Tell us a bit about your love story and why you love all things wedding?

My boyfriend, Jarrod, and I met about 4 years before we started dating. My best friend, Laura, and his best friend, Eric, started dating back in 2008 and they always tried to get us to go on a date. Jarrod was very interested in me and I wanted nothing to do with him. He was the total opposite of me – country boy who liked to get crazy, while I was the sweet, timid, preppy girl. He pursued me for 4 years and I never really gave him a chance. In the summer of 2012 I moved to NYC to work for Reader’s Digest magazine. I was really lonely because I knew no one and had no idea how to navigate the big city. I remember the day I moved into my apartment in NYC like it was yesterday. I was crying alone in my room and Jarrod called me out of the blue. He could tell I was upset and told me a bunch of funny stories about his memorial day weekend to keep my spirits up.

From then on, we talked every night for hours. I came back to Iowa about a month later because our best friends (Laura and Eric) were getting married. I was the maid of honor and he was the best man in the wedding. We walked down the aisle together and he asked me to be his girlfriend that night. And the rest is history! Not many couples can say that they signed a marriage license before they even started dating, haha. We’ve been together for 3 years now!

{ 5th Photography }

What is your favorite part of a wedding?

I think the getting ready part is so special. The bridesmaids bonding and the groomsmen bonding in their own rooms. If only I was a photographer and got to see it all! It’s so special to me to be able to cherish those final moments with your friends and family right before you walk down the aisle and marry your best friend!

What is your favorite wedding trend right now? 

Rustic + blush. I know it’s an overused trend right now but I absolutely love it! It reminds me of my own relationship. Blush stands for me (romantic, soft, and girly) and the rustic stands for Jarrod (hunting, country, and woodworking). I also really love outdoor weddings! I wish that every bride could have perfect weather on their big day and just be able to plan on it being that way.

{ Andrea Boller Photography }

What tip(s) can you share with our readers about planning their wedding?

I’ve never planned my own wedding but I do know a lot about stationery! So here’s some random bits of advice for your wedding stationery:

• Create a budget for the stationery portion of your wedding. This can include things like: Save the Dates, Invitations, RSVP cards, Info cards, Directions/Map card, Envelopes/Stamps, Table numbers, Signs (big and small) at the wedding, Programs for the ceremony, Placecards, etc. Your stationery designer should be able to work within your budget.
• Create an excel sheet with your guests names and addresses. This will be really helpful when figuring out how many invitations you need and it will also come in handy if you want to order guest and return address printing on your envelopes. This is a huge time saver – plus it looks SO nice!
• Don’t invite every person you know to your wedding. Unless of course you have an unlimited budget!
• Make sure you hire a designer who can make your dreams come to life (or paper). Your wedding invitation suite should be able to match your wedding theme/colors and everything should look cohesive as a set.
• Let your invitations reflect who you are as a couple! I work with couples to make sure that their stationery is unique to them and exactly what they want for their big day.

Any of you that know me, know that I adore stationery and firmly believe the story you tell your guests begins with your wedding suite. So, of course, Andrea and I get along swimmingly! I also truly love working with her on custom work for a lot of my sweet couples! She also works on other occasion stationery and some branding, so don’t be sad if you’re not in need of wedding goodies right now. Say hi anyway!

Be sure to hop on over and show Andi some love on her social media and below in the comments!