Soiree’s own, Brandi Reiland and I teamed up for a great giveaway at the end of June.  Included in the giveaway was an engagement session from  yours truly.  Matt & Lindsey had tons of support and won the contest – we did their session this week and it was fun!  They are a darling couple who each have sacrificed a lot to be with one another.  They will be getting married at a winery in Eagle next May.  Thanks, Matt & Lindsey for letting me photograph you during this exciting time!  Enjoy your Feature and Consider Yourselves Loved…

I posted a contest HERE and the winner of that contest was Ali Williams!  Congratulations to you – please email me with your full name, address and phone number & I’ll call you to give you more information.  Thanks to everyone who guessed who my nephew is.  For those of you who are still unsure, my sweet nephew is the one in the glasses who plays guitar and sings back-up.

Wowzo!!!!  I simply CANNOT believe how many votes we got for the Wedding Giveaway (click HERE to see the contest).  Wanna guess? Okay – I’ll tell you – 1,980 – that’s right – that’s one THOUSAND, nine-hundred eighty votes!!!  The couple who received the most votes was … drum roll, please…

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MATTHEW & LINDSEY!!!  

Here was their submission:

Lindsey and I had been friends since attending high school in Boise together but it wasn’t until we were separated by thousands of miles that we realized we were meant to be together.  By a stroke of fate, Lindsey ended up attending college in San Diego, which is where I happened to be stationed in the Marine Corps at the time.  We reconnected and began hanging out merely as friends.  In the fall of 2006 I was to be deployed to Iraq, so Lindsey and I spent a lot of time together before my departure.  We said a tearful goodbye and sent hundreds of emails back and forth throughout my deployment.  It didn’t take me long to figure out that she was the one I wanted to be with forever.  Lindsey became my strength, my motivation, and my guiding light as I struggled in Iraq.  Her emails were so encouraging and heartfelt.  We both anxiously awaited my return.  My plane touched down at 3am in the midst of a downpour.  I didn’t expect Lindsey to be there but as I marched out in front of the crowd our eyes instantaneously locked.  When I saw her waiting in the rain, I knew I had found someone special.  I love Lindsey more than I ever thought I could love anyone.  She is caring, compassionate, and thoughtful.  Her smile lights up my day.  I truly feel incomplete without her.  I hope to win this contest so that I can give back to Lindsey the happiness that she has brought me.  She is trying to plan our wedding from across the country as she attends physician assistant school near my duty station in Pensacola, FL.  I know she would love nothing more than a wonderful wedding coordinator and beautiful photographs on our special day.

Wahoo!!!!  Congratulations to the lucky couple!!!  I will get hold of you within the next few weeks to touch base with you.  Again, Congratulations, Matt & Lindsey .  We’re so very happy for you!!!

We’ve laughed, cried, and just drooled over the heartfelt letters of love we’ve received over the past month. While it was tough to choose, the top three presented here just stuck in our minds – you may read their stories and see their photograph submissions below.

We loved what they shared with us, and their commitment to each other. But now, it’s up to you to choose the ultimate winner of the grand prize. Voting begins today, June 29th, and will end at 5:00pm MST July 2nd. On July 3rd, be sure to check back to see the lucky couple!  Please vote on your favorite set of lovebirds by using the poll calculator at the bottom of this paragraph; you’ll be able to vote just once on the Ashki Photography Blog and once on the Soiree BLOG (bonus!). Good luck to our three couples, and much thanks to our readers for helping to make one couple’s wedding planning dreams come true. 

To see what this contest is all about, click HERE to access the contest guidelines.

Matthew and Lindsey

Lindsey and I had been friends since attending high school in Boise together but it wasn’t until we were separated by thousands of miles that we realized we were meant to be together.  By a stroke of fate, Lindsey ended up attending college in San Diego, which is where I happened to be stationed in the Marine Corps at the time.  We reconnected and began hanging out merely as friends.  In the fall of 2006 I was to be deployed to Iraq, so Lindsey and I spent a lot of time together before my departure.  We said a tearful goodbye and sent hundreds of emails back and forth throughout my deployment.  It didn’t take me long to figure out that she was the one I wanted to be with forever.  Lindsey became my strength, my motivation, and my guiding light as I struggled in Iraq.  Her emails were so encouraging and heartfelt.  We both anxiously awaited my return.  My plane touched down at 3am in the midst of a downpour.  I didn’t expect Lindsey to be there but as I marched out in front of the crowd our eyes instantaneously locked.  When I saw her waiting in the rain, I knew I had found someone special.  I love Lindsey more than I ever thought I could love anyone.  She is caring, compassionate, and thoughtful.  Her smile lights up my day.  I truly feel incomplete without her.  I hope to win this contest so that I can give back to Lindsey the happiness that she has brought me.  She is trying to plan our wedding from across the country as she attends physician assistant school near my duty station in Pensacola, FL.  I know she would love nothing more than a wonderful wedding coordinator and beautiful photographs on our special day.

David and Christina

I remember the moment I saw him. His deep brown eyes made eye contact with mine and his timid smile struggled to say hello. “Dave,” I remember him telling me as I giggled through a flirtatious introduction. I was an incoming college freshman and this was my first fraternity campout, Dave was the first college boy to catch my eye. ???Known as “Ratto” to his fraternity brothers, he and I quickly developed a fun friendship throughout the year. We both dated other people that year, but I couldn’t help but be a little envious of the girls he would date. I realized there was something special about Dave, and for some reason I knew without being romantically involved with him that he needed to be in my life forever. I took the bold move one April night in 2005 and kissed him after a night of hanging out at a fraternity function. Little did I know that kiss would be the first of many, and the only ones I would have for the rest of my life! ? ?We’ve been together four years, and finally decided to get married! Everyday we make an effort to make each other laugh. He brings me so much happiness through laughter that I can’t allow myself to go to bed angry. His patience and tolerance is a quality that keeps me from sweating the small stuff in life. Our laid-back personalities keep us grounded and constantly in love with the little things about each other. ? ?We are getting married 9/4/2010. We deserve to be the winners because our laughter, love and romance need to be captured in beautiful photographs that will be shared with our family, friends and future children. ??We look at Cyndee’s beautiful pictures almost everyday and are thrilled to enter this contest! 

Dax and Stephanie

When I met Dax, I was just getting out of a long term relationship, and I wasn’t ready to jump into another one.  He was really cute, and I was attracted to him, but hesitant to start anything.  Within a few months, his job as a smokejumper would be taking him away from home for most of the summer fighting wildfires. Instead of dating right away, we developed a friendship and went out, but didn’t have our first real date until just before he was scheduled to leave for fire season. We only saw each other a few times that summer.  When he came home in the fall our relationship took off, and our bond grew deeper.  The following year I was starting vet school six hours from Boise and we weren’t sure what was in store for the next four years.  Instead of pulling us apart like some people had predicted, our bond just grew stronger. He always encourages me, supports me, and is truly my best friend.  After three and half years we still do everything together and love spending every minute we have with each other, whether it’s just being outdoors, riding our horses, or fishing.  I cannot think of anyone I enjoy spending my time with or love more!  It’s been a month now since he proposed, and we have just started the wedding planning.  I don’t usually enter contests, but this package would mean the world to us!  I love looking at people’s wedding photos, and I have been drooling over Cyndee’s photography for the last six months. I will be trying to plan and coordinate everything myself while finishing my last year of vet school.  I cannot think of a better way to help reduce the stress and truly enjoy our big day together!

Do you want to have a fantastic wedding planner the day of your wedding?  Do you want INCREDIBLE photographs of your engagement session?  Well then – this contest’s for you!!!  It’s the last day to enter our Wedding Giveaway.  Be sure to check out this LINK and get your entries in by Midnight.  

Consider Yourselves Loved…

ONLY 5 DAYS LEFT, LADIES!!!

I feel it necessary to repeat some vital information about an amazing contest – it ends on Saturday, June 27th – you must get your information to me by midnight .

Ashki Photography | Wedding Photographer

with

Cyndee Wanyonyi of Ashki Photography and Brandi Reiland of Soiree are teaming together to offer one lucky couple a fantastic prize! They will receive a complimentary Day-of Wedding Coordination service as well as a complimentary Engagement Session with a Custom-Framed signature matted print (a total of $1200 in complimentary services and products). Please visit Soiree’s Blog to get more information regarding her Wedding Coordination services.

Here’s the low-down!

* Send an email to cyndee@ashkiphoto.com with a letter describing your favorite qualities about your relationship and/or your fiance. Tell us a little bit about how you two came to be and why you should be the winners! Please include a picture of you and your fiance.

* Entry letters must be 300 words or less

* Your wedding must take place in 2010 and is subject to our availability. You cannot have already contracted with us or have a current proposal (sorry, lovelies!), and have not already hired a photographer or wedding coordinator.

* Up to 3 entries will be featured here on the Ashki Photography & Soiree blogs and our readers will be able to vote on the final winner.

* Giveaway includes Day of Coordination service and fees only for local Boise and McCall weddings as well as a complimentary Engagement Session with a Custom-Framed signature matted print (a total of $1200 in complimentary services and products).

* Contest entry ends at midnight on June 27th, 2009

* The winner will be announced Friday July 3rd, 2009. Good luck and we can’t wait to hear from you!

Since I often shoot weddings on Saturdays, they are one of my busiest days!  Every once in awhile, I’ll still post on a Saturday, but it will be a SnapBack post.  This means that it is a post that is important to mention again!  So – for Saturday, June 13th, 2009, here is my SnapBack post.

AND:

Cyndee Wanyonyi of Ashki Photography and Brandi Reiland of Soiree are teaming together to offer one lucky couple a fantastic prize! They will receive a complimentary Day-of Wedding Coordination service as well as a complimentary Engagement Session with a Custom-Framed signature matted print (a total of $1200 in complimentary services and products). Please visit Soiree’s Blog to get more information regarding her Wedding Coordination services.

Here’s the low-down!

* Send an email to cyndee@ashkiphoto.com with a letter describing your favorite qualities about your relationship and/or your fiance. Tell us a little bit about how you two came to be and why you should be the winners! Please include a picture of you and your fiance.

* Entry letters must be 300 words or less

* Your wedding must take place in 2010 and is subject to our availability. You cannot have already contracted with us or have a current proposal (sorry, lovelies!), and have not already hired a photographer or wedding coordinator.

* Up to 3 entries will be featured here on the Ashki Photography & Soiree blogs and our readers will be able to vote on the final winner.

* Giveaway includes Day of Coordination service and fees only for local Boise and McCall weddings as well as a complimentary Engagement Session with a Custom-Framed signature matted print (a total of $1200 in complimentary services and products).

* Contest entry ends at midnight on June 27th, 2009

* The winner will be announced Friday July 3rd, 2009. Good luck and we can’t wait to hear from you!