We adore weddings that tell a story, and this wedding definitely tells the sweetest love story! The wedding took place at Poplar Level, which happens to be owned by the Bride's aunt and uncle. The house was built in 1846 and the land is just breathtaking. This was the perfect setting for Katie and Drew's love story to be told.
{Bride} Katie Malik McIlreavy
{Groom} Drew McIlreavy
{Wedding Location} Vicksburg, Mississippi
{Hometowns} Katie – Vicksburg, Mississippi Drew – Wheeling, West Virginia
{Wedding Site} Poplar Level, LLC; My Aunt and Uncle’s Home, Vicksburg Mississippi
{Bride} Katie Malik McIlreavy
{Groom} Drew McIlreavy
{Wedding Location} Vicksburg, Mississippi
{Hometowns} Katie – Vicksburg, Mississippi Drew – Wheeling, West Virginia
{Wedding Site} Poplar Level, LLC; My Aunt and Uncle’s Home, Vicksburg Mississippi
{How did the two of you meet?}
Drew was working with Rivers of the World (ROW), a Christian missions organization that targets remote river basins. He spent a lot of time working in the developing world. My older sister, Leanne, traveled with ROW to the Congo in 2002, and it was a trip that wrecked her life in all the best ways. For years I too wanted to travel with ROW, but the timing never worked. That is until 2009, when I joined a trip to Venezuela. Drew wasn’t supposed to be on the trip, but as fate would have it there we both were. We spent a week together in Venezuelan jungle loving on the Warao people and getting to know each other. On the plane back to the US, he tells me about a summer camp project he’s working on and explains that there might be a position for me on the team. I moved to Georgia two weeks later.
{What is your proposal story?}
Determined to make the proposal a complete surprise, he popped the question on a Thursday at 2:00 in the afternoon at my favorite cupcake shop. My birthday was a few days away, and I was spending the weekend in DC with my sister and cousins. Before I hit the road, he convinced me to grab an early birthday cupcake with him. He packed me a bag of my favorite snacks for my trip and said he had a little present for me. He pulls out a little white box. I panic. I’m wearing gym clothes. I haven’t showered. You never imagine you’ll look a complete mess when someone asks you to spend your life with them. A wave of relief washes over me as I realize it’s an iPod mini – just what I wanted. I continue chowing down on cupcakes and Drew tells me to take it out of the box and have a look. And there it is, discretely hidden under the iPod. A little velvet bag in the bottom of the box. And then he’s on one knee saying some really sweet things, and I’m crying all over my cupcake. It was perfectly us.
Drew was working with Rivers of the World (ROW), a Christian missions organization that targets remote river basins. He spent a lot of time working in the developing world. My older sister, Leanne, traveled with ROW to the Congo in 2002, and it was a trip that wrecked her life in all the best ways. For years I too wanted to travel with ROW, but the timing never worked. That is until 2009, when I joined a trip to Venezuela. Drew wasn’t supposed to be on the trip, but as fate would have it there we both were. We spent a week together in Venezuelan jungle loving on the Warao people and getting to know each other. On the plane back to the US, he tells me about a summer camp project he’s working on and explains that there might be a position for me on the team. I moved to Georgia two weeks later.
{What is your proposal story?}
Determined to make the proposal a complete surprise, he popped the question on a Thursday at 2:00 in the afternoon at my favorite cupcake shop. My birthday was a few days away, and I was spending the weekend in DC with my sister and cousins. Before I hit the road, he convinced me to grab an early birthday cupcake with him. He packed me a bag of my favorite snacks for my trip and said he had a little present for me. He pulls out a little white box. I panic. I’m wearing gym clothes. I haven’t showered. You never imagine you’ll look a complete mess when someone asks you to spend your life with them. A wave of relief washes over me as I realize it’s an iPod mini – just what I wanted. I continue chowing down on cupcakes and Drew tells me to take it out of the box and have a look. And there it is, discretely hidden under the iPod. A little velvet bag in the bottom of the box. And then he’s on one knee saying some really sweet things, and I’m crying all over my cupcake. It was perfectly us.
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{What’s your favorite unique accessory?}
My bracelet and my ring on my right hand. They belonged to my grandparents. Three of my grandparents are deceased, and my only living grandmother was bedridden. They were all very important to me, and I wanted to have a piece of them with me on my big day.
My bracelet and my ring on my right hand. They belonged to my grandparents. Three of my grandparents are deceased, and my only living grandmother was bedridden. They were all very important to me, and I wanted to have a piece of them with me on my big day.
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{What inspired your wedding and reception locations?}
I have one older sister and two cousins who are basically my sisters. Their parents have a beautiful home on a farm. The four of us girls spent a lot of our childhood there playing in the mud, tromping through the woods, and hunting for treasures. It’s a special place to me. Drew and I are pretty low-key, and wanted our wedding day to be relaxed and enjoyable for all of our guests. It was a perfect fit.
{What inspired your color scheme/theme/flowers?}
The biggest inspiration for our wedding was the location and the time of year – autumn. I love the colors of fall. The rest of the details centered around a rustic feel.
I have one older sister and two cousins who are basically my sisters. Their parents have a beautiful home on a farm. The four of us girls spent a lot of our childhood there playing in the mud, tromping through the woods, and hunting for treasures. It’s a special place to me. Drew and I are pretty low-key, and wanted our wedding day to be relaxed and enjoyable for all of our guests. It was a perfect fit.
{What inspired your color scheme/theme/flowers?}
The biggest inspiration for our wedding was the location and the time of year – autumn. I love the colors of fall. The rest of the details centered around a rustic feel.
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{Besides the actual wedding, what was your favorite moment of the wedding day?}
All of it! Our friends and family are scattered around the country. It was a beautiful experience to look around and see all of the people we love most in the world in one place, enjoying each others company, and celebrating our nuptials.
{The picture that represents the two of you best?}
There’s a picture of us in a field dancing. It’s very “us”.
All of it! Our friends and family are scattered around the country. It was a beautiful experience to look around and see all of the people we love most in the world in one place, enjoying each others company, and celebrating our nuptials.
{The picture that represents the two of you best?}
There’s a picture of us in a field dancing. It’s very “us”.
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