Kelly and Nathan thought planning their destination wedding in Florida would be a breeze. "I had no idea how much time and energy goes into a wedding, especially since I did it on my own and had to get all of my vendors in Florida while living in Ohio," she says. But the couple made it look easy, and pulled off an amazing beach wedding filled with pink and blue accents.
THE BRIDE Kelly Mason
THE GROOM Nathan Smith
THE DATE June 21
Kelly and Nathan met in middle school -- as teachers, not students. "I was not at all interested in him," says Kelly, 25. "But the more I talked to him, the more I started to like him." Yet 27-year-old Nathan wasn't picking up on the signs. On the last day of school, the two joined some other teachers for a celebratory drink. "Since he was so shy, I had to be forward," Kelly says. "I told him I hoped we could hang out during the summer." Nathan finally admitted that he liked her, too, but he didn’t want to date someone he worked with. But now school was out -- and he surprised her with a kiss. "I swear this story sounds like a middle school crush," Kelly says, laughing, "but I guess because we work at a middle school all year, the students rub off on us!" Two months later, they were engaged.
-- Kathleen Murray