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Katie and Mason's Wedding

Katie and Mason’s C of O Love

We met our freshman year at College of the Ozarks while working at The Keeter Center. I didn’t know it then, but my future husband was sitting at the same table as I on the first day of work orientation.

I honestly didn’t notice him specifically that day until my freshman self began to wonder…”Hmmm, I look really cute today and the only boy at my table isn’t talking…” Yeah, I know…but I’ve changed a lot since the days of hair so big I made Snooki and Dolly Parton look bald. (If you’ve known me long you get it).

Since Mason wasn’t talking, I decided in my head he must have been a foreign exchange student who didn’t understand English well. I thought…”He looks like some kind of foreign prince..from like…England.” Well, now I know if that were true he would in fact understand English, and that Mason was really just a little shy.

During the orientation we got these awful black ties to wear as a part of our uniform. I was on a roll that day. I thought Mason was foreign, and I had no idea what to do with a tie. I looked around frantically for a boy to help me tie my tie…and Mason was the only boy I could find. So I asked for his help. He still didn’t talk much, so I wasn’t sure about the English thing yet.

As the semester began, I realized “cute foreign prince boy” had public speaking class with me. That’s when I found out he wasn’t foreign at all, unless Eldon, Missouri counts as a foreign country.

Our paths kept crossing because of public speaking class and we basically had the same work schedule at Keeter. One day, Mason walked me to my dorm after class. The next thing I knew he was walking me to my dorm everyday after public speaking. I thought maybe he just had class close to my dorm so he just walked with me, but I found out he didn’t. He wanted to walk with me “just because.”

Because we both worked the same shifts at Keeter, we constantly talked during work. I was a hostess and he was a server. He would write a note on a server pad, bring it to the hostess stand, and stick it in my over-sized white jacket pocket. I’d read it, flip the page, make an excuse to leave the hostess stand every five minutes and do the same.

Then I noticed every time I took a break at work…shortly after Mason would find his was to the break room.

Our walks from class, notes on server pads, and breaks at work turned into coffee dates at Vintage Paris, singing and guitar playing in the music building, and late night walks around campus nearly every night.

I could write forever about our story, but the rest is history. During this time, I couldn’t get enough of Mason’s dorky personality that I love so much, the way he looked me when I sang my favorite Maroon 5 and Taylor Swift songs as he played guitar, and how he’d do anything just so he could cross my path.

And guess what? I still can’t get enough of it and I never will.

When the wedding planning started, I knew exactly where I wanted to get my dress—Norman’s Bridal. Norman’s made wedding dress shopping fun and stress free. I knew wedding dress shopping would be hard for me because I can’t make decisions and love too many styles. I wanted a unique dress, but still something classy and timeless. Norman’s helped me narrow down styles and make the right choice. Norman’s had the perfect dress and I can’t thank them enough!

Photo Credit: Meg White Photography