Relaxed Smoky Mountain Elopement
Callie and Craig – November 20, 2023
From the Bride:
Craig and I met at a hospital that neither of us had any business working at (it was about a 40-minute commute for each of us, and he was originally planning to relocate to TN). Given that he works for security, Craig spent a lot of time in the Emergency Department where I work. Our brief initial conversations were about patients, T.V. series, and Covid-19, until Christmas Eve of 2020 I was making a last-minute trip to the store across from the hospital for wine (knowing all the stores would be closed for Christmas). He requested that I get him a “handle of Jameson” while I was there. After the very nervous exchange of alcohol in the hospital parking lot, we began messaging each other nonstop and finally had our first date on January 10th which would have been sooner if not for my Christmas Covid-19 diagnosis. Our first date occurred on January 10, 2021, at Buffalo Wild Wings. We shared stories and carbs while watching the New Orleans Saints play the Pittsburgh Steelers. The date was so amazing, we don’t even remember the outcome of the game.
In November of last year, Craig and I took a trip to Las Vegas. Since it was my first time there, we made an effort to see everything in the 5 days we were there, including the Grand Canyon. On our drive back, we stopped to get some photos of the Canyon from a distance. Craig encouraged me to stand on a rock to getter better photos, and when I turned around, I noticed he was on the ground. I apologized for “taking too long”, and when Craig didn’t get up, I immediately thought he had gotten injured. When I asked if he was okay, he held up the ring and said, “Will you marry me, Baby”?
Craig and I have visited East Tennessee quite a few times in the past. We both love the scenery and feel like time slows down a little when we are there. We enjoy everything, from the tourist attractions to the breathtaking geography that is vastly different from South Louisiana. A co-worker of ours, Jennifer Turner, had her wedding at Chapel in the Hollow 2 years ago, and after hearing her positive reviews and seeing her beautiful pictures, we felt we had landed on something special. Primarily we chose November 20th to accommodate schedules for our family members and our jobs; however, incidentally November 20th is also my (bride) parents’ wedding anniversary. They also took their honeymoon in Tennessee!
What are we looking forward to? “Marrying my best friend,” was the immediate response from Craig. We are a close family with a strong bond and enjoy our quality time at home more than anything else. We are also overwhelmed by the number of family members that have committed to travel to our destination wedding, all driving from Michigan, Louisiana, Texas, and Mississippi. We splurged on an enormous cabin and plan to do a lot of cooking, reminiscing, sightseeing, and relaxing. We are extremely excited for the kids in our family. My (bride) kids, Evelyn (11) and Silas (10) are thrilled to be gaining a few more cousins!
We tend to find fun regardless of the activity! We spend a lot of time working on home improvements, outdoor maintenance, return trips to Home Depot, and planning additional home improvements, haha… it never ends! We feel like we have quite an oasis at our home, and we host a lot of neighborhood kids for sleepovers and swim days. Between home projects and kid parties, we like to keep current with football and college baseball from the comfort of our home, which serves as our typical date night. We began the keto diet a few months into our relationship, so we enjoy preparing a lot of meals from home. We lost a combined weight of about 100lbs, so we lean on each other for support and maintenance of our much-healthier weights.
