let's get married (again)!

2020 threw curve balls for all of us, but one thing we didn't want to postpone was getting married. We knew that we could have a wedding and celebration at a later date, but we decided to get married on September 25, 2020 in front of our parents. Our pastor, Patrick Harley, at Evergreen Presbyterian Church graciously married us by the Mississippi River overlooking downtown Memphis. We wrote our own vows and truly got to cherish the personal aspects of our private vow ceremony. We also got to include a very special family member, our sweet pup, Meg as our flower girl. It was incredibly special to us because it was our last few months with our girl before she passed away in December. She knew she had to be part of our day, and of course, she stole the show. After we said our vows, we embarked on a two week "wedding tour" to celebrate safely -- outside even in below freezing temps! -- with our families. We traveled over 3,000 miles to visit our immediate families in Springfield, Wichita, Chicago, New Jersey, Delaware, Charleston, and Atlanta. It was during our tour that we both said we can't wait for our wedding when both families and friends to be together - it's going to be a party! We don't consider our wedding complete until we can say our vows in front of our close friends and family and celebrate together. As for many 2020 pandemic couples, our tagline is YOU ONLY GET MARRIED TWICE!

Kenn and I met at ~rival~ 4th of July pool parties at my apartment complex in downtown Memphis. What was two pool parties turned into one party, and we all made introductions. Between Kenn's canonballs into the pool or his crazy dance moves, he got my attention. With the encouragement of some of our mutual friends, we went on our first date a few weeks later, and the rest is history!

The day of the proposal started out like any normal Saturday morning. Sydney, one of my good friends, coerced me into going to a kickboxing class. Little did I know that I would be coming home to a very nervous and anxious Kenn. After settling on to the couch with our sweet pup, Kenn insisted that Meg needed to go for a walk. While he was gone, he texted me to come to the door where there was a note. Meg had kipnapped Kenn, and I was about to go on the scavenger hunt of my life --- which included a surprise visit by my sisters, Amanda and Becca, at Huey's, manicures and a wardrobe change (thank you!!), lots of champagne, and a final spot at my favorite place on the Wolf River Greenway called Epping Way. At the intersection of the trail, Kenn stood there with Meg and proposed by the lake. We celebrated with family afterwards at Bari with an incredible cheese flight and lots of wine. Kenn planned the most beautiful and thoughtful day filled with all of the best Memphis things.