We're Getting Married!

Emily and Kate’s story started at a Chamber event—an unexpected setting for a love story, but the perfect one for theirs. Emily had just started working for the Lakeland Chamber, and their annual HONORS awards were being held at the RP Funding Center, where Kate worked. That night, Emily was running the presentation from the tech booth, and as luck would have it, she ended up sitting with Kate… and Joe, Kate’s best friend and permanent sidekick. From the start, Emily knew Kate was something special. She couldn’t explain it—she just knew. She didn’t want this to be a fleeting moment, so as soon as she got home, she sent Kate a friend request on Facebook. Kate, on the other hand, thought Emily was adorable but assumed she wasn’t interested. It wasn’t until Emily started talking about theme parks and Halloween Horror Nights that Kate started to reconsider. That shared love of spooky season and thrill rides quickly built a connection between them. They had the same sense of humor, saw the world in a similar way, and before long, they were talking more and more. Emily made the first real move—Kate had set aside a ticket for her at a Lakeland Symphony Orchestra performance she was working at the Polk Theater. After the show, Kate walked Emily to her car and, standing there in the parking lot, finally told her how she felt. Now, after everything, their relationship is built on mutual understanding and respect. They’re each other's first call when something important happens, good or bad. They want to see each other happy, growing, thriving. Whether they’re at theme parks, hosting game nights, or watching people play The Sims on YouTube, they just get each other. And it all started with a Chamber event, a well-timed Facebook friend request, and a plate of cheese Kate carefully crafted when Emily first visited her house.