Link to live stream of wedding mass: http://sthilarychurch.org/live/ The live stream will begin at approximately 1:15 PM, and the mass will begin at 1:30 PM. Link to the Zoom reception: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81030902599?pwd=Vm1yNEFzTlZKaVJTWllkMzI4c0VuQT09 The Zoom reception will start at 8:00 PM.

Family and friends, After much thought and discussion, we have made the difficult decision to cancel our wedding reception on the 26th. While we appreciate everyone wanting to be involved in our special day, the health and safety of our family and friends is our top priority. On December 26, we will still become Mr. and Mrs. Whiddon with our wedding mass at St. Hilary Church at 1:30 PM. For the mass, everyone is welcome to attend, and social distancing will be in place with the seating inside of the church. Masks will be required at all times inside the church. There will also be a live stream of the mass that will be available online, and more details and a link to the live stream will be provided as we get closer to the day of the wedding. Later in the evening, at approximately 8:00 PM, we will be having a Zoom call that will include speeches, a champagne toast, and the first dance among other traditions that normally would have occurred at the reception. All are welcome to participate in this Zoom call, and we will send out the link at the same time as the link to the live stream for the mass. We appreciate all of your support as we work to celebrate our wedding amidst the ongoing pandemic. We are looking forward to starting on our life journey as a married couple, and we look forward to celebrating our special day with all of you! Sincerely, Kristen and Derek

Derek and I met freshman year of high school at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio. We took all of the same Honors classes, and we worked together on a Biology project. The sparks flew in Chemistry class sophomore year when I asked to light Derek's bunsen burner during lab period. I started crushing on Derek that spring- he sat behind me in Algebra II and used to sing Rascal Flatts in my ear (swoon!). Rumors were circulating that we were "talking," so I asked Derek what he thought about the rumors. Derek promptly told me he wasn't interested, and we were acquaintance-friends until football season junior year. Derek started to crush on me during two-a-days- I was in the training room and on the football field throughout the day taping wrists and making gatorade and filling ice pools, and he always made sure to come to me for his tapes! Derek asked me to homecoming on September 17, 2012 by putting balloons in my locker and writing "Homecoming?" on my whiteboard. He even waited in the hall for me to arrive (late) to school! We went to junior homecoming on October 6, 2012. Derek asked me to be his girlfriend the following Saturday (October 13, 2012) after an amazing first date (dinner at The Rail at Summit Mall, seeing Pitch Perfect at Regal Cinemas, and getting frozen yogurt at Menchie's). He may have taken all evening to ask me to be his girlfriend (we watched football for over an hour in my basement, after the entire date, before he asked), but he did it! I vividly remember waking up the morning of October 13 and thinking to myself that that could be the last morning I woke up single. I was right!