Venue – The Coeur d’Alene Resort
Photographer – La Belle Bella
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.
“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.”
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. N
