Today we are featuring both a Real Flowerman Couple and a wonderful vendor, Jess Ramos Photography! The couple, Nathan and Chelsea, agreed to be interviewed for our post… we are thrilled that they were excited to participate, and that Jess Ramos was willing to share a few great photos from their lovely day with us!
Enjoy our interview with this Do-It-Yourself Flowerman couple and the accompanying photos! (Note: The first two photos were not provided by Jess Ramos Photography… they were taken by Chelsea’s Do-It-Yourself coach during her DIY construction party! 
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Flowerman: What was the date of your wedding?
Nathan and Chelsea: “Our wedding was July 11, 2009.”
Flowerman: How did you decide what colors and flowers to use for your wedding?
Chelsea: “Well, I don’t like anything that looks traditional or like everyone else, so I knew that narrowed some of my options. I love the color yellow, but with Nate being a sports fan it was hard to find another color to go with yellow that didn’t represent some sport team. … It came down to charcoal or brown, and that’s when I decided on sunflowers, so brown it was. For the rest of the flowers, I met with a Flowerman consultant and told her I was on a very tight budget and wanted to keep it pretty simple. I love gerber daises, and we came up with the white stock and twigs to offset the gerber daises and the sunflowers. I have to say the best part was the red sunflowers. Those were a last minute decision, because I wanted something to add a little bit more color. The Flowerman consultant had the red sunflower idea, and they were by far the prettiest of them all!! I loved all of my flowers! [They were] probably one of my favorite parts of my wedding day, honestly!”
Flowerman: What were the locations of your ceremony and reception?
Nathan and Chelsea: “Our wedding ceremony was at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Springfield, OH, and our reception was actually in Clifton, OH, in Nathan’s family’s backyard.”
Flowerman: How did you meet?
Chelsea: ”Well, we were both from Cedarville [University] so we had met in passing before, but the first time we really talked was actually Chelsea’s freshman year of college and Nathan’s senior year… I saw him at an intramural sporting event and I just went up to him to say hi or something… he e-mailed me about a week later asking how my freshman year of college was going and at the very end of the e-mail he said, ‘We should hang out sometime.’ Needless to say, I got all giddy when I read that e-mail… basically, we did end up hanging out and we just have never stopped.”
Flowerman: Nathan, how did you propose to Chelsea?
Nathan: “I asked her to go to the Clifton Mill with me, because we had never been there before. It was a couple of days before Christmas, and she was leaving the next day to go visit family. It was probably one of the coldest nights of the whole winter, so she was pretty reluctant to go… I had to make up a whole reason just to get her outside for a couple of minutes. They had a light show over the water and on the bridge… we watched that and as soon as it was over I turned to her and said, ‘Wow, that was beautiful, but nothing could ever be more beautiful than you to me.’ She was still freezing, so not exactly focusing on what I was saying, more on getting out of there and into the warm car. I then got down on one knee and said, ‘I have been thinking a lot recently, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.’ At this point, she thought I was joking and told me to get up. I pulled the ring out and asked, ‘Chelsea, will you marry me?’ As soon as she saw the ring it all started to click. She was pretty overwhelmed with excitement, and in so many words she said ‘yes.’ :) During all of this our families were right behind us listening, watching, and even videotaping, so it was all very special!”
Flowerman: What five words would you use to describe your wedding day?
Chelsea: “Everything I dreamed. Absolutely perfect. (But way too fast!!)”
Nathan: “I totally agree with exactly what she said. I couldn’t have said it better myself.”
Flowerman: Chelsea, your dress is gorgeous! Where did you buy it and how many dresses did you have to try on before you found “the dress”?
Chelsea: “Thank you so much! I got my wedding dress at Cincinnati Bride. I probably tried on 15 or so. It wasn’t too bad at all, and I loved every part of the whole experience. Ok, but a silly story about my dress… I was debating between two dresses at that store. I decided and placed my order on a Saturday. I thought about it the whole weekend and by Sunday night I was so uneasy about it that I had to call and see if there was any way out of it. They said I definitely couldn’t get my money back, but since they had not placed my order yet they could wait and I could go back to the store and try on some other dresses and make my final decision. That was sooo kind of them! I went in about a week later… and picked a different one (the other one out of the two), which definitely was “the dress”!! I did make a couple of tweaks of my own, just to make it a little bit more me, but I simply loved it!”
Flowerman: What is your favorite memory from your wedding day?
Nathan: “Every single bit of it!”
Chelsea: “I would have to agree. It really was amazing! For me the ceremony was pretty special. It honored God and reflected us as a couple. We found this song by Brian Littrell called ‘Grace of My Life,’ and we had someone sing almost the whole song before I walked down the aisle. That moment, just listening to those lyrics and waiting for my big entrance, was very special. Also, Nate’s grandma was able to be there which was very unexpected, but that was probably one of the best surprises of the whole day for both of us! I loved the whole wedding experience, so that whole week was the absolute best time of my life! I had everyone I loved around me, I couldn’t have asked for anything else! “
Flowerman: The photos of the two of you on your wedding day by a river are beautiful… where were those pictures taken?
Chelsea: “Thank you again! They were actually at the reception site in Nathan’s family’s backyard… I’m telling you that is the best kept secret. It is soo beautiful back there. It’s like a mini Niagara Falls… we were very blessed!”
Flowerman: Now that you’ve experienced a wedding and a bit of married life, what bits of advice would you give newly engaged or about-to-be-married couples?
Nathan: “Enjoy every single bit of your relationship, no matter what stage, whether you are married or not married yet, make sure you enjoy ALL of the memories together.”
Chelsea: “I agree. Make sure to ENJOY all the good moments but LEARN and GROW from all the hard ones! For the brides especially, enjoy the whole experience… don’t let yourself get too stressed or frustrated. Try to have as much fun as possible… from picking the date, finding the perfect dress, tasting different cakes, and especially making your flowers with your bridesmaids at The Flowerman… it ALL can be so much fun if you let it be!! “
(View these photos in an online album here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=147515&id=42937718559)
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About the Photographer:
Jess Ramos Photography has been in business for about 3 years now. Jess’ love for photography began as a hobby, but when a friend asked her to shoot a wedding in 2006, her much-loved hobby soon began to shape itself into career. For the first two years, she shot weddings part time. In the third year (2009), she became a full-time wedding photographer, shooting 15 weddings in 12 months. Jess’ photography is unique in that she is modern in her photography style, yet affordable (a combination rarely seen, unfortunately). She loves capturing moments instead of setting up poses, which is why her brides end up with many more candid shots than traditional ones. Jess is a firm believer that quality wedding photos are a right that every bride deserves – not a privilege. This belief is reflected in the way she sets up her pricing – even a bride on the tightest of budgets can afford something! Jess says, “Giving brides quality photos when they once thought they might not be able to afford them is something I truly enjoy. You can see more of my work and contact me at www.jess-ramos.com.”
