To set the scene, last day of high school, 15 years ago…. “I noticed her sharing her pager number. I walked up behind her and said, “Are you gonna write that down for me or do I have to memorize it?” She wrote it down for me and we started dating.” Several graduation parties and hang outs later, on a date to the Space Needle, they shared their first kiss.
Their story continues to be one that is both interesting and inspiring. We spent a good amount of time getting to know Karly and Eric, and enjoyed every single moment.
When asked about a defining moment in their relationship when they just KNEW it was meant to be, they responded, “…there was not a particular day or moment, but rather the culmination of many days and moments. It was a lot of hard work, commitment, and growth. We just grew into a place where we realized we are better together than we are apart and we couldn’t imagine living without each other. Love is a strange thing and sometimes unexpected. We both absolutely feel that we are blessed far beyond what we ever expected or hoped for.”
Their authenticity, heart and trust in their community was beautiful and we cherish being so able to share this day with them. This day was really a result of a “DIT: Do It Together” hand-crafted, collaborative and creative merging of communities over a for a full week on Whidbey Island preparing for the event itself. From the loving officiants welcoming a parade up to Ceremony Hill to the danceable music created by friends/family for hours leading up to the ceremony to having their very own “Cheesecake Guy” prepare 15 custom cheesecakes alongside a local, farm-to-table, from-scratch meal prepared and served by cousins; it was a true reflection of Karly and Eric. Not to mention the handmade lace shoes for the bride and the groom truly rocking his suit, do you hear that Banana Republic?!
When talking about their inspirations, they shared with us this: “We knew we wanted to be married outside because it is where we both feel closest to God. We knew early on what flowers and plants we wanted to incorporate; Sunflowers because Karly’s roots are in Kansas, lavender because we both love the smell and calming properties the plant holds, and wheat to honor the farming roots in both of our families. The rest fell into place from there. Our best sister, Kerri, designed and worked with us to create out Save the Dates cards and invitations. They were linoleum prints of the plants we chose. For the ceremony we didn’t want many preset decorations, but rather we wanted our families to carry and place gifts of beauty around as they entered. We had a family parade instead of a bridal processional and our families carried in beautiful handmade flags and flowers to decorate our ceremony space.
Thanks for having us Karly + Eric.
