I have the honor of meeting so many fabulous couples in this line of work. How selfish of me to keep them to myself! I am so excited to start this new series introducing you to our fabulous Harper Hadley couples!

Caitlin and Brad are getting married next month at the same church that her parents and grandparents were married in, followed by an evening of celebrating with their nearest and dearest. They will host friends from all over North America and abroad at the Celebration Farm! While we wrap up final details for their wonderful day, enjoy getting to know them a bit.

How did you meet?

We grew up about a mile apart, but neither of us can pinpoint exactly when we first met. Caitlin remembers knowing who Brad was in elementary school (he was a year older), and in middle school we were on the newspaper staff together (although Brad doesn’t remember her). We had mutual friends throughout high school and Caitlin’s junior year/Brad’s senior, we started hanging out and became good friends. We started dating in February 2009 and spent the first several years of our relationship long distance as Brad attended Iowa State and Caitlin attended the University of Iowa.

When did you know that Brad would be your husband?

I knew Brad was the one in October of 2010, when we had been dating almost two years. I had been visiting Brad in Ames for the weekend and was standing at the sink washing dishes. He came up behind me and gave me a huge hug and whispered how lucky he was to have me. It was such an ordinary moment that made me suddenly see years into the future with him. I knew then that I wanted to spend all of my ordinary moments with him.

When did you know that Caitlin was going to be your wife?

May 10th, 2010. I was visiting Caitlin in Iowa City and we decided to go see a movie. The movie had a late start time so we got coffee and drove around town for an hour or so talking. After the movie, we were at the stop light turning out of the theatre parking lot and I looked over and she had this giant smile and her face and right then I knew that I would marry her.

What excites you about marriage?

We are excited to spend the rest of our lives together as a team. We are excited to build a family, face challenges, and have new adventures.

Describe your wedding in three words.

Love. Family. Dance party.

What is your favorite source of wedding inspiration?

I enjoy hours of Pinterest-scrolling and bridal magazines as much as the next girl. That said, we have tried to take ideas we have seen and make them our own. I’m all about the personal touches, so while our wedding will be fairly traditional, there are lots of small pieces that are meaningful to us.

What is your favorite part about wedding planning? The least?

Our favorite part of wedding planning has been thinking about the details and personal touches that will make our day special for us and our families and friends. We had a long engagement so we really got to enjoy the planning process together. Of course, taste-testing all the food wasn’t bad either! Our least favorite part was definitely the guest list. We both are fortunate to have many wonderful people in our lives, and it was difficult to finalize the guest list… and to track down that many addresses!

Isn’t Miss Hayden the prettiest rescue pup you ever did see?!

What are you most looking forward to about  your wedding day?

We are most excited to celebrate our love with our amazing family and friends. We have so many wonderful people in our lives who are traveling from different cities, states, and countries, and we can’t wait to have them all together on our day.

Are you taking a honeymoon? If so, where and what made you choose that destination?

Because Caitlin is opening a brand new elementary school two weeks after the wedding, we won’t be taking a honeymoon immediately. We will be going to Italy over Thanksgiving and could not be more excited. Neither of us have been and we are so looking forward to site-seeing, relaxing, and of course trying some amazing food and wine.

Do you have any advice for engaged couples?

Try to take moments to stop and really soak in this exciting time together. We have been really intentional about not stressing over the little things. It has been so much fun anticipating not only our wedding but our marriage as well.

What’s next for the two of you after “I Do”?

We will continue to live in Memphis with our beloved rescue pup, Hayden. Caitlin is co-founding an elementary school opening in August and Brad is continuing to love his job as an account manager at Trane.

Didn’t Emily do such a fabulous job capturing C & B’s sweet love and fun personalities?! The light is just making my heart flutter and I feel like it’s straight out of a Disney movie. I cannot wait to celebrate their new beginning and see so many wonderful ‘friendors’ next month! The sweet details that they have incorporated are amazing and sharing them with you in the coming months will be so fun, as they tell their story. When a couple describes their wedding with ‘love, family and dance party’, you know it’s going to be an amazing day full of what is most important!

xoxo, Jenn