Sean and Kadi Lindsey, the happy couple exit the first garden wedding of 2014.
Kadi Redford and Sean Lindsey exchanged vows April 26, which gave them the distinction of having the first 2014 Bernice Garden wedding.
The Lindseys couldn’t be happier about their decision to marry their “best friends” in the garden.
Their love story is slightly unconventional – as Kadi says with a laugh, “It was definitely not love at first sight” – so the garden, to them, was the perfect choice.
“We were looking for an outdoor venue and had gone to look at a few, but none really fit us,” Kadi says. “I put a post on Facebook asking people for their suggestions for venues, and my friend Sylvia Blain suggested The Bernice Garden.
“I will never forget it; it was about 2 in the morning when I read her suggestion. I was so excited – Sean and I went right then to look at it and immediately fell in love [with the location]. We went back during the day the next day and it was perfect! It’s just so ‘us.’”
As dusk fell, the garden glowed.
But who are they, you might wonder, and what makes their story unconventional?
Kadi is a special education teacher and Sean waits tables. They met five years ago through work and were engaged for 2 ½ years before tying the knot.
When they met, Kadi was waiting tables at The Underground Pub and Sean was the drummer for a band called Notion that played there occasionally. Kadi says she had a crush on him within a couple of months of meeting him, but it took a while for the relationship to click.
“I got to know his band mates and their wives, and everyone was so nice. One day, they invited me and the other servers to a cookout. I went, hoping that the cute drummer would be there, and he was!”
They spent quite a bit of time together that night, which was just the tentative beginning.
“From then on, we hung out here and there, but it wasn’t really going anywhere. I liked him, and I knew he liked me, but it wasn’t getting serious. I had reached the point that I decided that I was going to move on since it wasn’t going where I wanted it to go.”
That was when things changed, Kadi says.
“It was like he read my mind and BOOM! He was all of a sudden this amazing, sweet, fairytale of a guy, buying me flowers, taking me on dates, doing little sweet things all of the time. From then on, it just got better and better.
“We always had a relationship different from any other. We are best friends; he is my rock and I am his. We have both become better people because of each other; he has the biggest heart and is the most caring, loving person I know. He does everything that I need from him, plus some. I never would have thought that that long-haired drummer would become my amazing husband.”
Sean and Kadi cut their beautiful, outdoorsy-themed wedding cake.
Kadi is obviously overjoyed about her choice in husbands – and they were both totally pleased with their choice of The Bernice Garden for their ceremony.
“I would highly recommend it to anyone,”’ Kadi says. “It was amazingly gorgeous, which was nice since we didn’t have to have many decorations at all. It was perfect for having the ceremony and the reception at the same place. There are electrical outlets everywhere, which was very helpful.”
The Lindseys’ guests found it easy to park and fit in the garden space.
We love this idea: a chalkboard “program,” perfect for a teacher’s wedding.
They were pleased that parking was not an issue, even with 125 to 150 guests, and loved that their little dog, Franklin, could be part of the ceremony. And, Kadi says, “We didn’t have to worry about lighting – the lighting was perfect. It was just amazing overall.”
What a perfect night – and a perfect photo.
Kadi’s final thoughts on The Bernice Garden as a wedding venue make our hearts swell, too.
“It was beautiful and accommodating, and it really made our day just perfect. I can’t believe that we were able to find such a perfect venue that fit our needs as well as our personalities. We love that it’s open to the community and that many people play a part in its allure with their sculptures, gardening, etc.”
Kadi and Sean have plans to come back to the garden for their first anniversary to add a lock to the Wish Locks sculpture – as a symbolic gesture. We’re guessing their love doesn’t need a lock. Just look at those faces.
Kadi, Sean and Franklin are one darling, happy family.
Photos courtesy of Megan Wilson Photography