The Soiree Birthday Wedding Giveaway Finalists

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. We just loved their stories, 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 on the right; you'll be able to vote just once on the Soiree Blog and once on the Ashki Photography 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.


Couple #1: Christina and David

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!

Couple #2: Matt 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.



Couple #3- Stephanie and Dax





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!

{Remember to vote for your favorite by using the voting tool on the right panel of the blog, and feel free to leave us a comment telling us you participated...just don't reveal your pick!}