By Grace Keating
Hi, everyone! I’m excited to have the opportunity to write for Rhode Island Monthly’s bride blog over the next year and to document planning my wedding to my best friend.
I met Kevin in high school right here in Rhode Island. Even though he was a senior and I was a junior, we had a few classes together and became friends. By Christmas vacation, we were chatting via text or AIM (those were the days!) almost every day. Eventually, we went out on our first date (rock climbing), to the Winterball, several coffee dates and study sessions, dinners, prom and, before I knew it, it was Kevin’s graduation. He didn’t go too far — about a half-hour away to Providence College. The next year, I went off to college in Manchester, New Hampshire.
We were a long-distance couple for those years, which wasn’t easy, but totally worth it. It made us a strong and loving couple. We had things we made sure we only did together, like watching all seven seasons of The West Wing, while also having our own groups of friends and hobbies. Our wedding promises to be a fun, happy, loud mix of our big families and our amazing friends.
After college, I began working in politics; Kevin is a teacher in Providence. In July of 2014, Kevin accompanied my family on a trip to Ireland to visit my father’s side of the family. One of the last nights we were there, at a big family gathering, Kevin got down on one knee and proposed. I was shocked! And, of course, I said yes! We are planning for a July 2016 wedding and couldn’t be more excited. I’m looking forward to planning, sharing, commiserating and celebrating with you all!