True love rises at Sultan Bakery

  • By M.L. Dehm / For the Herald
  • Saturday, January 29, 2005 9:00pm

Theresa King of Marysville was immediately interested in her new boss but it took a little longer for Will to make up his mind to ask her out.

I knew there was something special about her, though, he said. Shes one of those people who you meet and right away you like her.

After six months of working side by side, he finally asked Theresa out for lunch.

We met at the Sears parking lot, Theresa remembered, and we both showed up wearing blue jeans, white hooded sweatshirts and white tennis shoes. I kind of knew then.

What followed that day was a great lunch at the Sultan Bakery. It was the first of many lunches the couple would enjoy there. After dating for a few years, talk of marriage came naturally, but it was still a surprise to Theresa when Will knelt down to propose in the Sultan Bakery parking lot in January 2004.

I had no idea he was going to do it then, she said. But once he got down on his knee, I lost it because I knew what was happening. I dont even remember exactly what he said when he proposed.

The couple had already discussed the best time of year to get married and had decided on fall. In order to carry out a November wedding date, it would leave them less than a year to plan. They soon discovered that in the world of weddings, even a year is not a lot of time.

Although November is not a popular month for weddings, many halls and clubs were already booked for holiday parties and other activities. Will was pleased to be able to get Floral Hall at Forest Park in Everett for the date they had selected, Nov. 13, 2004.

I had been there for a wedding before and liked it, he explained. Theres a stage for the DJ and chairs and tables are provided.

And the price was right, Theresa said. We were trying to cover most of the costs ourselves, and if youre an Everett resident you get a discount.

Their next important booking was for the DJ. They already knew who they wanted and lost no time in contacting him. Donny Estes of Donny Does Music was an acquaintance of Wills and is well known in the local community. Fortunately, he was available for the date they wanted and extremely helpful in making sure the couples play list was perfect.

With the two largest bookings taken care of, it was time to work on the details. For this, the couple enlisted the aid of family and friends.

It helped that my sister had gotten married in the June before our wedding, Theresa said. I kind of knew what to expect.

She also had help from theknot.com. Describing it as every brides dream of a wedding Web site, Theresa was able to get information and create a personalized Web page for family and friends to view. The Internet also came in handy when finding her gown.

I had been buying every bridal magazine on the shelf and knew what dress I wanted, Theresa said. I checked on the Internet and found out that they had the exact one I wanted in stock and in my size at Davids Bridal in Lynnwood. I tried on about six other dresses before I actually put that one on, but as soon as I did, I knew it was the one.

Dresses for the flower girls were hand made by Theresas mother to match the wedding dress. She also created simple but elegant black pants for the bridesmaids, keeping the cost of each outfit to only $30. Not only was it a great savings, but the women also had something they could wear again.

Will was less satisfied with the mens suits, which were rented from a large chain outlet. The clothing was delivered on time but the company was reluctant to honor discounts they had promised the couple at one of the bridal shows.

Flowers for the ceremony were obtained through one of Theresas friends. The former florist was able to buy the Opstrups flowers wholesale and provided the labor as a wedding gift. Total cost for live flowers was under $100. Twenty-five table centerpieces made of silk flowers were created by Theresa and her mother for about the same price.

The Opstrups then worked with pastor Chuck Sweet to write their wedding vows and plan the ceremony. They kept the actual vows short, preferring to devote more time to the reception that followed.

It was nighttime. It was romantic, Theresa said. There were twinkle lights all around, but we kept the ceremony short and to the point. It was more about us celebrating our marriage with everyone who was important to us.

The formal wedding photos from Memories by Matt were done before the ceremony, something that Opstrups highly recommend. But other photos capture the highlights of the reception afterward. A buffet of rolls, salads and finger foods were enjoyed alongside a dish of barbecue pork from a friend. There was a decadent double chocolate cake made by Theresas mother. Fun and dancing continued until the couples limo arrived to take them to a hotel near SeaTac airport. The next morning they left for Disneyworld.

My advice to anyone getting married would be to spend more money on the honeymoon, Will said. A lot of people like to have a big wedding and spend whats left on the honeymoon. We went the other way with it. After all, you remember your honeymoon more than the actual ceremony.

Thats true, Theresa added. I made my mother return some silverware she had bought because it was white and I wanted clear. But when it actually came to the day of the wedding, I couldnt even tell you if we had pink silverware. The little things that you think are going to matter so much dont really matter when it comes right down to it. At 7:30 that night I got married to my best friend. Our wedding was everything that either of us could have wanted and I dont regret any of our choices.

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