Oh the anticipation!

As many of you know I am doing a huge giveaway in conjunction with the Charleston Bridal show that happened on August 4^th, 2013. This giveaway is ginormous…okay maybe not that big. But it’s awesome! (Read about it here.) It includes not only a full day of wedding coverage by two photographers but an engagement session and a bridal session as well. To top it all off WildFlowers Inc is giving the lucky couple a flower package. As part of the rules each couple had to fill out an online questionnaire. Then the top five (based on their answers) would later be posted in a blog to be voted on, ‘cause there’s no way I could do this on my own. That’s where you the reader comes in. Below are the top five and their stories about their relationship and why they should be picked. Use the tool below to vote on your favorite couple. The couple with the most votes wins. Easy!

And the finalists are….

1) CORI and KYLE:

Here’s what they had to say about their wedding:

“Next year we will be celebrating a decade of love with a sunset ceremony on a tide creek surrounded by old oaks and giant magnolia trees. This day will be a celebration of two best friends becoming husband and wife. There will be no brides maids or grooms men because we feel after all this time we want it to be a romantic day representing us and our love. All too often you see people getting carried away with planning a day for everyone else and forgetting about what’s important. We want our day to show a reflection of us and how crazy we are about each other even after 10 years!”

Cori met Kyle her senior year of high school. Their first date was a picnic at Battery Park. After four years of dating they decided to take a break but soon realized that’s not what they both wanted. This February Kyle proposed to Cori at the same park where they had their first date. He even hired photographers to capture the sweet moment.

Here’s what they had to say about why they should win:
“We should win because you will never meet two people who are more meant for each other than we are. We have been through everything meant to tear us apart yet somehow we are still here, still holding on to one another because without each other we would be lost. After 10 years we still miss each other when we are apart, even if it’s only for a couple of hours. I still get butterflies when I’m getting ready to go out on a date with him and when thinking about walking down the aisle and saying our vows (which we are writing our own) it brings tears to my eyes because so many people imagine not only meeting “the one” but actually marrying their best friend and we get to do that!! It all still seems like a dream because I feel so lucky to have met someone like Kyle. He means the world to me. If you decide to not pick us not only will you miss out on capturing true love first hand, you will miss out on meeting two really great people who stand for what marriage means…spending the rest of your life with your best friend because even though at times you may want to kill one another you don’t because you would miss them too much!”

Cori and Kyle will be saying “I do” near Charleston, SC at Old Wide Awake Plantation in October 2014

 

2) STACEY and JONATHAN

Wedding details: Stacey describes their Charleston wedding as “formal, with southern flair.” She says they’ll be doing a rope tying ceremony instead of the popular unity sand. Their wedding will be held at Harborside East. The venue will be decked out in hues of orange and pink in May of 2014.

How they met:
“Jonathan and I met somewhat through a mutual friend. His roommate was one of the first friends I made when I moved to Charleston, and he invited me to their New Year’s party in 2010. I declined, so he added me on Facebook because he thought I was cute. A few months passed and as Stacey was going through her friend list and deleting all the random people she had added she came across his profile. Not remembering who he was but seeing that they had a few mutual friends she decided to ask him. Jonathan responded by saying that they hadn’t officially met but he thought she was cute and wanted to meet her. Eventually she invited Jonathan to hang out and he met her at a gas station down from where she lived. At first it was a friendship. The two would hang out, cook dinner and watch movies. Though at first Jonathan claimed he wasn’t the dating type he asked her on a date, but claimed it as just a “friend” thing. Even though she wasn’t feeling well, Stacey decided to attend and they went to see the River Dogs play on June 25, 2010. This was their first date and at the end of the night they shared their first kiss. The two began to “date” but still unofficially. Eventually the two decided to take the leap on July 26, 2010.”

Here’s why they think they should win:
“It would be great if we won. Right now we are both working hard to save money since we will be paying for it ourselves. I love photos and taking pictures. I am a big time scrapbooker. However, Jonathan hates taking photos—but he has promised me that I can get all the pictures I want on our BIG day. I really want to get the very best, but I am still struggling to afford it so winning this would help out so much.  We are a true show of true love; we met through a mutual friend. We were friends for a while but it became something more. We are probably the nicest people you will ever meet. Unfortunately, my mom is sick and is unable to help with our wedding so we are rushing and trying to get it done. Honestly, I would just feel grateful for us to catch a break.”

3)KAITLYN and WADE

Their Wedding: Kaitlyn and Wade will be having a lace and burlap themed wedding in Charleston, SC that is rustic with mint and navy blue colors at the Magnolia Carriage House in June of 2014.

How they met:
“We met while I was a summer intern in 2011 at the local naval hospital in CT. Before I started the position, my boss explained to me, ” Listen, you will be working with a lot of young, cute men in military uniforms all day and we request that you stay away” and the same talk was given to all the sailors that worked at the hospital (one of them being my future husband!) about us summer interns that would be working there. Needless to say, my husband and I didn’t listen! I just got out of a horrible 4 year relationship and was not looking for anything else. But I couldn’t help myself with Wade, he made me happy and realize not to be so serious in life, so I decided maybe it wasn’t so bad to get into something new. We spent a great summer together but I had to go back for my last year of college in upstate NY, which was one of the many tests of distance to come into our relationship. After I graduated, yet another test of distance came where he had to go to training in NC for 2 months and I could not see him. The day of his graduation from school, he took me to Myrtle Beach for the weekend and proposed to me. It seemed that we didn’t have any time to be happy and celebrate our engagement because he got a phone call—in which would hopefully be our last test of distance of 6 months of training back to NC—followed by a yearlong deployment in one of the most dangerous provinces of Afghanistan. And here we are (: waiting and hoping and wishing for a safe return home!”
Why they feel they should win: “My husband and I have been married for over a year but have not been able to celebrate our marriage with a wedding yet. He is a Corpsman in the US Navy and left a few days before last Christmas and will not be returning until this Thanksgiving. We were supposed to have a wedding June 15th of this year but unfortunately found out about his deployment very shortly after we got engaged. It has been a hard year and I cannot wait until he comes home and we can finally celebrate our marriage with our loved ones and family. He and I both always joke that we are the most unlucky people ever but winning this package would be such a blessing and privilege to have you at our wedding and have WildFlowers Inc, and enjoy your photographs from our wedding for years to come. Thank you for this opportunity!”

4) JESSICA and RYAN

Jessica and Ryan will be celebrating with a wedding at Lowndes Grove in September of 2014. They are just in the beginning stages of their planning because Ryan proposed very recently.

How he proposed:  “He (Ryan) suggested a walk toward the waterfront (in Charleston) and when we reached White Point Gardens he gave me his phone to select a picture he could put in his office of the two of us. Amongst the photos was a picture of our dog in what appeared to be White Point Gardens. Ryan denied this and told me to keep looking. The next photo was of the dog with a sign around his neck inscribed “say, ‘yes’ “. Then Ryan was on his knee and I said “Yes” :)”

Here’s why they think they should win:  “I would love to receive a full day of coverage and floral package and we would welcome the chance to be an advertisement for a great company with talent. I work in marketing and I know better than anyone what good PR can do for a company. When you have the backing of your customers, especially in this age of social media and grassroots advertising, it is the relationships that tend to count the most. If I were the recipient of this package I understand that it is an excellent opportunity for both of us to have an enjoyable and rewarding experience!”

 

5) REBECCA and ROBERT

The wedding:
“The whole wedding is pretty unique. We are excited to have the reception at Rebecca’s parents’ house because we think it is so much more personal than a generic venue or cheesy hotel. We plan to have a band with plenty of drinks and good food.

How they met: “We met about 7 years ago at the University of Tennessee. We were really great friends at first, but after a while, started dating. We both now live in Washington, DC. Robbie proposed to Rebecca in his apartment right before a nice dinner. It was a total surprise, which was great. It is actually hard to surprise Rebecca, so he did a really nice job at catching her off guard!”

Why they think they should win: “We should be picked because we are a lot of fun! We promise you will enjoy working with us! We have great families that are a lot of fun, and our wedding will be fun for you too. We hope we can build a friendship and stay in touch after the wedding.”

Rebecca and Robert will be tying the knot at St. Mary’s of the Annunciation in March of 2014 with a reception at Rebecca’s parent’s residence in Downtown Charleston.

 

 

Okay that’s it! Congrats to the finalists and let the voting begin!!

 

PS: Need a wedding photographer for you day? Check out my website and drop me a line, I’d love to chat:

www.JeanneMitchum.com