Provino's Italian Restaurant

Rehearsal Lunch

The Greystone Estate

Wedding Day

Ceremony

Reception

Our Wedding

Meet-Cute noun(in a film or television show) an amusing or charming first encounter between two characters that leads to the development of a romantic relationship between them. Less than 15% of couples meet at work. So maybe that makes Michael and Alisa's story especially unique! Thanks to spending time together in the office, along with going on team trips to a new company office in TN, Michael and Alisa got to spend a lot of time together throughout January-June 2021 and struck up a close friendship. They both admit to having a few "what if" thoughts about each other, but never fully thinking about it... … until late June 2021. Right around the same time, they realized that there was more to this friendship than they'd originally thought. But, they never discussed it or hinted at it to each other. Until June 22, 2021. They went on a frog hunting excursion at Rope Mill Park in Woodstock, GA, mostly because they had discussed their mutual love of wildlife the other day at work and wanted to relive their childhood love of catching critters. And that's where Michael asked... not "will you go out with me"... but straight to "would you want to start dating?"Alisa's response, "I was hoping you'd ask!" Later, they both realized that a lot of prayer had gone into that whole process on both of their ends, for it to have all fallen into place without previous discussion (that type of coincidence doesn't just happen normally). And the rest is history!

The "Meet-Cute"

Alisa and Michael have not only grown in their romantic relationship over the past two years, but also in their friendship. They've constantly found new hobbies, jokes, recipes, and goofy memes to enjoy together with each passing day. They also love spending time with mutual friends and participating in their community at Mercy Hill Church. There are lot of fun restaurants, activities, and attractions to explore in the Atlanta area, and they love doing it all, whether it's just the two of them or with a group of friends! Family is also incredibly important to them. They love spending time with Michael's family: his parents, Pete and Margaret, along with Joel, Bella, Makayla, Ben, and Aunt Dot. They especially enjoy playing with the Harrings' adorable dogs and eating delicious, homecooked dinners&nbsp;with the family. They also love getting to hang out with Alisa's family, Bryan, Ming, and Bryce (and Granddad and Gram whenever they're in town, too!). They love visiting ethnic restaurants around town, eating homecooked dishes from Singapore, and going on other local adventures with the Ligmans. Michael and Alisa are so grateful to have both of their families living close by!

The Relationship

By the time August 2022 rolled around, Alisa had an inkling that a proposal might be coming soon. So, Michael used some extra trickery to ensure that she had no idea when it was going to happen! He created a decoy "proposal" at Rope Mill Park, insisting that they go on a romantic picnic on August 13th, and acting pretty stressed about the details of said picnic. Hmm, suspicious. Or that's what Alisa thought, anyway. And then a week out, on August 6th, he casually asked if she wanted to go hiking at Sope Creek the next day. She agreed, and they went. So when he got on one knee during the hike, she was completely surprised! Alisa's best friend Rachel Cross had even followed them down the hiking trail, dressed in a disguise. She ran up and snapped photos as soon as it happened. After a quiet moment together beside the creek, Michael rushed Alisa to her parents' house, where a surprise party of close family and loved ones were there to greet them! It was an unforgettable and all-around wonderful day.

The Proposal

Our Story

Photos

Rachel Zietlow - Matron of HonorRachel and Alisa first met in 2015 while freshmen at Kennesaw State University, and they've been BFFs ever since! They’ve spent countless hours together, going on fun adventures and chatting about life. Rachel is Alisa's constant support, and she thanks God every day for blessing her with such a loyal, kind best friend.And as a bonus fact, Rachel and her husband Nathaniel got married at The Greystone Estate on April 7th! It’s been so special to share this life stage with Rachel :)

Bella Harring - BridesmaidBella is the youngest of Michael's family. After watching her grow up, Michael still can’t believe she’s already a junior in high school.Alisa has also loved getting to know her. They share a love for all things creative and enjoy hanging out together at Harring family functions! Bella spends most of her free time baking, taking care of her sweet dog Tango, and making lots of cool crafts.

Caitlyn Griffith - BridesmaidCaitlyn and Alisa became close friends in 2018, bonding over crazy college antics like racing swivel chairs down a hill on campus. They also attended the Baptist Collegiate Ministries together at KSU.Caitlyn is married to Eshin — also a good friend of Michael and Alisa’s. They have two beautiful children, Naomi (3) and Oliver (1). Caitlyn and Alisa love hanging out with their friends from Mercy Hill Church and co-hosting an annual Halloween party so they have somewhere to wear their unnecessarily elaborate costumes.

Makayla Harring - BridesmaidMakayla is one of Michael’s younger sisters. As homeschoolers close in age, Makayla and Michael grew up playing outside and catching critters together.Alisa is grateful for the chance she’s had to get to know Makayla over the past two years. She and Alisa enjoy painting, chatting, and hanging out with the rest of the family together. Makayla’s sharp sense of humor and wittiness make her a delight to be around! Makayla is married to Ben, and they have an adorable puppy named Otter.

Mariah Lindley - BridesmaidMariah and Alisa have been good friends since 2019 when they did something borderline illegal together. Well, kind of. They drove around the south campus of Kennesaw State with too many people in the front seat of Alisa’s car (Mariah sat on Caitlyn’s lap in the passenger seat).Nowadays, they’ve taken a step back from their life of crime to enjoy making crafts and hanging out with friends from Mercy Hill Church. Mariah is married to Nathanael. Also, she and Caitlyn are sister-in-laws!

Sarah Lau - BridesmaidOut of everyone in the wedding party, Sarah has known Alisa the longest. As cousins who are only six months apart, they’ve spent lots of time together over the years. They even use to wear matching outfits to see if their parents could tell them apart (they could).Alisa is incredibly grateful to be close friends with Sarah after all these years. Sarah temporarily lives in Atlanta to attend Emory University for a dual public health and nurse practitioner Master's degree. She enjoys traveling with her family and spending time with her boyfriend Peace.

Naomi Griffith- Flower GirlNaomi is Alisa's goddaughter and turned three years old in March! Alisa has loved getting to see her sweet personality develop as she's grown up from a baby to a toddler. Naomi loves everything related to princesses and Bluey. She's also very good at remembering people's names. Alisa and Michael love Naomi lots and are so glad that she'll be walking down the aisle on their special day!

Joel Harring - Best ManJoel has known Michael, well, since birth. As brothers in a close-knit family, they grew up together and share a love for playing video games, kayaking, fishing, and working on interesting hands-on projects such as 3D printing. Joel enjoys working on his next great project idea and hanging out with his German Shepherd-Malinois mix named Logan.

Alex Spencer - GroomsmanAlex and Michael met at a Disney vacation with Jake H. and his family in 2019, and they’ve been great pals ever since. They both work at Saltworks Security as Application Security Engineers. Alex and his wife, Katie, live in the Woodstock area with their floofy Pomeranian, Luna. Alex is a mastermind at anything strategy or trivia and enjoys nerding out about video games. If you enjoy the feeling of sorely losing at everything, definitely consider going to an arcade with Alex.

Bryce Ligman - GroomsmanAfter their years of being homeschooled together, Alisa considers her little brother Bryce a very close friend and is so glad that he’ll be standing by Michael’s side on the big day. After they met in mid-2021, Michael and Bryce quickly bonded over their common military experiences and love spending time together!&nbsp;Bryce is currently in school at Middle Georgia University, studying to become a commercial pilot. He’s also a reservist in the Marine Corps, specializing as an equipment electrical systems technician.

Jake Hurst - Groomsman(he's the guy right beside Michael in this photo)Jake and Michael have been friends for over a decade now. They first met in the JROTC program at King’s Academy and have had many adventures over the years. Think nighttime kayaking, vacationing, video gaming, and much much more. Maybe their most notable joint adventure was when Jake invited Michael to start working at his family’s business, Saltworks Security!&nbsp; Jake works full-time as an Application Security Engineer at Saltworks. He and his wife, Chelsea, live in the Atlanta area with their adorable dogs, BB and Penny.

Jake Wheeler - Groomsman(He's the redhead in the photos!)Jake and Michael met in the cadet program at the University of North Georgia back in 2013. Jake and his now-wife Katie were like family to Michael while he was in school and have supported him throughout his time at UNG and beyond.Nowadays, Jake and Katie live in Nebraska with their Great Dane, Odin, and their baby boy, Leo. Jake is currently in the Air Force as an Electronic Warfare Officer. Like Michael, he LOVES all things Star Wars. He and Katie even had an awesome Star Wars-themed wedding back in 2017!

Ryan Lau- RingbearerRyan is the son of Alisa's cousin, Christopher, and his wife, Becky. He is two years old and loves to talk, play, and explore! Ryan enjoys trying new things and seeing new sights, and his adorable personality and curiosity of the world around him has captured the hearts of his entire family.

Wedding Party

Q + A

We've booked a room block at this hotel. Please use <a href="https://www.hiexpress.com/redirect?path=hd&amp;brandCode=EX&amp;localeCode=en&amp;regionCode=1&amp;hotelCode=atlcn&amp;_PMID=99801505&amp;GPC=LHW&amp;cn=no&amp;viewfullsite=true" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">this URL</a> to book your room at our special rate!&nbsp;Special rate is available until August 25.

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Canton, an IHG Hotel

We've booked a room block at this hotel. Please copy and paste the URL below to book your room at our special rate:<a href="https://www.hilton.com/en/book/reservation/deeplink/?ctyhocn=ATLCNHX&amp;groupCode=CHHLHW&amp;arrivaldate=2023-09-15&amp;departuredate=2023-09-18&amp;cid=OM,WW,HILTONLINK,EN,DirectLink&amp;fromId=HILTONLINKDIRECT" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.hilton.com/en/book/reservation/deeplink/?ctyhocn=ATLCNHX&amp;groupCode=CHHLHW&amp;arrivaldate=2023-09-15&amp;departuredate=2023-09-18&amp;cid=OM,WW,HILTONLINK,EN,DirectLink&amp;fromId=HILTONLINKDIRECT</a> Special rate is available until August 18.

Hampton Inn Atlanta-Canton

AirBnB/VRBO Info

If you plan to book with AirBnB or VRBO, look in the following cities:- Ball Ground- Canton- Woodstock- Waleska- JasperClose proximity to I-575 will make it easier to get to the venue!

Travel

Less than an hour from Ball Ground, GA

20 minutes from Ball GroundVisit this up-and-coming shopping area in Canton (only minutes away from the reserved hotels!) for food, brews, and antique shopping! They also have events on the weekends, including a classic car show on September 16th!

The Mill on Etowah

In Ball Ground, GAVisit the quaint downtown Ball Ground area for delicious burgers, cute gift shops, and other small-town spots!We especially love going to Barrel House Coffee, which serves coffee aged in whiskey barrels. The address will lead you to this coffee shop, where you can park and then wander the little town.

Ball Ground Main Street

In Ball Ground, GA A beautiful, peaceful spot close to The Greystone Estate!

Gibbs Gardens

30 min from Ball GroundVisit this pair of apple-themed country stores for some delicious pies, fresh apples, and other foods!

Penland's Apple House & Panorama Apple Orchard

30 min from Ball Ground Downtown Woodstock is a fun, walkable area to explore! They run a farmer's market every Saturday from 8:30am to noon (https://visitwoodstockga.com/event-group/farm-fresh-market/) Mike &amp; Alisa's favorite restaurants in downtown Woodstock:- Tiny Bubbles Boba Tea Bar- Canyons Burgers- Ipp's Italian- Partner's Pizza It's also a cute spot for boutique shopping!

Downtown Woodstock

45 min from Ball Ground Those of you from the West Coast will quickly realize that this should be called "Kennesaw Hill." Nonetheless, it's a beautiful hiking spot with lots of trails and a visitor center! Parking at the visitor center is $5.

Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park Visitor Center

45 min from Ball Ground Marietta Square is home to several great eateries and boutiques! They also run a farmer's market every Saturday morning (find out more at https://www.mariettasquarefarmersmarket.com/ ) Mike &amp; Alisa's favorite restaurants:- Marietta Square Market (a food court with about 10 restaurants inside)- Cool Beans Coffee Roasters- Taqueria Tsunami- Tiny Bubbles Tea Bar Mike &amp; Alisa's favorite shops:- Park West Vintage- Rocket Fizz- The Local Exchange- Church Street Market

Marietta Square

45 min from Ball GroundTravel back in time and see amazing automobiles from 1900-now at this brand-new car museum! It features seasonal exhibits, along with a permanent collection.

Savoy Automobile Museum

Downtown Atlanta

We have a wonderful zoo here in Atlanta. Be sure to check it out!

Zoo Atlanta

Visit the largest aquarium in the U.S.! You'll get to see a huge variety of fish, aquatic mammals, sharks, and Alisa's favorite animal of all: puffins!

Georgia Aquarium

The Atlanta Botanical Gardens are stunning; we love visiting them about once a year! You'll get to see a huge variety of outdoor plant life, along with several greenhouses.

Michael & Alisa