PHOTOS BY DEFINING DETAILS
W
hen Natalie Sanusi was ready to settle down, she looked to the internet to
help her fi nd the perfect husband. But, when she got ready to plan the perfect
wedding, she found almost everything she needed within a few blocks of her
North Hill home in Pendleton.
A little over two years ago, the matchmaking site OK Cupid connected
Natalie with Robert Rhodes of Tri-Cities, and the sparks fl ew. As deeper points
of connection developed, the two knew they wanted to get married, and the
wedding planning began.
Natalie was born and raised in Pendleton
and has a deep devotion to the local businesses
that make the city a great place to live.
“I did some browsing online and in bridal
magazines, and had a clear idea of what I
wanted,” Natalie said. “We didn’t have to
compromise on the quality of a single thing.”
As an artist, Natalie was familiar with the
Pendleton Center for the Arts and knew it
would be the perfect venue.
“We wanted something beautiful but cozy,
something that had nice features but was still
enough of a blank slate for us to put our own
mark on the space,” Natalie said.
Another important feature was accessibility.
Robert has mobility issues, so the Arts Center’s
elevator allowed the couple to utilize both fl oors
for the ceremony and reception.
Invitations designed and printed by Master
Printers Northwest were soon dropped in the
mail.
The next step was to contact Dawn
Alderman at John Loves June on Main Street.
Alderman provides styling and rentals for
weddings and special events, helping couples
add a warm, personal touch. She picked out
a sectional seating group for the reception
and created a staging plan for personal items
of Natalie and Robert’s, as well as vintage
tableware that the couple had found at local
estate sales and the Community Thrift Store.
Kris O’Grady from A Bushel and a Peck
created a range of fl oral accents for the day,
from tiny buds to bird bath sized designs. The
boutonnieres, bouquets and arrangements
incorporated succulents that Robert and Natalie
could plant in their front yard fl owerbeds after
the wedding.
“It was so great to be able to sit down face
to face at a local coffee shop with each of our
vendors and share ideas,” Natalie said.
On October 22, 2016, Natalie and Robert
tied the knot. Shannon Snyder of Defi ning
Details Photography in Hermiston was there
to capture everything from beauty treatments at
Shelly Peterson’s River’s Edge Salon to fresh
baked pies being served at the reception.
“I really try to capture all those small details
that make a wedding special,” said Snyder.
“Couples work so hard to make everything just
right, and celebrating those details really helps
to tell the story of the day.”
One detail that couldn’t be missed were the
mouse ears that the bride and groom wore as
part of their wedding attire. The couple shares
love of all things Disney, and recently left for a
10-day honeymoon at the Walt Disney World
Resort in Florida.
East Oregonian/Hermiston Herald | 9