While the Royal Wedding was the most talked about wedding of 2018, the most talked about wedding of 2019 already was the Holmes wedding over Christmas break. High school Latin teacher Abby Johnson and middle school history teacher Robert Holmes got married in Savannah on Dec. 22.
The two celebrated their wedding, but their love story was something that could not be skipped over.
“We met at UGA once, but we didn’t re-connect until I was a Faculty Fellow at Wesleyan in 2016. We go to the same church in Brookhaven, so we would play pick-up sports together and got to know each other that way,” said Mrs. Holmes.
“On our first date he showed up at my door (the fellow’s house door actually) with two bags of flour which was pretty clever. He gave me real flowers once we got to his car. We drove to a bowling alley, but we didn’t bowl. The guy at the front desk asked if I was Abby and handed me a note. The note had two descriptions for dinner options. Once we got to the restaurant, we sat by the fire outside, and he took off his shoes. He asked if his feet looked weird, and that freaked me out, but here we are, married.”
Mr. Holmes proposed in Savannah this past summer on July 4, and they went on a run on this beautiful street facing the water. “He claimed that his leg was cramping…I asked if he was dehydrated, and when I turned around, he was on one knee,” said Mrs. Holmes.
The proposal brought lots of excitement to Wesleyan faculty, middle school students and high school students. “I was so excited when I heard Mr. and Mrs. Holmes were engaged. I couldn’t wait to receive my invitation in the mail!” said senior George Doane. Although Doane did not receive an invitation, he was still thrilled the couple was engaged.
“I have always wanted a Christmas wedding, so it worked out great,” said Mrs. Holmes. The ceremony was held in Savannah, Georgia at Independent Presbyterian Church. The reception was held at The Charles Morris Center, right next to the Savannah River.
“I am absolutely enthralled that the Holmes are married! They are both some of my favorite staff at Wesleyan. Mrs. Johnson was the best Latin teacher and was super fun in class. Mr. Holmes is one of the most genuine and fantastic people to talk too. I am so glad they are married, and I know that they will have a beautiful marriage,” said senior Patterson Beaman.
The wedding commenced at three pm. “We wanted people to still have their evening if they were traveling, wanted to get ready for Christmas or had family coming into town,” said Holmes.
“When it came time to think about food for the wedding, I knew there had to be pizza,” said Mrs. Holmes. “My friend and her mom started a pizza food truck, and the pizza is just the best, and it made my wedding so much more special to have my friend and her mom there.”
Because it was a few days before Christmas, the church was decorated with wreaths, garlands and poinsettias. “And we sang some Christmas carols at the ceremony, said Mrs. Holmes. The reception was complete with a jazz band, who played lots of Frank Sinatra and Michael Bublé.
The reception was complete with games on all the tables- decks of cards, Jenga, tricky triangle and more. “We also had corn hole set up outside, but Mr. Holmes and I didn’t get a chance to play any games, but we did get the chance to be a part of some dancing lines and dance circles that formed which was really fun,” said Holmes.
Overall, the Holmes wedding was a success and it will go down in history to be one of the most romantic Wesleyan love stories.
