About Me
Hello there bride-to-be!
I am Kaitlin Cashwell, founder of Soon-to-Be, a wedding coaching program that provides tips, tools, and resources to assist you in creating the wedding of your dreams. I’ve always had a deep passion for organizing and planning, and I believe with the right support, a bride-to-be can create a personalized wedding using my guide. Its all in the details and you too can make those details one of a kind. I planned my own wedding (under budget I might add) in just 6 months while I was working full-time and going to school to get my MBA. My background in event planning and project management has helped me create a process that is smooth with minimal stress (cause let's be honest, wedding planning cannot be fully stress free).
My love story...
My husband, Trey, and I met through a mutual friend, Cody, in the summer of 2014. We originally were teammates on an adult kickball league located in Augusta, GA. Our love for the Florida Gators (Go Gators!) brought us together at first, but after spending time getting to know each other while playing in the outfield our connection grew stronger.
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The background story is Trey had moved to Augusta from Jacksonville, FL for a job as a Richmond County firefighter. He met Cody, the local "Mayor" of Augusta as his friends like to call him, during class as a new firefighter. Cody and Trey graduated from their training program together. Cody had asked Trey if he wanted to fill-in for a few kickball games during the season because they were short players. Trey eventually joined the team.
I was an Augusta native. Since Cody was the "Mayor" and a local native as well, he knew me through my sister Amanda. Cody invited me to be on the kickball team as well after we ran into each other at the Evans, GA Department of Motor Vehicles office while I was renewing my license.
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Trey and I being both very agreeable and willing to help the team wherever they are needed got placed in the position as left field and middle left field. Me being new to adult kickball and slightly nervous of my own catching abilities always asked Trey "You got my back?" Whereas Trey would always respond "Yeah, you got mine?" Trey was always there to retrieve the ball when it slipped through my hands or popped up after my attempt to catch it. From then on, I knew Trey was a dependable gentleman.
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After two kickball seasons, Trey and I realized our relationship could be something more than just teammates. Trey asked me to go on our first date on December 1, 2014. My response was, "Yes!", with a fist pump. We went to a local New Orleans style restaurant, "French Market Grille", then attended a movie "Horrible Bosses 2" bonding over our love for cuisine and laughter. The rest is history.
My engagement story...
In December of 2016, Trey and I planned a Christmas vacation to our favorite weekend spot Savannah, GA. We arrived on December 27, 2016 at lunch time and ate lunch at the Parlor House, an amazing burger joint. After a delicious meal with a few beers to help the food go down we then headed to the Planter's Inn to check into our hotel. Shortly after checking in, we arranged our suitcases and settled in. Then the surprises started.
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We had originally agreed our vacation would be our only Christmas present to each other but Trey had other plans in mind. As soon as we settled in, he mentioned to me that he knows he wasn't suppose to get me a present, but he had anyway. He said, "Do you want them now?" I said, "There's more than one? I guess I'll open them now." Trey said, "It is something you always wanted."
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Trey goes to his suitcase and pulls out a pair of sneakers I had wanted for quite some time but had not wanted to spend the money. I was so happy to receive this surprise present. Trey said, "Sit down and I'll help you try them on." So I sat in the hotel chair and Trey got down to help me put the shoes on Cinderella style. I tried on the left shoe and it was a perfect fit. Then Trey went to help me try on the right shoe, but there was something in the way. Trey said, "They must have left the cardboard in the shoes." He reached into the shoe and revealed a green box. For those of you from Augusta, GA, you know that a green box means Windsor Jewelers, a prominent local jewelry store. Trey said some beautiful words about wanting to spend the rest of his life with me expressing his love and asked the four words, "Will you marry me?" I was completely surprised and caught off guard. I started crying and said, "No way, no way, no way." Then Trey asked “Kaitlin, can you please say anything but no?" I then said, "Of course I will marry you!"
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Trey had surprised me with the most beautiful event I could have never imagined any other way. We spent the rest of the day wandering the streets of historical Savannah and enjoying the wonderful landscape and eateries.
My wedding story...
Trey and I were married on Friday, June 2, 2017 in beautiful Aiken, SC just over the boarder from my hometown. We chose a Friday because we wanted the ceremony to be an intimate setting. Before the ceremony, Trey and I met at a place called Hopeland Gardens off Whiskey Road in Aiken for pictures. The place is near and dear to my heart because it is right down the street from where my grandparents lived during most of my childhood. As a child, we would visit the grounds often on a beautiful spring day to see the flowers and well kept grounds. After our first look, we headed over to the church to say "I do". My father who is a deacon in the Catholic Church, oversaw the ceremony. The quaint little church where the ceremony was held was originally constructed in the 1900's. My mother was my matron of honor and Trey's brother was his best man. Many of our family members played an important role in the ceremony as flower girls, ushers, and readers. The violinist and organist played classical music from Bach during the processional and Boccherini during the recessional. Just the sound of Boccherini sounds so romantic. Following the ceremony, we were greeted by family with congratulations and hugs. Then Trey and I drove off to spend some time together for the night at the historic Partridge Inn located in the Summerville neighborhood of Augusta, GA.
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On Saturday, we spent the day around the hotel greeting guests and preparing for the celebration. All of our out of town guests also stayed at the Partridge Inn. Guests and family sat out by the pool enjoying each other's company sharing drinks and old stories. The celebration begun in the evening around dusk. Trey and I were introduced to the party by my parents and danced to our first song as official husband and wife. Our first song combined our love for old folk country and new folk country in a rendition of Willie Nelson's "I'd have to be crazy" by Sturgill Simpson. Following our first dance was the father & daughter dance and the mother & son dance which included water works (of course). I love my daddy so much and I had waited for that moment all of my life. I could not wait for him to be content and proud of the man I had chosen to spend the rest of my life with. As soon as Elvis stopped, the band, Funk You, (I like to claim we made them famous) took over and we all had a great time eating tacos, enjoying the overflowing spirits and dancing our tails off. My mother and now brother-in-law gave beautiful speeches during half-time. Also, my siblings (all 6 of them) surprised us with a version of Will Smith's "Parents just don't understand".
It was such a touching moment to see all of our friends and family enjoying each other in celebration of our love. I like to replay the night over in my head from time to time so I can always remember that feeling of pure bliss.