The Ceremony
Saturday, the Tenth of October
Two Thousand and Nine
at Three O'clock in the Afternoon
The Kilgore-Lewis House
560 North Academy Street
Greenville, South Carolina
Reception immediately following on the patio.
Why We Chose Greenville
I know what you're thinking. "Isn't Kate from Raleigh?" Yep. But we both love Greenville. It's where we fell in love. And it's where we plan on spending many years of our marriage. We love downtown, we love the park, and we really love the people. The friends that we have here, combined with our church community have been two of the biggest blessings in our relationship. We hope that by taking part in our wedding you will gain an understanding of why we love this place.
Hilton Head - January 2009
Travel Information
Fall for Greenville
Our wedding happens to fall on the same weekend of Greenville's annual event Fall for Greenville. If you're one of our out-of-town guests, you may enjoy participating in some of the events that will be taking place downtown. There will be live performances, including Needtobreathe (a band near to our hearts; be sure to read through Our Story below), and activities in the park and up and down Main Street. If that sounds at all interesting, be sure to check out the website for more details.
Hotel Accommodations
We have blocked off a number of rooms at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on I-385, just 10 minutes away from the Kilgore-Lewis House.
If you plan on making a weekend of your trip and desire accommodations downtown, there are many great hotels to choose from including the Hyatt Regency, the Westin Poinsett, and the Holiday Inn Express, all of which are located in the heart of the action on Main Street.
Air Travel
Our out-of-town friends and family that don't plan on driving can fly into our very own local airport, Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP). The airport is situated just north of Greenville on Interstate 85. Just take I-85 south from the airport to I-385 North (Exit 51C), which will bring you straight into downtown Greenville.
Our Story
Kate's Version
On Saturday September 6th, 2008, I really wanted to go see Andy Davis and Needtobreathe at the Handlebar in Greenville. It was after a home Clemson football game so it was hard to get someone to go with me. I almost gave up, but then my friend Kayla Payton said she would go with me, for which I will be forever grateful.
I met Sean in the line via Kevin and Anderson who I met at Mel's birthday party a month or so before. After a few minutes, Kayla and I were going to go stand in the back of the line because I felt guilty about cutting, but Sean proceeded to talk me into it. Something along the lines of, "You should definitely cut in line".
Inside the concert I saw some of my girlfriends (Ali and Mel among others). These girls were friends with Kevin and Anderson and Sean so we all hung out and talked before the music started. It somehow transitioned in to just Sean talking to me. Andy Davis came on and even though I love his music, I remember being a little sad that I didn't get to keep talking to Sean.
Throughout the concert, I was of course jamming and singing with Sean right behind me. I remember having the opportunity to move closer to the stage but for some reason I wanted to stay where I was...
The concert ended and it was late so we all went home. Kevin and Anderson went to their car, but Sean crossed the road to make sure we made it to our car safely. Kayla and I drove back to Clemson and I didn't mention Sean because I figured nothing would come of it, although I did mention him in my journal that night.
Two days later on the 9th, I got a call from an unknown number and for some reason, I decided to answer it. It turned out to be Sean and we talked for an hour before I had to get off the phone to go to a meeting. Sean asked me if I wanted to go out on a date on Friday and of course I said yes! I quickly became nervous and excited and began to anticipate the weekend.
Friday, September 12th. First date with Sean. No dinner and a movie for us (thank goodness). My friend Robert was coming to town that night for the N.C. State football game so we started the date early just in case Robert came early. Our date lasted from 1pm-12am and involved longboarding, slacklining, playground playing, rock climbing, dinner at Ancheaux's, and stargazing on the docks at the lake. I love creative dates so I was a very happy lady.
The following months have filled with an abundance of romance. I have hundreds of pages of journal entries that I love to go back and read now. We went on trips to Boston, New York (twice), Baton Rouge, Hilton Head, Jacksonville, and the Mountains. Sean showered me with notes, flowers, surprises, date nights, and best of all—long talks about Jesus. I couldn't even believe (and still can't) that God had chosen to bless me with a man that knew exactly how to pursue my heart.
One of my favorite things Sean ever did for me was in Feburary. On certain significant days he gave me a little note and a present. The notes all had the same format: "The 6th, We Meet" (concert), "The 8th, Ring Ring" (first phone call), "The 12th, Knock Knock" (first time he came to my apartment for our date), etc. Later on he continued to use these little date notes for other significant days...
Saturday, June 20th I was expecting my parents to come into town around two in the afternoon. I had an email from Sean from 5:15am saying he had just finished up work and would call me around eleven when he woke up (these are typical work/sleep hours for Sean). We decided to eat lunch before mom and dad came and after many rounds of "I don't know... what do you want?" we decided to go to Publix and just get a salad/sub.
We left Publix and went to eat outside at a field downtown where we had picnicked before. I was under the impression that these were all my plans so I was not suspicious at all. We ate on a blanket under a shady tree and once we finished eating we looked at the weekly sale flyer so we could make our shopping list for Sunday. Everything was so normal and Sean was acting completely relaxed.
Around two we decided to pack up since my parents were getting to Greenville soon. Sean made me put my purse down and picked me up and kissed me. He was being super cutesy but this is not abnormal so I didn't think twice about it. He put me down and got a letter out of his pocket. I was soo excited because I LOVE notes and letters. I was still clueless because I thought it was a love letter since I told him a week before that if he wrote me a love letter I might be the happiest girl ever. The first line of the letter was, "Yep, this is the moment..." and I was trying to stay calm just in case, but really I was freaking out. I kept pointing to where I was because I had to read everything about 4 times. I finally finished reading the letter and Sean showed me a teeny envelope on which he had written, "The 20th, The Question." At this point I'm crying but smiling which is creating puddles under my eyes. Sean got on one knee and asked me to marry him at which point I said, "YES!" He dropped the ring on the blanket but then we managed to put it on my shaky hand. We sat down to take it all in and Sean started revealing all of the lies he had to tell me to keep things a secret . After a while we met up with both of our parents and spent the rest of the day hanging out and beginning the wedding planning process.
Sean's Version
I like my facial hair. Primarily because I'm somewhat lazy, at least in regard to grooming. But having been single for some time with no hope of improvement, and having been challenged by my roommates Anderson and Kevin, I decided to baby-face it. A big weekend was coming up with The Tigers hosting The Citadel and a concert at the Handlebar, so I decided to BIC it, if my memory serves me correctly.
Good thing, too. After a big win, Anderson and I high-tailed it back to Greenville in order to get back in time to primp for the Needtobreathe concert. I was extra excited because Andy Davis was opening. In case any cute ladies were on the prowl, I threw on my favorite designer jeans and a shirt that was re-gifted to me by one Daniel Park, the ol' (literally, it's ancient) Texas A&M baseball shirt. Looking sharp, Anderson, Kevin and I headed out the door, prepared to stand in a long line at the Handlebar.
As dapper as I was, I'd like to say that Kate and her accompanying friend Kayla stopped dead in their tracks on the way to the back of the line. But they only stopped because they knew the two gentlemen in line just in front of us. Though as fate would have it, Kate had met Anderson and Kevin at a party just a few weeks earlier (I knew I should have gone to that party). So they exchanged greetings and I was introduced. I think I made a comment about her handshake, which I can't recollect was good or bad. Kate then continued to talk with the gentlemen in front of us, and we never saw each other again.
Until that friend suggested that she and Kayla cut in line. Kate was sweet and said no, that they would need to go to the back of the line. I disagreed and promptly interrupted, blurting out that they should definitely cut in line. She smiled and they complied. My heart smiled.
Once inside Kate approached Anderson and me and we began talking about concerts and music. I found out that Kate also loved Andy Davis. I found out that I also loved Kate. Wait, not yet... After a night full of chatting and exchanging glances I walked Kate and Kayla to their car, which was Kate's car, which was a manual, for which I told her she gained cool points.
As soon as we got back in our car Kevin inquired about Kate. I told him with the most confidence I've ever said anything, "I'm going to ask her on a date. I can't not." The next day I called a common friend between us, Ali. I asked Ali what she thought of the idea and she was for it! So I told Ali I'd call her the next day to get Kate's number. I didn't want to prematurely do something I'd regret and automatically knock myself out of the "game". So, Monday afternoon came and I called Ali. With Kate's number in hand I took a deep breath and got in the car. I thought driving would be a good distraction for the nerves. Ring, ring.
Kate: "Hello?"
Me: "Hey, is this Kate?"
Kate: "Yes. Who's this?"
Me: "I kind of want to make you guess, but it might be a bit unfair."
Kate: "Okay... Give me some clues."
Me: "Welp, we've never talked on the phone before. And you don't know that I begged Ali for your phone number."
Kate: "Sean?"
Me: *smile*
From there it turned into an hour-long phone call with me sitting in the Publix parking lot, dishing out more cool points.
Four days later we were on our first date, dubbed the Marathon Date. Twelve hours of playgrounds, longboarding, slacklining, rock climbing, dinnering and star gazing.
We scheduled Date #2 for a week later, but a few days later I told her I couldn't wait that long. We had an impromptu movie viewing on Tuesday night at Kate's apartment. The only thing we could scrounge up was Tristan & Isolde, but I didn't care. It was an excuse to be with her again.
Since then we've shared so many moments and seen so many things together. We've dinnered in Boston's North End and had some of the best pizzas New York has to offer. We've shared the excitement and the heartbreak of cheering our Tigers on from the stands. We've also managed a few picnics here and there, some more important than others.
After months of saving up, I visited a jeweler and bought a shiny ring. A week of lies later, Kate and I picked up subs from Publix and headed downtown to a favorite picnic spot. We ate and talked and laughed and took cute pictures. As we were getting ready to leave, I made Kate stop and put her things down. I handed her a letter. She read it. Then I showed her a small envelope. Across it was written, "The 20th. The Question." She cried, tears welling up in puddles on top of her cheeks. I asked her to marry me. She said yes. I smiled.
And as it turns out, Kate doesn't actually like me without facial hair.
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