Brittany Kolb and Michael Mann

May 26, 2012
Bowmar Baptist Church, Vicksburg, MS
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Then...

It was one of the first days after transferring to Warren Central Junior High that I met Mr. Mann. We were surrounded by the "Parade of Cows" art projects covering the walls and a Mona Lisa ceiling tile looking down on us. Although he was just one of the many friends I made quickly after changing schools, I always wanted to be good friends with that goofy boy sitting in the back of my Algebra class.

We never had class together in high school, but we were briefly in a super cool thing called Robotics together. Looking back on Robotics, some of my most vivid memories are of the teachers yelling at Michael for being goofy and of his awesome, bug-eyed looking safety glasses. He always made me laugh. We had a huge group of wonderful friends that all hung out together, and Michael and I would occasionally vent about our relationships to one another. During one of these events, he told me I was "barking up the wrong tree" once, and I secretly hoped he meant I should be barking up his tree.

We didn't hang out much for the first few years of college, but we would occasionally exchange passing hello's on campus. I remember telling one of my friends after meeting Michael that, "he was that boy I had talked about. Yeah, that one I will probably always have a crush on but never get to date or anything. We are too good of friends."

More recently, I've gotten to see that handsome face every day. It all started this past summer when Michael very randomly sent me a text and asked if I wanted to meet for dinner. He was about 45 minutes late to Stix because he isn't too great at navigating the maze of interstates in Jackson. The hostess yelled at him for making me wait and told him he better buy me dinner. That awkwardly made it seem like a date, but when we split hibachi chicken (because you get way too much food for one person to handle), he paid for my dinner. I thought to myself, "shoot, am I on a date with Michael Mann? Surely not. We are too good of friends." We laughed about Michael getting a tattoo of the Corps of Engineers castle as he called it and the lady sitting across from us wearing sunglasses and a big floppy hat.. inside.. at night.. eating hibachi. We walked out to the parking lot to ride around after dinner, and when we walked up to Michael's car, I was thinking, "Woah, this kid's got a sweet red car." Immmmpressive. We ended up eating some Coldstone in front of Target (romantic, right?) and talked about both of our love interests. He went back to Vicksburg, and I went back to Oxford for my summer internship.

He only apologized for being late about a thousand times. He spilled literally everything he consumed on his white shirt, and of course I made fun of each and every stain (that shirt is still stained). Although he had owned this very nice manual sports car for a while, he didn't do that great of a job driving it. I thought, "mann this boy seems nervous, but of course, that's just wishful thinking."

Turns out we both somewhat vividly remember the day we met and secretly admired one another throughout high school. At Stix, I vividly remember thinking, "mann, I wish I could be with Michael for good. He is so easy to talk to, and my face and stomach are killing because I am laughing so hard." He thought at best he was third in line as a prospect and didn't think he stood a chance. If he only knew.

- Brittany

And Now...

The day after our not-date at Stix, I remember telling just a few different people (parents, friends, co-workers) that one day I hope I could find someone who I could have as much fun and laugh as much as I did with Brittany. She definitely had plenty of other better options though. I didn't stand a chance.

After finishing up my summer Co-Op with the Corps of Engineers, I returned to Starkville ready to see what the fall semester held in store. During the second day of school I got a call. Brittany and I sat down in the Union for lunch with our Panda Express, and I felt exactly as I did during our time that summer. She talked to me about a current prospect of hers, but since she was still single, I decided to take full advantage and attempt to sweep her away.

Her birthday was the following Monday after this rendezvous, so I arranged a birthday dinner and made a funfetti cake. My roommates were quick to embarrass me by telling her how much time I'd spent cleaning the apartment before she showed up. She now admits that I was being quite obvious about my intentions. She triflin'.

From that point on, we have seen each other every day we have been in Starkville. A week or two after the date, we got our friends together, and all went to Tents for Tickets in the Junction. After helping Brittany get her tent back to her dorm room, I mustered up my nerve and went in for our first kiss. Denied. Apparently she was surprised by my attempt, and I had to shake that off and roll with it. No worries though, she planted one on me a couple of hours later.

Throughout the rest of the semester, we embarked on many fun adventures. One trip was with her and some friends to Athens to see our Bulldogs lose to Georgia and then visit the Six Flags over Georgia in Atlanta. Then, she surprised me with a birthday trip to Birmingham to go to the Cheesecake Factory and the Vulcan statue. We ate too much food to actually enjoy any cheesecake, but that's a different story.

During a discussion with my sister about Brittany's Christmas present, she mentioned my dad said that I should buy her a ring instead, which I mentioned to Brittany. This caused us to start talking about our future, and we decided to openly discuss the possibility of getting married. It may seem like all of this moved very quickly when looking in from the outside; however, we both agree that our relationship moved at the perfect pace for the two of us.

We randomly mentioned how we wished we could get married for a few weeks, until the next thing I know, we are checking out rings online! I could not believe it. The online ring searching experience let me know that Brittany was seriously considering giving me the opportunity to marry her. I would be a fool to delay.

The next week over Thanksgiving break, I bought a ring in Texas. I decided that I would ask her after New Years during our break from school. However, after waiting over a month with a ring burning a hole in my pocket from a safe all the way in Vicksburg, I decided I would take her on a trip before Christmas and propose.

The next week I asked her if she were still single to which she replied "technically, yes." I responded with, "Well then, technically, I can ask you out this weekend." She obliged. That Thursday, we went to Dave's Dark Horse Tavern where the waitress offered us the date special. Slightly awkward. After our pizza, we played darts, and I "let her beat me" in pool. Apparently she even wrote her intentions on the bathroom chalkboard wall. It could not have gone any better.

During our original talks of marriage, I paid careful attention to her ideal proposal situation. The ideal situation would involve a surprise of some kind, along with a memorable spot which could be revisited throughout the rest of her married life. We left for yet another adventure early on Saturday morning, December 17th. I told Brittany that we had plans, and she would need to pack for an overnight trip. The destination was kept secret until she could no longer stand it. After driving north for 2 hours on HWY 61, I told her where we were going and where we were staying were both cool. She then guessed we were heading to Memphis to check in to our reservations at The Peabody. At this point, I guess my obvious was showing again.

After eating barbecue nachos at the Rendezvous, we headed back to The Peabody. It was then that I decided I was going to ask. As we left the hotel to go out on Beale Street, we headed out the door towards the elevators. I asked Brittany Kolb to marry me on the 7th floor in the furthest elevator to the left in the Peabody Hotel, and the rest is history.

- Michael

She becomes a Mann...

On May 26, 2012, we hope you'll join us to celebrate our marriage!


Click for Directions

The wedding and the reception are going to be in the amphitheater and pavilion behind Bowmar Baptist Church in Vicksburg, MS. It is a beautiful green area surrounded by trees. We think you'll like it.

Once you see the sign, drive up the hill and then turn right to go in front of the church. Go to the far side of the church. You should park in that parking lot as far from the church as possible, and look for the signs directing you to the wedding!


Click to Enlarge

If it rains, well, we are still getting married. We'll just gather under the pavilion and then play in the rain. Note to self: don't wear expensive shoes.

Don't get lost! Use the maps.

Photos

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