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

{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.

{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.

{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.

{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”.

Rachel Kabukala Photography | The Poplar Level, LLC | Story Cook Favorites  | The Ivy Place | Ameristar - Cake | Thirsty Gringos | That Hair Shop in Flowood | Reed Rodgers

Hey Mississippi, we want to know who Inspires you!

Inspiration MS is currently seeking submissions for the most inspirational Mississippian. Do you know someone who goes above and beyond to make Mississippi a better place? Know someone who is an overcomer in their life? Know someone who has beat the odds? We want to hear about it!

We will choose one Mississippian to be photographed and featured in the print edition of Inspiration MS. To nominate someone, simply send an email to Emily telling us why they deserve to be featured along with their photo.   Nominations start now!

Guest Blogger: Mitchell Walters

Summer in Mississippi is a wonderful time to enjoy locally grown fruits and vegetables. Farms around the state are yielding an abundance of fresh produce, and many Mississippians are taking advantage of a Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA.  A CSA is a locally-based model of food distribution, where consumers receive a weekly share of a farm's harvest. What a perfect way to support local farmers, and treat yourself to wholesome, delicious fare! 

I had the pleasure of speaking with Van Killen, owner of Two Dog Farms with his wife, Tori.  Named for their beloved blue heeler/lab mix, Sid, and English Springer Spaniel, Arlo, Two Dog Farms is an organic-inspired produce farm that sells shares of their harvest through a CSA, at local farmers markets, and in restaurants. Killen grew up on a farm in the delta and says, "the idea of growing fruits and vegetables in a sustaining way has been a passion of mine for a long time." 

Here, Killen describes his passion for us, and gives details on how to provide your family with fresh vegetables and fruit, grown right here in Mississippi:

{Where do you get your produce?   Is it all Mississippi grown?}
 The produce in our CSA comes from what we grow in the dirt. We supplement the weekly share with our partner and neighboring farm, Hydroponic Farm (on salad days). Everything is grown in Flora, MS.

{How can people sign up to receive your food?}
 We have an application on our Facebook page (Two Dog Farms) or people can email me at twodogfarmsllc@gmail.com.

{How much does it cost to join the CSA?  Do you also sell at local farmers markets?}
The cost is $28 a week and people can pay for the full season in advance, or in 2 payments. The CSA has already started, but we are happy to prorate anyone who is interested in joining. The CSA will last until the end of August.
Also, we are selling at the High Street farmers market on Saturdays and the Madison farmers market on Tuesdays.

{Why do you think it is important for Mississippians to eat locally grown produce?}
 We have some of the most fertile land in the country right under our feet. A great way to embrace what we have is to enjoy the bountiful seasonal food that can be grown here.

{What inspires you?}
I get inspired when someone tells me how great the produce is, how they prepared it, and that they can't wait to get more. That's what makes me want to keep doing what I'm doing and growing the farm to supply more people.

{What is your favorite thing about living and working in Mississippi?}
The people of Mississippi!

Thanks to Van and Tori Killen for sharing their business and these beautiful photos with us. We hope you are all inspired to fill your table with fresh, local produce this summer!

Photos courtesy of Two Dog Farms

"We here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

-President Abraham Lincoln

As you gather with family and friends today we want to pause to remember why we celebrate this day.  We are ever grateful for the men and women who serve selflessly to defend our freedoms, and today we remember the ones who didn't return.  Today we remember them and their commitments to fight for our freedoms.  We pray for their families and comrades who miss them immensely.  May we never take these freedoms for granted, for they were secured with an ultimate sacrifice.  

Here is a list of Mississippi's Fallen Heroes and another list of Mississippians who fought and died in Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn.

Help us in remembering and honoring them today.  

As Heath Ferguson said, "Thank you God, for pouring courage into the hearts of so many.  May you now pour comfort into the hearts of the hurting.  Amen."

{Image Credit: Google}

Followell Fotography | Fresh Cut Catering and Floral | Emily Ferguson Designs