As told by: Jake Bowlin

Our story begins, as all truly great Hallmark movies do, at the wedding of our dear friends. Katie was a bridesmaid, and I was the lucky groomsman to accompany her into the reception. Naturally, one would arrive at the conclusion that we danced, drank, and the spark formed. Alas, this is probably furthest from the events that transpired. Instead, I enjoyed a cigar at the ‘Cigar Bar’ and proceeded to dance with her mother, and the mother of the bride, which I later discovered was well-documented with professional photos (Any other rumors of my behavior, attire, or mustache that evening is all hearsay).

Through the wonders of modern technology (i.e. Snapchat), and at the behest of the aforementioned Bride, Katie and I reconnected and corresponded for a brief time before I summoned the courage to ask her on a date. What would this date be? Drinks? Dinner? Coffee? Most would have similar ideas when trying to woo their potential mate, but in keeping with our “this only happens in movies” motif, we settled on a 3 day/2 night camping excursion complete with mosquitos, tents, and a canoe trip down the river. At the time, our friends had some apprehensions, such as, “Katie! What if he is crazy or a murderer!?” (I’m not) or, “Jake! What if she hates fishing or golf!?” (she doesn’t).

We received our first piece of relationship advice during our “casual” canoe trip. For context, we flipped the canoe within 3 minutes, and at least two more times before finally getting our bearings. We enjoyed our newfound security in the calm waters as Mike and Terri, of western Arkansas, paddled up in separate canoes. Mike said, “If you two make it through this canoe trip and still like each other, you can make it through anything.” Without skipping a beat, Terri added, “We have visited this river every year for the past 12 years. We canoed it together ONE time, and bought separate kayaks when we got home because it was much cheaper than a divorce. Next year is our 30th anniversary.” Despite the bugs and capsizing, we had an unforgettable weekend together and returned the next year for a repeat trip with Max.

The Lord sought to test our new relationship, yet again, four short months later. It is December 29th, Katie and I had just “officially” started going together, and I planned a trip to the Tennessee mountains to ring in the New Year. Cabin on a mountain with a hot tub, afternoon beers in downtown Gatlinburg, sightseeing in the Great Smoky National Park, where we took our first photo as an official couple on the border of Tennessee and North Carolina. Everything was perfect, until the morning of our departure. We were greeted by ten inches of snow, trees and powerlines across the road descending the mountain, and no electricity, heat, or running water. You can't quite comprehend the meaning of quality time until you have spent seven hours in a freezing cabin with only Monopoly and Scrabble to pass the time. Fear not, we descended from the icebox unscathed, but not before colliding into a hawk with our car and leaving a massive dent (Sorry Carolyn). After quite a few more travels, bringing home the most handsome dog, and a move to North Carolina, our story brings us here.

As a homage to our perilous mountain adventure, I brought us back to those same mountains to ask Katie to spend the rest of our lives together, albeit on the North Carolina side where the climate is much more temperate.

As you read in the beginning, our wedding will not be the first time we are announced into a wedding together, but it will be the first time we are announced into a wedding donning the prefixes Mr. and Mrs. together. Thank you for reading our story. We love you all and cannot wait to celebrate with you!

Best,

Jake and Katie (and Max)