Our very own, Lindsey Relyea tied the knot last year to her beau of five years and counting. Now, on their one-year anniversary, we are so excited to share their wedding images with you all. He stole her heart while working together at a Calistoga resort as a hunky local firefighter. After a whirlwind romance vacation in France beginning with a proposal at the Eiffel Tower, they wed 2 years later in a beautiful garden setting in Geyserville, Ca. In her own words, here is a little bit of Lindsey's journey to wedded bliss with the love of her life.

Delaney: Of course, Lindsey had a dreamlike proposal. This is how her dream came true from her point of view:

Lindsey: We were invited to Brandon’s cousin’s wedding in France and decided to take full advantage and embark on a full vacation together with our first stop being Paris. On day two we ended our day of touring all of the notable sites with a bike ride through the city, which had been recommended by a friend. Leave it to me, the planner, to plan a bike ride for 3-hours on a 90-degree day in a tourist bound city: not the best of my planning days, but memorable none-the-less! We were hot, tired, and starving as this adventure ended at 11pm. We raced to the nearest restaurant and noshed on local, authentic Croque Madame’s and wine. We were clear across the city in a quiet neighbor hood and the only way we knew how to get back to the 7th arrondissement was to follow the striking tower as it shimmered in the evening light. Of course, as any tourist would, we stopped at the Eiffel Tower to test out our new camera on our walk back. It was just around midnight and the glistening of the tower was illuminating the large lawn. As Brandon fiddled with the camera set-up, and I posed like a fool to get the right angle, Brandon finally joined me a picture. After the camera’s shutter ended, he looked at me and said he was really nervous as he got down on one knee. Truthfully, I think I blacked out from here but I know he asked the question and I stuttered some version of a "yes"! I didn’t sleep a wink that night, I was so giddy. We floated though the next 10 days of our trip before heading home and sharing the big news.

Delaney: Tell me your favorite thing about Brandon, although I know it is impossible to choose just one!

Lindsey: I love his adventurous yet peaceful spirit. He’s always up for a new adventure, and yet perfectly content staying in and cooking dinner together. He’s honest, loyal, my voice of reason…and that smile…!

Delaney: Tell me about your favorite memories together thus far (besides the wedding, of course!)

Lindsey: When we got our first Christmas tree together; it was so important to me to go hunt down the perfect tree. So we loaded up, pup in tow and headed to a Christmas Tree Farm to find the best tree. $150 later we ended up with a squatty little tree, but it was our first and so special. We got it all the way home and realized it wouldn’t fit in our mini house at the time. While I was, of course, devastated, we were able to laugh it off and chalk it up to be just one step in our journey together.

We used to make a point to head to the beach every Sunday together…it was our sunday fun day playing on the beach with our pup.

Sitting on a bridge in Paris sipping on vin blanc and chèvre with fresh baguette! Heaven.

While in France, we planned a guided tour of Normandy. Sadly, that morning my horrible navigation skills landed us in a tiny village 2 hours west of where we were supposed to meet our guide. We finally made it to the beaches that afternoon and stumbled upon a cute little village and had one of the best dinners!

Delaney: Tell us about how you two first met:

Lindsey: 7 years ago, I was working at a resort planning weddings and this hunk of a man (I am now thrilled to call my husband) was working there part-time as a bellman (and part-time as a firefighter, he would like me to add). It was one of my first big weddings at this job and I had boxes of bouquets to deliver to the bridal party that I couldn’t carry by myself. I asked the group of bellmen if someone wouldn’t mind helping me carry the flowers to the bridal suite. Brandon stepped forward and offered a helping hand. It was the first time I met him, he was gorgeous and charming. For the next 10 minutes as we walked across property, he asked me SO many questions about myself. 2 months later we went out on our first date…and as they say... the rest is history.

Delaney: Tell us a little bit about your wedding! I am sure that being a wedding planner, planning & designing your own wedding was a challenge in its own. You have seen it all done, and to narrow it down to one cohesive look & feel for your own event must have been overwhelming! What was your vision & what was your dream for your wedding day?

Lindsey: Clearly obsessed with all things French, and having been engaged in France, I wanted to somehow incorporate this into our love story. After we ruled out a destination wedding, we sought out looking for a beautiful setting that felt relaxed and embodied the wine country we grew up knowing and loving. We wanted to create a relaxed atmosphere with great food and wine, and plenty of fun for our guests. The design evolved into a French garden, backyard style wedding which was a perfect balance for us. We had a leather bound journal made that we inscribed with our vows, lush garlands that draped over wooden farm tables for guest dining, french 75’s served as guests were arriving for the ceremony, our beloved pup was our flower girl, and Brandon crafted a bean bag toss game for our cocktail hour. It was the perfect day.

Delaney: If you could describe your love in a few words, what would they be?

Lindsey: honest, encouraging, supportive, fun

Delaney: Tell me about what it was like during your wedding day: what the experience was like, how you felt, what your vision was, why you chose the location, what you were hoping to get out of it? I do not think that we ever can fully prepare for how it is going to actually feel on our own wedding days until it happens!

Lindsey: Being a planner, my goal was to be the bride and not try to control the day. I wanted to be present in the moment, in every moment of that day…and thanks to my incredible team I was able to do just that. It was the most amazing day. It’s quite remarkable to be surrounded with the people closest to you in your life and sharing such a deep moment when you promise your life to someone and then get to celebrate the night away. I loved having my girlfriends and family with me the morning of the wedding, getting ready and jamming out to throwbacks. So many amazing memories were made that day, it’s hard to choose just a few. I felt completely surrounded by love.

Delaney: As a wedding planner AND recent bride, what are the best tips for soon to be brides in regards to the planning process & their actual wedding day?

Lindsey:

1. This truly is a huge milestone in your life. Slow down and enjoy every second of it! Have an engagement party and celebrate this time.

2. It not about the destintation, it’s about the journey.

3. This is your wedding, make it authentically you. That is part of the challenge is to incorporate elements that reflect the two of you as a couple. I’ll never forget a quote a heard at a wedding years ago; the officiant said “today, you are marrying a complete stranger”. At first, I cringed at that. Now, I see the beauty of getting to know your partner in this journey of planning your wedding and the beginning of your life together.

Delaney: What were, to you, the trickiest aspects of planning your own wedding as a professional planner and why you wouldn’t recommend planning your own wedding without a professional planner to other soon to be brides?

Lindsey: By the time I got married, I had planned over 400 weddings…I knew what had to be done, and I convinced myself I could do it on my own. I had a full time job, I had a social life, I wanted to enjoy the festivities of being engaged and talking through countless ideas with friends and family. I quickly realized I didn’t have time to dedicate to all of that AND plan my own wedding. Also, be present. Don’t worry about the flowers, or if your coasters are set on the bourbon bar- just be present. Your wedding day will FLY by…so try to enjoy every moment with the people you are surrounded with.

We now celebrate Lindsey & Brandon's one year wedding anniversary, and we feel so blessed to know & witness this couple's love. Happy Anniversary L & B!