Wedding Day

First Cumberland Presbyterian Church

Ceremony

Restoration Southside Church

Reception

Our Wedding

Will and I met in January 2023 through our small group at Restoration Southside Church (our current church). For a few weeks, we made conversation here and there after small group meetings, and we attended a Super Bowl party with our group in February. Will brought blueberry scones (!), and we got to know each other a bit more as we talked through the game. This was also during the height of the pickleball epidemic, and we discussed playing with a group of friends soon. Will, true to his word, invited a couple of my friends and me to play with some of his friends. We did this a couple of times, and one day in mid-March, my friends couldn’t make it but I decided to go anyway. After a few rounds of doubles, I was leaving the courts to head home, and Will saw his chance to ask me on our first date. We met for lunch the next Friday and went for a long walk afterward. Our first day of “officially” dating was April 1st, and, no, it wasn’t an “April Fools” prank (I did ask to make sure). We’ve been hanging out ever since and love to cook, hike, bike, ski, paddle board, travel, and occasionally still make it over to the pickleball court.

Our Story

Photos

Katherine Allen

Emily Meredith

Sarah Cathey

Julia Diorio

Anna DeMersseman

Marlee Turner

Katelyn Kahler

Isaac Duncan

Josh Moore

John Livingston

Ethan Dryden

Ian DeGraaf

Ben Miller

Gabriel Allen

Wedding Party

Q + A

Travel

Chattanooga has several major tourist attractions as well as a range of outdoor activities. Much of our time has been spent outdoors enjoying the mountain scenery.Some of our top recommendations for things to do outside are: 1. Riding bikes on the Chattanooga Riverwalk.The Riverwalk has a number of bike rental kiosks. There are even some e-bikes and e-scooters available. A great place to start would be at the corner of High St and E 2nd St in the Bluff View Arts District. There is a bike rental station here and Riverwalk access very close by. Just ride down to the end of E 2nd St (before it turns into a parking lot) and there are stairs that lead up to the Riverwalk. You can ride down the Riverwalk until you get to the Curtain Pole or Hubert Fry Center rental stations. The Ice Cream show is also near the Bluff View Arts district after your bike ride and is one of our favorite ice cream shops in the city. There are also many other Riverwalk access spots that are great. Details on bike rentals can be found here: <a href="https:" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://bikechattanooga.com/</a>. Riverwalk details can be found here: <a href="https:" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.visitchattanooga.com/blog/post/a-guide-to-chattanoogas-riverwalk/</a>. 2. Hiking on either Lookout Mountain or Signal Mountain.There are many great hikes on both Lookout and Signal. The Bluff trail is my favorite trail in Chattanooga and spans many miles around Lookout Mountain (about 15-20 minutes from downtown). There are several interesting stops along the trail, and most can also be accessed via car if a hike isn't something you are interested in. Point Park (fee required for entry) and Sunset Rock (free) are the two biggest ones. Both have parking, but the Sunset Rock lot is very small and fills up quickly during peak hours. If you want to hike from Point Park to Sunset Rock this site gives some details on that: https://www.hikethesouth.com/hikes/sunset-rock-via-the-bluff-trail. Another great starting point for the bluff trail (and the one we have visited most frequently) is right next to Covenant College. It is called the Ochs Gateway trailhead and is just a pull off from the road right where the trail begins (location: <a href="https:" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://maps.app.goo.gl/H3h7n8nrJ1e6Z5h47</a>).One other beautiful area that I must mention is Cloudland Canyon State Park. It is also on Lookout Mountain, but is significantly further away (about 50 minutes from downtown). If you have the time it is worth a visit. See here for details: <a href="https:" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://gastateparks.org/CloudlandCanyon</a>. 3. Rock CityThis is arguably Chattanooga's most well-known tourist attraction. It is essentially a park with some great views and unique décor. We have season passes and love to visit, particularly when the Christmas lights are up or an event is going on, but it is a good stop any time of year. It is about $30/person. See here for details: <a href="https:" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.seerockcity.com/</a>. 4. Duck Boat TourWe haven't been on this tour but have heard good things. We have also passed by the tours several times while paddle-boarding in the Tennessee River! Details can be found here: <a href="https:" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://chattanoogaducks.com/</a>. 5. Chattanooga ZooAnna has been here and was surprised by how good it was. It may not be as large as Atlanta's zoo or Tampa's zoo but it is worth a visit if you are a fan of zoos. Details here: <a href="https:" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.chattzoo.org/</a>. 6. Coolidge ParkWe walked around Coolidge on our first date and it is one of our favorite spots to visit for a walk in the city or to hang out with friends and play spikeball or throw a football. Unfortunately, the Walnut Street Walking bridge, a quintessential part of the Chattanooga experience closes down on March 1st for repairs and won't be accessible from Coolidge like usual. It is free to enter the park and is located at: 150 River St, Chattanooga, TN 37405. 7. Sir Goony's mini golfThis is a real step back in time mini golf location. We have been a few times and enjoy it. It is located in the Brainerd area and is a bit run-down, but that only adds to the charm of it. If you're looking for a classic mini golf experience this is it. Details here: <a href="https:" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://sirgoonys.com/</a> There are also a few indoor activities that we enjoy in the city: 1. Tennessee AquariumThe aquarium here is excellent and is likely one of the first things you will have noticed if you drove near/in the downtown area. It has 2 separate buildings featuring river and ocean creatures. Details can be found here: https://tnaqua.org/ 2. Hunter MuseumThe Hunter is another focal point downtown. It is a large American art museum and will be having a feature exhibit titled: <a href="https:" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Long View: From Conservation to Sustainability</a> during March and April. Details on tickets can be found here: <a href="https:" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.huntermuseum.org/visit.</a> 3. High Point ClimbingHigh Point is an excellent climbing gym in downtown Chattanooga. It is also a great gym for first-timers as it has many auto-belayed top-rope climbs. They also have a pretty large area dedicated toward kids’ climbing. Details can be found here: <a href="https:" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.highpointclimbing.com/chattanooga/downtown</a>. 4. Ruby FallsThis may not be a true indoor attraction, but it is far underground in a cave that is the same temperature year-round. Neither of us have been here since we were kids, but it is a key Chattanooga attraction and brings over half a million visitors every year. Details can be found here: <a href="https:" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.rubyfalls.com/</a>.

Things to Do

Registry

Anna & Will

Anna & Will

A&W