Kathryn + Blake

Venue: Aska Farms of Blue Ridge - Blue Ridge, Georgia

Hair & Makeup: Hannah Sikes & team with Clay & Company Salon

Florist: All About You Wedding & Events

Videographer: Imagine Video Productions

Second Photographer: Candice Emerson

"We met at a tire store of all places! I, (Kathryn) had gotten new back tires put on my car, and had rode with my parents back to the store to pick my car up. When I went inside the office to pay, I heard someone behind me say "Kathryn?" I turned around and it was Blake. But I had no idea who he was at the time, so I was trying to place him... do I know him from work, or from church, or did he work there... I had no idea! He said "I know your parents, but you don't know me... good to see you!" Then he turned around and started to leave. Mike, a man who worked at the store, called out "Dude! Are you going to tell her how you know her parents, or are you just going to leave her hanging?" Blake then came back inside, and as we got started talking, he explained how he knew my dad and Uncle Ricky, had grown up in the same Sunday School class as some of my cousins, and knew my grandmother and had gone to her funeral, and saw me there. So he told me all this information, but I still had to ask... "Now, whats your name?" And he just told me "Blake," no last name, no nothin'! He pretty much left right after that. So after I had paid, I went to talk to my parents, who were waiting in the parking lot until I was done, and told them I had just met a guy named Blake who said he knew them and had gone to Nanny's funeral. My dad had no idea who I was talking about, but my mom said "I know who that is! That's Barbara Thornhill's grandson! It sounds like he likes you!" A few days later, out of curiosity, I added him on Facebook, and the rest is history!"

"I (Blake) was going by the tire store in Flowery Branch to get Mike and the guys to check out a tire that was going slack. Turns out the tire was fine. While I was waiting, I saw this beautiful girl walk into the office. I recognized her as Kathryn, who I had seen at her grandmother's funeral a couple years earlier. I went into the office and proceeded to make a fool of myself, stammering and stuttering. I tried to leave before making too big a fool of myself, but Mike, who works there, made me stay. I figured I would never hear from Kathryn again. A couple days later, I had a friend request from her on Facebook. I asked my Mom why she would want to be friends, considering how badly I thought things had gone at the tire store. She said that I probably made a better impression than I thought. We went on a date, and then another, and now we're married. How cool is that?"

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There is a cool story behind this veil. If you look to the left of her veil you will see a little hole. This was her mother's wedding veil. During her mother & father's wedding she leaned up near a candle and burned a little whole in it. Kathryn said she thought about fixing it but decided not to. I love that she didn't "fix" it. What a cool keepsake to pass down to your daughter!

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How did you feel when you saw each other for the first time on the wedding day?

From Kathryn: "For me, I felt really calm when I finally saw Blake. I had been really nervous in the minutes before the ceremony, especially when I was waiting to talk through the doors, but when I saw Blake I was like, "Okay. This isn't a big deal.""

From Blake: "When the doors opened and I saw her in her dress for the first time, I was overwhelmed and began to cry. She was, and still is, the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. That afternoon, as the sun shone on her, she was absolutely radiant".

What was the most memorable moment of the day?

From Kathryn: "Mine has to be a tie. When the ceremony music started, and I heard all the songs Blake and I had picked out for the ceremony, I started crying. Then when my dad linked arms with me right before we walked down the aisle, he whispered "It's okay, it's okay." Which of course, only made the the crying thing worse, but was really sweet. My other moment was during the reception, after we had been outside doing the night shots, Blake and I came back into the house, went into the bridal suite, and closed the doors. We sat in the chairs and just laid back for a few minutes. We could see everyone dancing through the french doors, and it was just a calm, private moment between us where we soaked it all in."

From Blake: "For me, there are two moments that jump to mind...the first is when I saw her for the first time, as the doors opened and Kathryn and her Dad began walking down the aisle toward me. The second happened only a few minutes later. The ceremony was over and we were walking back up the aisle as a newly-married couple. We passed the last row of seats, then looked at each other and said together "We're married!" It was a moment caught in one of the pictures and may be the happiest I have ever looked. I know it was one of my happiest moments ever."

If you could do it all over again, would you change anything?

"Nothing at all! There were small things that went wrong during the day, but for the most part it was perfect! We would like to give a shout out to all the vendors that helped make our day so special! Alex and her team at Aska Farms of Blue Ridge, Dina and her team at All About You events, Hanna from Clay and Company Salon and her crew that did mine and my bridesmaids hair and make- up, Jess Clark and Rodney Thornton that made all the wood pieces for the ceremony, Ryan Lindsay and his team with Imagine Video productions who made our beautiful video and, of course, our amazing photographer Ashah and her assistant Candice!"

Do you have any advice to other brides & grooms?

"For us, the greatest source of stress during the planning process was the guest list! We both are blessed with such big families, church families and and friends that the number got out of hand very fast! I would tell other couples just to invite who you have room for, and not to stress about the rest!"

Where did you go on your honeymoon?

"Gatlinburg, Tennessee"