Calm, cool, and collected. None of these words would describe my demeanor as I white-knuckled the steering wheel while driving up to a weekend mountain getaway at Barnsley Resort. Kayla later described me as "acting surprisingly normal," which led me to wonder how my "normal" state of mind typically appeared.

A month before, I sat at her mom and dad's dining room table, asking their permission to marry her and detailing our plans for the trip. I told them how special their daughter was to me, how much I loved her, and that spending the rest of my life with her would be an honor. I explained that we had planned this trip for months, and I knew it would be the perfect place to ask her to marry me – a place with beautiful scenery we could revisit as a reminder of the day filled with love and excitement.

With the ring box safely tucked into my jacket pocket and her parents' blessing, we arrived at the resort and headed to our wine tasting event. A sudden turn in Georgia's weather meant that the late October, mountain setting was now comfortably in the 70s. As we were leaving our room, Kayla was puzzled as I insisted that we bring our jackets, just in case the weather began to cool off, as I had very limited options to hide the ring box.

We embarked on what seemed like the longest wine tasting I had ever attended. I thought wine before the proposal might calm my nerves, but after a few sips in the hot sun while wearing a full jacket, my nerves gradually rose, reaching a peak as the event drew to a close, and I knew the time had come.

Just as we finished our last sip of wine, I asked Kayla, rather obviously, if she would like to go on a walk. I believe it was at this moment that I may have tipped my hand as to where this walk would lead. As we nervously engaged in small talk while walking through the grounds, I guided her to the clearing beside the garden pond that I had previously scouted.

Finally arriving at the pond, I got down on one knee to ask the most amazing person I had ever met to join their life with mine. My heart was racing, and I choked up as I told her that meeting her was the most amazing thing that had happened in my life and that each day I spent with her made me happier and happier. After asking her to marry me, we embraced, sharing laughs and tears of joy. In the midst of all the happiness, I had to double-check and ask her, "You did say 'Yes,' right?" Luckily for me, she did.

K&K

Wedding Day

Ceremony

Reception