Katelin & Isaac
Wedding Party
Isaac Harmon
Groom
I grew up in the small community of Kings Creek, located between Lenoir and Wilkesboro. I went to a K-8 school and then attended Hibriten High School, 1 of 3 high schools in the county. I chose to attend Appalachian State to pursue a music degree, but as it turns out God had other plans. I remained at App but I changed my major 2 years in and graduated with a Computer Information Systems degree. I love the mountains, and since I didn't feel much like leaving after achieving my 4 year degree in only 5 1/2 years, I found a position within the IT department on campus. I had a great job, mountains to hike, and streams to fish, but I didn't have someone to share it with. Enter Katelin, the one who can out-hike me and watch me fail to catch fish anytime. I knew she was special on the first date!
Katelin Cooke
Bride
I grew up in the small town of Granite Falls, NC. I began college at the University of Georgia where I had the opportunity to run for UGA (Go Dawgs!). An injury led to a transfer to Lenoir-Rhyne, where I graduated with my BA in Religious Studies. After college, I worked at camps in Texas and Montana. In 2016, I started working for the City of Lenoir Parks & Rec Dept., and I am currently the Athletic Director and Parks Manager. In my free time, I enjoy going to the gym, running, coaching, hiking, surfing, worshiping the Lord, and going on adventures with Isaac. It is so evident to both Isaac and I how the Lord has worked to bring us together. Words cannot express how excited I am to be marrying Isaac on April 16th!
Julianna Brown
Matron of Honor
I first met Julianna at a Fellowship of Christian Athletes Retreat back in 2013. Over the years, the two of us have shared so many fun times together in Charleston, western North Carolina, and even on a trip to San Francisco. Julianna has been my friend through several boyfriends and knew I didn't usually keep guys around too long. However, less than a month after I started dating Isaac, Julianna said she thought Isaac was "the one." When I asked her why she simply responded, "there is something different about the way you talk about him." She was not wrong! Isaac and I took a trip to Charleston last year, where Isaac and Julianna's husband, Alex, quickly became good friends through their shared love of cloaks, kilts, and other nerdy things that I can't keep up with.
Mary Oliver
Bridesmaid
Mary and I first met at church when we were in Kindergarten. Our friendship has seen numerous slumber parties, sleep overs, late night trampoline talks, and good times spent together at church and on youth beach trips. We often talked about our crushes and boyfriends as we were growing up. I even was with Mary when she met her husband, Grayson. We were 17 and she made me remember his phone number because she said "I am going to marry him." I laughed and said okay, however she was right. They eventually started dating and have been happily married for over 7 years. Isaac and I had been dating for about 9 months before Mary met him, but she quickly let me know that she could see that Isaac and I had something special.
Kayla Cain
Bridesmaid
Kayla was another of my childhood friends. We met in first grade and stayed good friends through high school until we briefly lost touch for a few years during college. However, towards the end of college we reconnected and our friendship grew much stronger. Kayla is never afraid to challenge me to take a difficult step in my faith or in life. Although I only get to see Kayla a few times a year, she often gets the late night phone calls as I drive back down the mountain from seeing Isaac. She loved all the updates on mine and Isaac's relationship. Much like Julianna, it didn't take Kayla long to know Isaac was the one I was going to marry. She and her husband, Ben, were both extremely excited when they got the phone call that Isaac and I were engaged.
Breanna Wagster
Bridesmaid
Breanna is another good childhood friend of mine; we met in Mrs. Jones' 1st grade class. Mary, Breanna, and I all spent a lot of time together at each other's houses. Breanna and I played basketball, volleyball, and ran track together in middle school. In high school we use to sneak onto the golf course near her house after it closed and play as many holes as we could before dark. Loser had to buy ice cream. Over the years, we talked and often prayed about our future husbands. While Breanna was in college at App State, she met her husband Charlie.
Richard Harmon
Best Man
His mom and his brothers call him Richard, or Rick, or Ricky, and my cousins call him Uncle Papa; but to me he is simply Papa, or Pop for short. He is a mountain man, with his family hailing from deep in the Appalachian Mountains. His mother moved to Lenoir, but Papa took every opportunity he had to stay with his Grandparents in the mountains. One of my earliest memories is him taking me fishing on the same streams he fished and explored when he was a kid. I didn't really catch anything, but I was a great bait and water holder! This is a big reason I decided to attend App; I wanted to live in the mountains and have adventures like he did. Pop is also my best wingman. He met Katelin at his gym a few years ago and tried to set us up. It took 3 years for us to meet, but it all worked out!
Nick Keller
Groomsman
I have technically known Nick since the second semester of my freshman year when we had a class together. I say technically because, while we were in the same class and even in the same group for a project, I immediately forgot I ever knew him as soon as the class was over; this did make it a bit awkward when he started working with me at techsupport a year or two later. We eventually figured out why the other looked vaguely familiar and quickly bonded over shared interests of lifting, fishing, gratuitous amounts of food, and various nerdy things. Related to lifting and food, Nick actually convinced me come to open cheerleading practice by bribing me with free food if I came just once, confident I would enjoy it. I went once and was instantly hooked on throwing people into the air.
Kyle Mcfarland
Groomsman
Kyle and I go back. Way back to 2002 when we were in fifth grade. Kyle's mother convinced my mother to have me join the Cub Scouts with her son, Kyle. My earliest memory of Kyle was when we were hanging out at my house after a pinewood derby event. We ran around outside like little hooligans with sticks and various throwable objects. It was an all-around great time! Through grade school we were friends and took band together in high school. During our senior year, we both found out that we had both been accepted to App State, and since we knew that the other was super cool, we decided to room together our freshman year. Now 12 years, 10 other roommates, 3 dorms, 2 apartments, and 3 houses later, our time living together will soon be coming to an end, but our friendship remains strong.
Reuben Harmon
Groomsman
Reuben is my best youngest brother! While people may disagree on if he has the best hair in the family; no one can disagree that he has both the most hair and the most style. Reuben is several years younger than me, having been born when I was 14. When he was born I remember thinking, "Wow, I'll be 28 by the time he's as old as I am now: I'll be so old!" Well, that's already happened and some days I do feel old. Somehow, while I was away at school and living in the mountains ,he has become a young man. At 15, he is way more aware of what is cool than I ever was, and has the courage to talk to girls. Courage I still don't think I have at 29 (Katelin texted me first). We have a shared love of sharp objects, things that go bang, video games, and not wearing shirts when we don't have to.