Our story actually starts all thanks to Kayla Bass and Alissa Perry. It was one of those “blind dates” that you never hear of happening in todays world, but here we are. Justin shot his shot with a corny Instagram DM. At first, Katherine played hard to get and was playing the long game taking years to respond to a text message. So much so, that Justin called her out on it on their first date. If anyone knows Justin, he is not much of a planner so with no reservation, they ended up at North Italia. Justin was in town because the next day he was leaving to go on Josh’s (his younger brother) bachelor trip. As anyones first blind date nightmare, North Italia had a bit of a wait. Justin and Katherine ended up at the bar for some small talk as they awaited their table. Justin knew from the first 30 minutes that this had potential. It was easy conversation and it got “real” quick. First dates aren’t usually for serious conversations and life plans. When their table was ready and as Justin was closing the tab the bartender told him “thank you Mr. and Mrs. Perry I hope you two enjoy your meal.” Boy did that bartender know something, because a little over a year later, here we are typing an “our story” and giving her a shoutout. From the first date, Justin knew that Katherine was special and a real straight shooter - she was not afraid to tell him what she wanted and gave off the “don’t waste my time vibe.” She also told Justin the story of how she almost CANCELLED the date because 1) it was supposed to rain 2) the water was off at her apartment and 3) she wasn’t moving to Guntersville so “what’s the point.” Justin will never let her live that one down. The first date went so well, Justin insisted on seeing her again as he came through Birmingham on his way home that Sunday. These two were not wasting any time. Within the first month, Justin coughed up the courage to ask Katherine to be his girlfriend. Katherine then made the journey to Guntersville to meet his family. He had her hooked with David’s dad jokes and Valerie’s pressure packed questions. Katherine was put up to some big tests early on - from being the wedding date to his brothers wedding and meeting Justin’s massive family before he even had the chance to meet her parents. Katherine was quick to say “hey buddy it’s my turn to put you through the gauntlet now.” Next, Justin needed to pass the Tarrance’s test. So they went to Daphne for a weekend. Nancy with her always welcoming arms was quick to welcome Justin and Steve was quick to offer him up some money to take Katherine off his hands. These two lovebirds were set after that. As time passed, they each knew this was the real deal and marriage and babies would be their future. Justin got down on one knee in Guntersville on a Saturday afternoon, baiting her with a “60th wedding anniversary party” for his grandparents, surprising Katherine completely and asked her to marry him. She of course said yes, and here we are! Ready to spend a lifetime together!