We met at our friends' wedding in July 2016 (Allison & Mac Comer, also both in our wedding party). That's the short version. The long version is Allison and Mac essentially set up us at their wedding. A couple of months leading up to their big day, Allison had been throwing hints to me about Mac's groomsman, Isaac, and how he's so outdoorsy, a therapist, from Tennessee, loves bluegrass, plays piano and various other instruments, and wears Chacos. That description right there got me interested. I Facebook stalked and looked at his pictures. I didn't really try to get myself worked up about it or think too much into it. I was the one to introduce myself first on the night before their wedding. I just walked over and said, "Hi, Isaac. I'm Cat. Nice to meet you". I felt instant butterflies. I'm also sure my cheeks turned beet red. Later that evening at the rehearsal dinner, Allison strategically placed Isaac and I at the same table (across from each other). I may or may not have indulged in the fried shrimp buffet at Pickwick Landing State Park that evening, but Isaac says that is when he fell in love with me. He says I ate four plates (I did not). During the course of the evening, Mac and Allison's wedding party gave toasts during the rehearsal dinner. Well, Isaac sang a song that he wrote and played his banjo. Needless to say, I was swooned. Long story short, a spark was ignited and we chased it. We danced, laughed, and talked all evening. At the end of the night we kissed, exchanged numbers, and Isaac thought he would never see me again. Little did he know, I came to visit him the following weekend in Asheville and that was that. We fell in love. I went out of the country for four weeks of travel and Isaac and I communicated via email. He wrote the most eloquent emails I've ever read in my entire life. Something not of this century and something that should be out of a Jane Austen novel. Shortly thereafter, we moved in together and the rest is history!

Isaac proposed to me on a beautiful, sunny, and warm February day. It was Saturday, February 24th. We drove out to Pisgah Forest and hiked a trail we never have before, Turkey Pen Gap. It was roughly a 7 mile trail next to a mountain stream and uphill on a ridge line. While stopping for a break, I was turned around messing with the dog and could hear Isaac rummaging through his pack. He calls my name and I turn around to see him down on one knee with a little black box. You'll have to ask him what he said because my mind went blank! He did ask me if he could have the honor of me being his wife. "YES" I said! It was a perfect moment, just us and our dog surrounded by the woods. We finished our hike and I couldn't stop smiling, crying tears of joy, and looking at my sparkling ring! Isaac packed a picnic of tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, grapes, and IPA beer that we shared once we got back to the car. We called our families and closest friends once we reached cell phone service to tell the great news. That evening we celebrated at a restaurant in downtown Asheville and treated ourselves to a nice meal. It was a perfect day.