But Tyler eventually joined Ali in London where they have lived ever since.

Being from different parts of the world, they knew their engagement and wedding wouldn’t be traditional. Tyler proposed on Ali’s 25th birthday in the cozy, intimate restaurant Pla in Barcelona, Spain, and their THREE ceremonies, first in London, second in Vietnam, culminated in a “destination” wedding at the Coeur d’Alene Resort. Planning a wedding from the UK with an 8-hour time difference is definitely challenging, but all the local Coeur d’Alene vendors “were excellent, thoughtful and did their jobs expertly,” Ali said. “Robin from Red Letter Event Planning took the stress away as we navigated through the wedding planning process.”

Desiring a smaller, more intimate space, Ali and Tyler chose the Lakeview Terrace at the Coeur d’Alene Resort for their ceremony and reception. The glass balcony overlooking the lake was perfect for their afternoon ceremony, dinner and rooftop glow-stick dance party reception. “But umbrellas are an absolute must,” the couple advised, “as it can get very warm on a clear, sunny summer day.” And although the views were spectacular, it also meant being interrupted by loud foghorns during the ceremony.

Although most of Tyler’s family were already in Idaho, Ali’s parents, sister and nieces flew from Vietnam for the special day. Family and close friendships were at the heart of the celebration, so the couple built in plenty of time before the ceremony for group portraits on the boardwalk and around the resort. “This took pressure off the ceremony and reception so that the couple could really enjoy themselves,” said Danell from La Belle Bella Photography, who met the couple in London before relocating herself to North Idaho. “Both the engagement session and the wedding day were fantastic,” the Deroins said.

As they stood under the brilliant blue sky on that day, listening to each other’s vows surrounded by family and dear friends and overlooking Coeur d’Alene Lake, they knew they would never forget this special and moving experience.

“We are fans of her style, overall aesthetic, and felt that her bright, joyful and classic photography fit perfectly with what we had envisioned for our wedding.”

Sarah Tsou doesn’t like weddings. “I don’t understand why people get offended when they aren’t invited to a wedding,” she said, “because I’m always relieved.” When it came time to plan her own wedding, she tried as hard as she could to eliminate all the things she didn’t like about weddings. And, according to photographer Jerome Pollos, she pulled off “the biggest small wedding I’ve ever been a part of.”

Eric, a graphic designer, and Sarah, a middle school teacher, naturally don’t fit into people’s expectations. They met through Eric’s brother, and began emailing each other before meeting in person. Their six years of dating caused some frustration with Sarah’s family, but Eric takes his time with the important things and Sarah knew he was the best for her. “He’s a very calm, loving person,” she said. “I’m fierce, fiery and in your face. I get him to do things a bit faster, and he makes me stop and think about it and not just jump in. That’s what I love about our relationship.”

Eric proposed on their 6th dating anniversary, and they got married on their 7th so they only had to remember one date. Since Sarah has a big family, and Eric is from a large Chinese family, they knew they would have to be judicious in choosing where to have the ceremony and who to invite. They took the money they could have spent on 200 dinners and spent the same amount on an excellent dinner for 20. 

When thinking “small” and “custom,” Sarah and her wedding planner Jessica English from Red Letter Events struggled to find the right venue. They finally settled on the deck at the Hayden Lake Country Club, an intimate space overlooking the water that could be set up for the ceremony in the afternoon and then swapped out for dinner as the sun set. Sarah’s parents did have to join the club in order to book the wedding, and the extensive transition of the space from ceremony to dining room was an extra expense, but the boat cruise on Hayden Lake during the switch and the fireworks over the water after dinner made every struggle worth it.

Through every detail, roadblock and decision, Sarah was thankful that she had two wedding planners – Jessica and the planner from the country club. She had someone who worked for the club on her team, and even if she hadn’t had Jessica, she still would have had a planner there on the day. She also said, “I would hire Jerome a thousand times over!” and is now working with him to take her pregnancy pictures and hopefully baby pictures next year. 

In December, 2019, her father passed away. But he was able to attend her wedding in 2018, as well as her twin sister’s wedding in the spring of 2019. “We are both daddy’s girls,” she said. “I just keep looking back at that night and am very, very grateful that he was there with us.”