Katie St. John - Bridal Profile

The Couple

Katie and Hunter met in middle school and it started with a wink. They sort of fell for each other right after that, and the period that followed was made up of their parents driving them on dates to tractor pulls and the like, until they could get licenses, and through Katie attending UNC-Greensboro to get her degree. Hunter attended NC A&T and after he proposed, they bought and renovated a home together in preparation for getting married. It gave them time to get to know each other even more. Falling in love in your early teens is one thing; hanging drywall and painting is what tells you that you've found your mate in life.

Hunter's proposal, which took place on March 7, 2018, was pretty fantastic, if we at Bridal Traditions can be any judge. 

Katie: "My mom and my sister “planned” a trip to Boone. My sister was going to be attending ASU in the fall, so we were going to tour the campus. When we got up there we began our day at a t-shirt shop on King Street. While in the store the cashier asked if I was Katie and then handed me an envelope. In the envelope was a letter stating that a beautiful day was about to begin and that I needed to head to a specific address for the next clue.

I knew what was about to happen. We went to 3 other locations for clues including a fudge shop and a park where I found my dad sitting on the bench waiting on us. The last clue sent us to a park in Blowing Rock, and it was beautiful. The day was so cold, and it began to snow a little bit when we arrived at the park. In the middle of the park was a gazebo. Hunter was there with one of my best friends who captured the proposal on her camera. When I finally reached the gazebo Hunter got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. It was absolutely perfect and it was a day I will never forget."

The Wedding Day - Take 2

Clearly, we've all heard the heart-breaking stories of long-planned weddings being disrupted, rescheduled or replanned due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The tale of Katie and Hunter is similar. Their wedding day was planned for June 20th and they did actually get married that day, but there were no guests. Some of their wedding party may have been exposed to the virus so 2 days before the BIG DAY, Katie was calling everyone to tell them that they would be celebrating instead on July 25th. On THAT day, they were married in a smaller ceremony at The Barn at Cranberry Creek. 

The bride and her bridesmaids spent the morning of the wedding creating silly tik tok videos while getting ready, and she was able to have First Look moments with both her father and her groom. They read their vows to each other while alone, instead of in front of everyone else, and Katie shared that this made the moment more memorable. 

The weather was gorgeous that day, the venue was perfect for a July wedding of 150 instead of 250 and the photographer Danielle George was able to capture all the little moments that this bride wanted. 

The Dress

Katie said that she really had no specific vision for her gown beyond wanting it to be comfortable, make her look beautiful and to be affordable. Those are three areas we specialize in. She also knew that she wanted a sparkly belt, because she'd been watching "Say Yes to the Dress" and thought they added a lot. We hooked her up!

Not only did Katie get her gown off the rack, and did not need to order, but we made sure that there were embellishments and details she loved. 

Katie: "BT was amazing!! Kelly and her helper who was there during my appointment helped me so much. They found dresses for me and made me feel like the perfect bride. I could not imagine buying my dress from anywhere else. Kelly helped me get into each dress and made them fit perfectly. I was able to buy my dress right off the rack which saved me the stress of having to order it. The most helpful thing that made my experience amazing was that Kelly and the other girl were there to help me throughout my whole appointment. They catered to me and found the perfect gowns for me to try on."

Katie: it was our pleasure, we promise you!

The Details

The Send Off

If at first you don't succeed, ... try again with the knowledge that things may turn out even better in the end. We are wishing this farmer and his elementary school teacher bride the best of luck and much love as they embark on a new life together.