Top Stories

POSTED: Sunday, Jun. 28, 2009

Couple blessed by family, community on wedding day

For centuries, couples have shared their love with their families and friends on their wedding day.

But for Kyle Holland and Kaitlin McKissick, their wedding day was the ultimate show of their community's love for them. The couple got engaged on Easter and rushed their wedding plans to ensure that Kaitlin's mom, Beverly, who has advanced bone cancer, could walk down the aisle. The family's medical expenses didn't allow for a fancy wedding, but with the help of numerous local businesses and family and friends, that's exactly what they got on Sunday, June 28, at Evergreen Gardens in Ferndale.

"It's wonderful," said Kaitlin, who is an education student at Western Washington University. "I really feel supported and loved today."

Her new husband, a P.E. teacher at Kendall Elementary, agreed.

"It's been amazing," Kyle Holland said. "It's almost hard to know what to say when there are so many people helping out."

Kaitlin's wedding dress and the men's tuxes were donated by Pam Needham, owner of Alicia's Bridal Shoppe and The Formal House. Donna Korthuis, owner of event-planning business A Special Occasion, oversaw the wedding plans and made floral arrangements. After hearing about the wedding, local caterer Chef Alex donated his services, providing food and organizing other dishes that had been donated.

"I truly believe you've got to give," he said. "You give and it all works out."

And it did. The sun shined on the outdoor ceremony, friends laughed, the bride looked beautiful and the groom handsome. There was too much good going on for the wedding to be anything but charmed.

"It's so awesome. It's a community event," said McKissick family friend Sue Ann Heutink. "That's what I love about small communities, they just come together. It gives me goosebumps just thinking about it."

The Rev. Craig Hardinger of Nooksack Valley Baptist Church and Christ Fellowship officiated the wedding, giving the couple some shared advice as they start their life together: put the toilet seat down, keep laugh and pray together.

After saying their "I do's" and sharing a big kiss, the bride and groom walked back down the aisle with huge smiles on their faces. Beverly and Robert McKissick followed in their giddy wake, smiles impossibly wide after what could only be described as a perfect day.

"It's a happy day," Beverly said. "I think we've just completely forgotten about everything else, which is exactly what I wanted."

Surrounded by family and friends, the newly wed Kaitlin Holland couldn't help but think about the new life ahead of her.

"I feel great," she said. "It ranks up there as the best moment. Now I'm excited about what's to come."