Angela Nordstrom and Colin Dresser knew each other as kids, having spent many summers on Whidbey Island playing together on the beach. However, the romantic spark didn’t start until after college, when they reconnected as young adults at a college football tailgate.
“I remember thinking how he’d grown up well and seemed super sweet,” Angela recalls. “For the next few years, we would run into each other at random events and didn’t start dating until three summers later, when he needed a ride home from a summer party. When I dropped him off at his house, he asked me to go on a boat ride; and for the next few hours, we had the greatest time getting to know one another and we never looked back!”
“The ambiance of the ceremony was so peaceful and special.”
Colin proposed by asking Angela to go take some photos of a golf course her family belongs to, so they could send them to friends who may want to join. Angela thought it was silly but agreed to go. When they arrived, she spotted her sister off to the side with a camera in the bushes.
“At first, I was confused,” she explains. “But then, he surprised me by asking me to marry him on the most beautiful hole overlooking the lake and a waterfall. Right after this, we went to the restaurant where all our families had gathered as a surprise and celebrated the evening.”
The wedding took place in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho – where the couple was engaged – a little less than a year later. Due to Angela’s family history in Coeur D’Alene, it made for the perfect Nordstrom family wedding destination. Not only do several members of the Nordstrom family have homes there, but Angela’s great-grandfather was involved in the founding of the city. Her parents were also married in Coeur D’Alene 35 years prior.
“We worked with an amazing wedding planner, Hannah Mitchell of Elite Events, who helped us stay on track the whole time,” Angela describes. “I honestly never felt stressed at all, except for worrying about the weather on this big day, as it was partly going to be outside which was completely out of our control! However, my worries were pointless because even though it was the end of September and the year before had been snowing and below freezing, we woke up to an 80 degree, perfectly blue sky, no wind day. It was truly amazing and set the tone for the whole day. My grandfather had unexpectedly passed a few weeks prior, and I had a feeling all day that he was there in spirit blessing us with such a magical day!”
The bride got ready at her parents’ house and the rented house next door, while the guys were preparing at a lakefront house they rented. Angela sent a few of her barber employees to the lake house for hair touchups and shaves, while she and her ladies got dolled up together with champagne, coffee, and brunch.
When it came time for the festivities to begin, guests were greeted at the ceremony entrance by three large hedge champagne walls, so they could enjoy a leisurely welcome reception with a chilled glass of bubbly.
“For their wedding design, we wanted to emphasize the gorgeous natural beauty of Coeur d'Alene, but also represent a blending of their family culture with modern trends,” explains the couple’s wedding planner, Hannah Mitchell. “To frame Angela and Colin but still leave lots of room to admire the gorgeous lakefront ceremony view, we used a clear acrylic altar that had flowers adorned on the top. This gave the flowers an illusion of floating and was reflected in the reflection pool below for a gorgeous effect. For extra visual drama, we lined their entire aisle with greenery and white roses, starting all the way from the back row of chairs and leading up until the start of the reflection pool.”
“The ambiance of the ceremony was so peaceful and special,” says Angela. “It was truly a work of art; I couldn’t believe how it all turned out! We had a large wedding party, and the energy with all our friends was so fun and rowdy before we started to walk down the aisle. Since our families have known each other for years, we incorporated our families into the ceremony, and it just felt like we were right at home.”
After the ceremony, guests enjoyed a wonderful cocktail hour while the bride and groom snuck away with their photographer for another photo session. Once they were done, they thoroughly enjoyed spending time with friends and family who had flown in from all over the country. The reception included food from Angela’s favorite childhood restaurant, Beverly’s, along with speeches and dances. Before they knew it, the after party – which was Colin’s main requirement – had begun. The newlyweds transitioned over to a local bar called Honey, and danced until the place closed at 2 a.m.
“I loved getting to plan this wedding with Colin and was so impressed that he enjoyed it as well,” Angela shares. “He had fun looking over the design aesthetic and even came up with some of the design elements we chose, like the black leather tablecloth we used for some of the tables. He was a great partner; and on our special day, I loved that he felt like it was a teamwork event. The day was truly the best party of our lives with our favorite people, and it went so fast!”
>Written By: Lauren Malamala
WEDDING TALENT
Location: Coeur d’Alene Resort, Coeur d’Alene, ID; Planning & Event Design: Elite Events, Seattle, WA; Floral Design: Oak and Fig Floral, Seattle, WA; Invitations: Perfect Press Invitations, Seattle, WA; Dress: Ines Di Santo; Bridal Salon: Nyanza Bridal, Seattle, WA; Afterparty Dress: Pronovias; Groom’s Attire: J. Hilburn; Photography: Sydney Baye Photography, Spokane, WA