by Scott Johnson
Lin Wedding on 8/25/18 at Hollywood Schoolhouse in Woodinville, Wa
Music licensed from –
Song Freedom – songfreedom.com
“My husband and I worked with Reid and his team at Best Made Videos. It was a wonderful experience – I love that they captured some of the best moments of our wedding day, first look, first kiss, first dance. It was awesome to see our highlight video which was our whole wedding condensed to 10-12 minutes — this has been such a gift to share with family and friends. This video is a keepsake and something we will have for the rest of our lives and can share with our future kids and grandkids. Overall, excellent service and would recommend them!”
Now before you go and get all your hopes up: no, The Hollywood Schoolhouse is not some acting academy to propel yourself to stardom, though that would be pretty cool if there were such a thing in Washington. While it may not have to do with the glitz and glamour that the name inspires, it remains a wickedly cool venue to host a number of events—especially weddings. A century ago, it served as a school. After some restorations and the passage of time, it is now considered one of “the most charming” event centers on the Eastside.
Capping off the final weekend in August, the Lin wedding got started with a sudsy morning—and by sudsy I mean beers. Cracking open a few brews is a great way to get a day of celebration started—at least in our books—as is watching sports while doing some last minute primping. The emotions got started flowing a little early as Tyson read the letter from his bride-to-be, but with some silly socks the sadness was quick to go away.
Heading on over to Gasworks Park for their first look, Tyson and April met on a hill overlooking Lake Union. Immediately shedding some tears at the sight of his future wife, Tyson went in for a sweet little kiss before admiring his lovely lady. Soon the tears turned to giggling as we had them traipse around the area, meeting up with the rest of the bridal party along the way for some nice group shots of them with the city and old machinery in the background. Looking stunning with the city as a backdrop, both the ladies and the gents brought their best looks for some wonderful photos.
Officiated by Tyson’s older, “more attractive” brother, the wedding itself was a mixture of laughs, memories, and quite a few tears. Definitely taking the cake as one of the best officiants we’ve seen, it’s a wonder we haven’t seen more of this guy! Delivering a profoundly funny and moving speech, he was just excited to marry these two as Tyson and April were themselves. Following vows that left both the bride and groom a little weepy, especially when Tyson starts talking about their relationship as a mountain. We’ll leave it at that, you’ll have to check out the rest of the vows and perhaps bring some tissues while you’re at it!
Heading into the Schoolhouse for the reception, the music started pumping with everyone ready to celebrate such a wonderful day. Cake-cutting followed, with the couple sharing a delightful first dance while everyone looked on at the happy newlyweds. Photo-booths helped keep the kids entertained while lots of dancing and drinking kept everyone else satiated. As the day winded to an end, we stepped outside with the newlyweds for just a few more shots of them before they embarked on their life together.
Thank you again to April and Tyson for choosing Best Made Videos to film their wedding! We hope you’ve had a wonderful first month as man and wife. Have a question? Can we do something better? Let us know below!
How did you guys meet?
Online Dating (Match.com)
Tell us about the proposal!
January 2018 sunset in Puerto Vallarta
Why did you choose your venue?
We love to have fun and have great memories at the Hollywood School House
What are you most excited to see in the video?
Candid glimpses of the bride and groom; storyline; recapping our wedding day and its highlights; capturing our family, friends and guests enjoy the day
Videographer – Best Made Videos
DJ – Gerald Lull
Day of Coordinator – Brandi Flood
Chef – Frank Pantoja
Photo Booth – April Photography
Officiant – Terry Lin
Floral – Alice’s Floral Designs
Tyson and April’s story in their own words:
How We Met
It all started with a message on Match, “You have a beautiful smile…” which led to our first date at Seattle’s Green Lake Park. That date went so well, we ended up spending more than eight hours together, laughing and learning about each other, and even sharing our first kiss in Queen Anne. We both knew we found someone “special” on that first date and were both excited about what the future would bring.
Fast forward 3.5+ years later, we were able to experience a lot of “firsts” together — snorkeling in the oceans of Maui, hiking beautiful Torrey Pines in San Diego, running a 1/2 marathon across the Golden State Bridge in San Francisco, drinking savory wines in Sonoma, experiencing Super Bowl 50 in Vegas, soaking in the sizzling hot springs in Colorado, watching the Ball Drop on New Years Eve in New York, eating VooDoo donuts on the 4th of July in Portland, securing our love lock along the Seine River in Paris, to getting in engaged in the most beautiful sunset of Puerto Vallarta.
Our relationship has been anything short of fun, surprising, and adventurous. We look forward to experiencing another “first” with all of you — our Wedding Day.
Wedding Party
Debbie Barker – Matron of Honor
Debbie is my Sister Soulmate, if there’s such a thing.
She gets me — my quirks, humor, and personality.
We have a decade worth of memories, jokes, embarrassing moments, adventures, acne tricks, funny haircuts, dairy queen dates, sleepovers, prayer sessions, real talks, nursing school dates, roomie trips, Alaska memories, etc.
Debbie is my closest friend. I’ve been so lucky to do life with her the past 11 years. She has such a youthful spirit when you want to have fun, and a caring heart when things are tough. I know I can count on her to be there for me.
It was a joy to stand by her side as a Maid of Honor at her wedding to Joel, as well as see her become an amazing momma to her two cute kids, Charlie and Eli.
I am so happy that she’ll stand by my side as my Matron of Honor.
Sarah Garcia – Bridesmaid
Sarah is the oldest of the ‘’Budd’’ sisters.
Growing up, Sarah was our role model and ‘second’ mom. She was also our personal stylist. From helping me pluck my eyebrows, to highlighting my hair (from the box, good ol’ days) to styling my outfits, to making sure I look great for prom, to giving me pointers on dates, the list goes on. I’m appreciative of her for always looking out for my middle sister and I.
It’s been so fun seeing her be a mom. Her kids, Roman & Isabella are the cutest, and her husband, Vince, has been a great brother to me.
I’m grateful to have her standing by my side.
Hannah Budd – Bridesmaid
Hannah is my second oldest sister. Since we are so close in age, majority of my childhood memories are with her.
Some of which were of us running like a bunch of crazies after the school bus every
morning (‘’come baccckkkk!’’) to traveling to China and witnessing her almost eat a chicken head to sharing a bicycle every week to Cheney Lake (I sat in the U-shaped handle bars… times have changed! #safetyfirst)
I’m grateful to have her standing by my side.
I will make up all the lunch money I owe you, one day
Carmela Andrada – Bridesmaid
Carmela- We met about seven years ago on a medical mission trip to Thailand. I remember early on the trip, we shared our life-stories on a stair step, and knew after that, we built a close connection. It’s crazy to see how our lives have changed and even paralleled, with now working at the same clinic.
Carmela is one of those people, that when you meet her you feel lucky, like you found a true & kind sister-friend.
One thing I love about our friendship, is even though we have deep talks and are out here trying to save lives (literally), we also have a love for all things TMZ. She is my person to share the latest happenings with celebrity gossip and the Real Daytime.
I’m so happy to have her standing by my side.
Clare Santana – Bridesmaid
Clare – is the sweetest person I know, hands down. She has a heart of gold. I’m grateful we met many moons ago in nursing school. We have been become such good friends & share so many fun memories. A few that come to mind — getting ‘birthday’ shots on my 21st during a class break (mind you, SPU has strict, dry policy), and to later that night doing respirations and pulse checks because someone had too many Long Island ice teas to being roommates for the summer (‘’what’s that noise?? ‘’Oh, that’s just April sleeping’’) to getting real adult jobs to walking by your side on your Big day to seeing you off as you become a Nurse Anesthetist (so proud of you!)
I’m so happy to have you standing by my side.
Kyle Morrison – Best Man
Kyle and I have been close friends for more than 25 years. We grew up playing sports together, trying to collect girls’ phone numbers and just being immature kids. Our adolescent ways continued on through junior high, high school, college, and through our 20s – thank goodness for us, he met his wife, Sarah :-).
When I look back on the history of my childhood to the present day, a lot of those first experiences have been with that skinny kid who somehow evolved into a great man; one who now owns a successful business and has a great family life with Sarah and their two kiddos.
All jokes aside, Kyle has always been there for me – making me laugh, smile and challenging me to be a better man. More importantly, he was always a friend who stuck with me through thick and thin or fought to make it right.
If you know Kyle, he definitely has his quirks and “Kyle-isms” (April learned pretty quickly); but at the end of the day, he’s a great husband, fun-loving dad, and a guy that will always make you laugh (or just cringe). Ha! Kyle has been my longest/closest friend, the little brother I never had and now, my Best Man.
Jay Lewis – Best Man
Jay and I go back nearly 20 years. I first met Jay going into senior year of high school. Jay was a friend who liked to have fun, laugh, and then he got old Haha!
In all honesty, Jay is someone I had a special bond with growing up – ‘a brother from another mother.’ I turned to him for a lot of life experiences and advice. What I appreciate the most about Jay is how he helped me get through some rough patches in life. I like to think true friends are there for you no matter the circumstance.
Deep down, I’m always appreciative of my friendship with Jay. I already have two older brothers, but with him, I always felt like I had another big brother. Jay can be sarcastic, stubborn and a total butthead, but underneath his shell, he’s a great guy (especially thanks to his wife, Cathy and their two kiddos).
I am very happy that Jay is part of my life and will be standing with me as my Best Man.
Terry Lin – Groomsman
Terry is my middle brother. We are very close in age and he has always been someone I looked up to and tried to mirror. Terry is one smart cookie and has an entrepreneurial spirit unlike many I know. Terry found his love for teaching and created an SAT Prep Tutoring business helping kids increase their grades/exam scores and worked to make them better students.
What I respect most about Terry is how he always strives to be better in his personal and professional life. He is a great husband to his wife, Teresa, and is a caring and considerate dad to his two girls, Clara and Nora. Terry is the type that sets his mind to something and then produces a result. For example, in his off time, he has written/published a book, created a patent and runs two other businesses.
Terry and I usually laugh about what will likely go wrong next with our bodies. Being one year older, Terry always gives me a heads up on what I’ll likely experience the coming year. Just another reminder that growing old sucks ;-D
April and I feel very fortunate that Terry will serve as our wedding officiant and one of my Groomsman.
Tyrone Lin – Groomsman
Tyrone is my oldest brother. I have always looked up to Tyrone. Growing up, he had a natural ability to play and excel in any sport, get the attention of the girls and was always the best at video games. Tyrone was always well-respected growing up, which made my life a lot easier, knowing I was protected. Being the youngest, I always felt looked after and also up to speed on what was “cool” – whether that was baggie pants, R&B music or even new stylish hairdos
What I appreciate about Tyrone is he has always stepped up and looked after our family. He and his partner, Jen, always made sure our family stayed together and that the holidays were memorable. The two of them also have a handsome son named Cameron. I’m very grateful for what Tyrone has done for me and our family.
April and I are fortunate and happy to have Tyrone stand with us in marriage as one of my Groomsman.
Ryan Madayag – Groomsman
I’ve know Ryan for more than 26 years. We first met in 6th grade during a track & field event. We grew up as friends through junior high, high school, college and beyond. We were roommates in freshman year, sharing beds directly across from another at Western Washington University. Our roommate bound continued with some of the other guys sophomore year in a sweet house we called ‘97 North’ (before he left the guys for his one love/wife, Julie).
After college, Ryan and I later reunited as close neighbors in the heart of Queen Anne. Every time I went on a run, I would always stop by Ryan’s house to see him, Julie and their kiddos (now three). I always knew the Madayags were great friends because they always made time, treated me like family and never complained about how much of my sweat dripped on their hardwood floors :-).
Ryan will always be my favorite neighbor and a close friend who knows how to have fun and keep me young. I have more than “six reasons” why Ryan is a great friend (our wannabe six-pack ab joke), but the one that stands out the most is his ability to make you smile. I’m very happy and fortunate that Ryan is going to stand with me as one of my Groomsman.
Scott Lefeber – Groomsman
Scott has been a close friend for more than 25 years. I first met Scott in the 7th grade and he was an instant buddy. I still recall letting him know that he had a cool shirt on (I.O.U t-shirt) and that we should borrow each other’s clothes. It sounds pretty un-man-like, but back then we were kids who were bro-bounding.
Scott and I grew up through the years playing sports together, hanging out after school and having fun as kids. We were friends through junior high, high school, college (another roommate) and beyond. I always enjoy spending time with Scott, his wife, Lisa, and their two kiddos. Scott has introduced me to a lot of firsts – biscuits and gravy for breakfast (“makes you smarter”), pursuing graduate school and last, but not least, the Hollywood Schoolhouse – a place where April and I will be tying the knot, thanks man!
I’m always appreciative of Scott for being a close friend and someone I can turn to for fun, laughs and fitness-oriented activities. I’m very happy Scott is going to stand with me as one of my Groomsman.
Dave Freeburg – Groomsman
I have actually known Dave the longest out of all my friends. He and I are pushing more than 30 years. I first met Dave in kindergarten at Kenmore Elementary before our school boundaries changed. He and I became friends in junior high, high school and stayed friends through our 20s/30s.
Dave is probably the closest thing to a celebrity I know He and his dad/family are regularly featured in television ads promoting Dave’s business, Slabjack. Beyond the limelight, Dave is someone that can make you laugh/smile, and he has a chuckle that is truly one of a kind!
Dave has become a closer friend through the recent years not only due to his close proximity to me/April (he and his wife, Kristina and the three little Freeburgs reside in Edmonds), but because he is someone that always brings out the kid in me. It’s easy to get focused/serious as you get older, and what I appreciate the most about Dave is how he stays light-hearted, positive (if he’s not losing at tennis/fantasy football) and knows how to have a good time. I’m very happy that Dave is going to be standing with me as one of my Groomsman.