Hunter and I met in the eighth grade when he transferred to Houston Academy from Rehobeth. Since HA was so small, we always knew when we had a “new person” in the class and this year, it was Hunter. I remember seeing this “new guy” sitting on the picnic tables outside of the locker room with one of my close guy friends. Once the bell rang and everyone started walking to class, I ran over to ask my guy friend who this new guy was, in which he replied, “Oh that’s Hunter Whatley.” (If emoji’s were a thing in 2008, you could insert the heart eye emoji here.) I instantly had a crush on this new boy, Hunter Whatley. We have a few funny/awkward stories about our first times talking, but I will tell the “Waffle House Story.” One night after a football game, my friends and I started a new tradition of eating at Waffle House after the games. We were all sitting at a booth and Hunter walked in with his family. My friends knew I had a crush on Hunter so they decided to call him over to our table. (I’m sure everyone knows that feeling when your heart is racing and you can feel your face turning red. Yes, that was me in this moment.) As if that was not embarrassing enough, one of my friends gave Hunter my number and told him to text me. Later that night, I received a text from him, and we texted all night. Little did I know that this would be the start of a wonderful relationship. After a year of friendship, on October 24, 2009, I received the text that would forever change my life, “Will you be my girlfriend?” We continued dating throughout high school and became inseparable. After we graduated high school, we moved to Tuscaloosa to attend The University of Alabama and started the next chapter of our lives. Fast forward four years, standing in front of Cinderella’s Castle, Hunter got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife! I of course said YES! There are no words to truly describe how excited I felt in this moment. I guess it is true when they say Disney World is the place where dreams come true! Most people say that love at first sight does not exist, but for me and Hunter, that’s exactly what happened. I am so overjoyed to be marrying my best friend, the love of my life and my Prince Charming! I cannot wait to see what the future holds for us. We are both ecstatic to finally become Mr. and Mrs. Whatley on October 27, 2018.

- Kathryn

Transferring to a new school was a nerve-racking process for me, as I only knew a few people from church that went to Houston Academy. Pretty soon, I found a few friends and noticed a very pretty and funny girl named Kathryn. (Little did I know she would become my wife!) We exchanged numbers and starting texting frequently throughout the school year. It wasn’t until the following fall semester when Kathryn went to homecoming with another guy in our class, and I got extremely jealous. I knew I needed to make a move in order to have a serious shot with her. I started talking to her, attempting to discover things we had in common and trying to make her laugh more. (I noticed she had a thing for funny guys.) As a result, Kathryn and I began having longer, more sincere conversations, and I could tell she was falling for my irresistible charisma. (Not to brag, but you know how us romantics do it.) I couldn’t stop thinking about her 24/7 and had strong feelings for her, so I knew I needed to ask her out ASAP. So, I summoned up some courage and did it…over a text…how romantic! That simple text has blossomed into an 8 year long amazing journey with not only the girl of my dreams, but also my best friend. I love Kathryn with all my heart and am so excited to spend an amazing life with her. So, as we used to text each other every night in high school, KC&HW4EVR!

-Hunter