Ashley and Kyle were married January 5, 2013 in Fort Mill SC at Fort Mill Church of God. We met Ashley last June when we shot her sister's wedding (I'll blog soon) and we have quickly became friends with this entire family! These two met in church and have such a sweet story. We are so thankful to have been a part of their beautiful day! Ashley purchased her gown from The Bridal Garden in NYC. The Bridal Garden is not for profit organization and proceeds benefit education for disadvantaged children!! Such an awesome way to purchase a beautiful wedding gown and help others. Below is a little background about Ashley and Kyle! Its so special and I thought would be sweet to share.
Ashley's parents were both missionary kids and grew up in Kenya. Ashley's maternal grandparents (the Barneys) started as missionaries in the Belgian Congo, and later were on staff at Rift Valley Academy (RVA), a missionary boarding school which is about 40 miles outside of Nairobi, Kenya. Her paternal grandparents (the Paulsons) were missionaries on the coast of Kenya. Ashley's dad Scott attended RVA as a boarding student, where he met Eunie, Ashley's mom. They were high school sweethearts, graduating from RVA in 1977.
After they went to college, Scott & Eunie got married and went back to Kenya as missionaries themselves. Scott was a missionary pilot, flying small planes to mission outposts in remote parts of East Africa, carrying mail, medicine, doctors, and people to places that would be impossible to reach by road. Ashley also grew up in Kenya, and attended and graduated from Rift Valley Academy, like her parents did.
Now Scott works at the JAARS station in Waxhaw, NC as a flight instructor, training pilots to go fly to the same kinds of rugged outposts that he used to serve when their family lived in Kenya. The wedding florist (Tina) does wedding flowers as a ministry to the missionary community around JAARS, and she was a huge blessing. You can see how beautiful all those pine cones were! She frosted and painted each one by hand, as a labor of love. I am so blessed.
Kyle's family is hispanic. Both sets of his grandparents immigrated from Latin America in the sixties. Kyle's parents (Ed & Johanna) grew up in the Philadelphia area, and were also high school sweethearts. His abuelo Patrick is from Ecuador and his late grandmother Alicia was from Cuba. One of Kyle's favorite dishes is a traditional Cuban dish called "Ropa Vieja", which his abuela made very well. Johanna spent a lot of time at Ed's home growing up, and learned how to cook several favorite dishes from Alicia.
Kyle's parents went to college together at Penn State University, which is where Kyle was born. He was born during the 1987 Fiesta Bowl, which Penn State went on to win. What a happy birth day! After college, Kyle's parents moved to south Florida for work, and have lived there ever since. Ed works in aerospace engineering and Johanna is an amazing math teacher, the kind that students remember and love years later!
Kyle attended Columbia University in NYC for his undergraduate degree in Economics and for his his PhD studies in Economics. Ashley attended Wheaton College in Illinois for her undergraduate degree in Chemistry, and Columbia University for her PhD in Biology. They met at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in NYC in 2011.
Vendor Love:
Reception Venue: The Magnolia Room Rock Hill SC
Floral Designer: Tina Bondurant
Wedding Dress Designer: Paula Varsalona
Caterer: Sweet Magnolias of Columbia, SC
Salon: Studio U Waxhaw NC
Bridal Boutique: The Bridal Garden
Vendor Love:
Flowers Designed by Kahly Antal : 
