She Story in every issue Fred Salley Photography
A Sweet
Surprise
On a clear , Saturday afternoon , Ashley Campbell sat in a Merle Norman studio . Through the glass of the Main Street storefront , she could watch her hometown celebrate the holidays . Lake City ’ s inaugural Christmas festival was that weekend . A tree lighting ceremony , children singing carols in the cold , free arts and crafts for the community – it felt like half of Lake City was downtown .
Ashley wasn ’ t there for the festivities . Her parents were throwing her an engagement party that night . She had to look her best . As Leigh Matthews did Ashley ’ s makeup , she heard Ashley giggle . Customers came and left the store . She giggled more . Ashley had a secret , the joy of which came out through bursts of laughter .
Sitting in Leigh ’ s makeup chair , Ashley leaned to the only other person in the room and asked , “ Do you work here ?” Indeed , that person was Leigh ’ s colleague . Ashley couldn ’ t keep the secret any longer . “ I ’ m going to tell you something , but you can ’ t say anything . We have to be really careful ,” she said . According to Leigh , Ashley was so carefree in that moment . Everything concerning her secret had fallen into place .
Two months prior to this , Ashley ’ s boyfriend ,
Collin Perry , had surprised her by asking her to marry him . On Saturday afternoon , she walked into the restaurant where she was to meet Collin for dinner . There , she saw him kneeling with something in his hand . She thought it was a joke . As she walked closer , she saw the three-diamond engagement ring in his hand . It was exactly the ring she had wanted . Collin stood and slid the ring onto her finger . Ashley then realized that both of their families were in the room .
Even before Ashley and Collin had started dating , Collin made time for Ashley ’ s family . He would join them at their farm even when he ’ d worked overtime , his eyes heavy with sleep as he listened to Ashley ’ s grandparents talk . Family mattered to both Ashley and Collin .
Wedding planning commenced before the first Facebook like of their engagement photo . During the three years she dated Collin , Ashley imagined a few aspects of their wedding . She wanted a small ceremony at her home church , hoped for an outdoor reception with dancing , and knew nothing should interfere with the Carolina football season . The date was set for March 25 .
Preparations for the big day consumed Ashley in the coming months : 7:00 a . m . calls from her mom about invitation counts , lists from Collin about what they needed on their registry , and texts from bridesmaids about dress colors . She spent lunch breaks from her job at ACS Technologies contacting videographers , researching venues , and mapping seating arrangements . It was difficult to be sure if she was a 26-year-old getting married or a third grader doing math problems – if each table fits an average of eight people and the tent is 40 feet x 115 feet , how many people can we fit in the tent ?
By the Wednesday before their engagement party , Ashley and Collin were overwhelmed . They felt like they were spending too much money and inviting too many people . The wedding had gotten away from them . “ You could get married Saturday at the engagement party and surprise everyone ,” her mom said in jest . Everyone laughed it off .
Driving home Wednesday night , Ashley thought more about her mom ’ s joke . A wedding isn ’ t 400 people under a white tent . A wedding isn ’ t a unity candle and organ pipes . A wedding is friends celebrating the marriage of two people who love each other .
The next morning , Ashley met Collin at Edible Arrangements . It was Collin ’ s first day as owner , and she knew he would be there early . She asked Collin , “ So , I really think we should get married Saturday night .” Collin hesitated . He then replied , “ I ’ m fine with that as long as it makes you happy . . . I ’ m doing this to be married to you .”
She called her parents and his mom before moving forward with plans . Everyone wanted to make sure Ashley wouldn ’ t regret omitting a formal wedding — everyone , that is , except her dad , who wondered if Collin would regret it .
Collin wished they had just one more week to plan . Ashley wished they had invited more friends to the engagement party . How many people can you text at the last minute , claiming their party invitation was lost in the mail ?
122 FEBRUARY 2017 SHEMAGAZINE . COM