Big Wedding Reception

Ceremony

Reception

Intimate Ceremony

NJ Friends Celebration

Winter

Our Wedding Day was beautiful… well, outside it was pouring buckets - but the wedding itself couldn’t have been any more beautiful! We will share more photos and stories here!

Enjoy a beautiful video of our wedding day! Coming soon… 

Watch Our Wedding Video

Our Wedding

Let me start this out by saying, this is Kaitlyn telling the story... and I'm assuming anyone who reads it, is female. I'm going to assume no male, including Will, will sit and read this.... so I'm writing it to and for the girlies who love a love story! In December 2022, we matched on Hinge started talking and hit it off right away. Within 48 hours, Will asked me on our first date! He asked me to get together for one drink and brought me to O'Be Joyful, in Franklin, TN. He specifically told me where to park for free, found me in the parking lot and walked me to the restaurant - I remember when he walked up the stairs in the parking deck I thought, "OH WOW! HE IS CUTE... and TALL!" On my dating profile I wrote about men lying about being 6 foot, and I can always tell when I wear heels. He assured me I could wear my tallest, and I did, and I still felt short! It was Dec 20, so the whole town was decorated for Christmas. It looked like the Hallmark movie of my dreams! After 1 drink, we were enjoying getting to know each other and he suggested we order dinner. I had read online to never let a first date go over 2 hours, so after dinner I called it a night. We did go out of our walk to walk around the Christmas tree in the center of town first, before he walked me to my car. Fun fact: I told my friends it was a 6 out of 10 because he only walked me to the floor of the parking deck, not my car and I said that was rude... when we talked about it later, he was trying to be respectful and not creepy. So he was actually a 10 out of 10, but I was being a brat (and my friends just knew that I really liked him and was protecting my heart from being disappointed) Luckily, before I even got home he asked me on a second date... and I agreed immediately. That second date was the next day. I broke my own rules, and canceled a different first date to see Will again. Then 2 days later, Christmas Eve, was our third date... that date was about 12 hours long. I got to his house around 11am. We made Christmas cookies, watched Christmas movies, went out to lunch and then started talking. That night we probably talked for 6 hours about everything. What we wanted in life, our goals, ideas on marriage, boundaries in relationships, his children and how they were the most important thing to him. We also talked about what we wanted our future marriages to look like, politics, religion, therapy, regrets, debt, finances, our worst moments in our life... all the things they tell you not to talk about when you're trying to make a good impression. I don't even remember what we ate for dinner that night... I just remember talking and thinking, I'm either going to marry this man or he's going to break my heart bad. I drove home that night and called a friend and said... I think I met someone. The next 6 months were hard, we knew we wanted to do things God's way + honor his children the most we could in how we were dating. We'd talk everyday, but we'd only see each other 2 weekends a month. On Good Friday, I finally met his girls. I was so nervous... more nervous than I was any date with him. Actually, I was never nervous around him for a single second. He's the one person that calms me the most since the day we met. But teenage girls... terrifying. I remember being so scared they'd hate me, and even more scared I wouldn't like them, like we wouldn't click. Instantly they made me feel comfortable. They tried their hardest to include me in conversations, asked me if I wanted to watch TikTok with them and kept making sure his shirt was clean and his hair was in place! We went bowling and laughed, had a great time and it went well. Then started Taco Tuesday's where I'd come over every Tuesday for dinner... that seems like forever ago now. But I realized, not only was I falling in love with an amazing man... but I was also falling in love with the kids too! The first 6-7 months of our relationship felt like they took years... We fell for each other so quickly, but took things so slowly. I don't think it was until month 6 or 7 that we even said "I love you" (that's another story... WILL SAID IT FIRST... but ask me about that later) He was always SO intentional at always making me feel important and special, but also such a leader of our family from day 1. pacing us and making sure we were doing things for the right reasons and the healthiest way for both us and the kids... I'll forever be grateful for him being a man that lead with intention and love every step of the way, even when I got impatient!! Looking back, God's hand and blessing was all over it from day 1, and the hard is what made our relationship so great. We had the blessing of not seeing each other often, which meant sometimes 5 hour convos on the phone, until someone finally fell asleep... We had the chance to just talk and really get to know each other on a deep level. Because we didn't see each other often, now, it just feels so special that we get to see each other everyday. I cried so many times in those first 6 months because I just missed him. Driving over an hour back and forth to each others houses, makes the thought of living together more than a dream. I think of the things God taught me in 2020-2022, my words of the years: 2020 Available, 2021 Stay, 2022 Receive and 2023 Fast. I needed to spend entire years learning each of those things, to be the right woman for Will. It's crazy to look back and see just how "planned" this union has been for so many years, without me or Will ever knowing! God is so good + has been training + teaching me so many lessons to be right where I am! We have so many goals and dreams for our family for the next few years, and we're so excited to do it all together. The kids like to refer to me as Poppy, from Trolls... and he is my Branch. Where I am sunshine and sparkles, he is logic and plans, where I get myself into trouble, he's always right there to say "I already thought of that..." - I always want hugs, and he gives the best ones! I waited a long time for forever, and I just feel so honored God picked me for Will + his family! Blessed isn't even the words... and Will reminds me everyday that I'm not the lucky one, he is. We are so excited to celebrate our love, that's been somewhat quiet and behind the scenes, with family + friends, both near and far! Love you all!

We Swiped Right! 

Our Story

Till Death Do Us Part 

Us: Dating, Engaged and our Wedding Day!

Our Friends + Family threw us a little "Welcome to the Jersey Shore" party to meet Will + the kids!

Since we didn't get many photos because it rained so hard on our wedding day, Jess @thedeerwoodcompany, took the most amazing wedding photos for us!

Kaitlyn & William

Kaitlyn & William

Q + A

Q + A coming soon!