K karli pinkerton and haley minsker have been “forever friends” since childhood. It was nothing out of the ordinary for Haley to ask Karli to hit the beach with the Minsker family for their annual vacation in 2013. The outcome of that trip, however, was extraordinary. When the girls arrived at Holden Beach in South Carolina, Karli was introduced to Hayley’s first cousin Tommy. The pair locked eyes but didn’t say a word to each other beyond initial pleasantries. A pattern repeated each day of vacation: not a word spoken out loud, but conversation that blossomed via text for hours each night. As the beach trip came to an end, a beautiful relationship was just getting started. full circle
before Tommy—a military police officer for the U.S. Air Force—learned the very next day that he would be deployed to the Middle East in just a few months’ time. They began planning a summer wedding for the following year with thousands of miles between them. The big day was originally scheduled for June 19, until an uninvited guest—COVID-19—and an extension of Tommy’s deployment in Qatar forced the couple to postpone the wedding for two more months. Tommy made it back stateside with just two weeks to go until the pair’s rescheduled wedding date. They again returned to South Carolina—this time Myrtle Beach—to say their “I do’s” during a picture-perfect beach ceremony. all the details An antique Rolls-Royce carried the groom to the site of the beach ceremony at the North Beach Resort and Villas, and the bride arrived by white limousine. The pair infused a fun, throwback vibe into guest transportation by way of “Lucy,” a pink vintage Volkswagen bus decorated for the affair, right down to a pink and white floral wreath adorning its front grill. Karli wore a custom-made white lace gown with beading and a matching veil. Her wedding day look
Karli and Tommy went back to where it all began for the proposal—Holden Beach and the same annual family vacation that brought them together seven years prior. Tommy asked Karli’s dad for permission to marry her before they left. During a family picture session on the beach, Tommy dropped to one knee and asked Karli to be his wife. The pair were surrounded by Tommy’s family, and Karli’s family watched the proposal play out via FaceTime. She said “Yes.” The couple barely had time to soak it all in
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