Bride

EMILY + WILL

STORY BY LIESEL SCHMIDT PHOTOGRAHY BY ONE FINE DAY

While their high school romance might not have lasted through the first year of college, Emily Tarlton and Will Killion found that love lasts when they reunited in 2019 and spent the first year of their newly rekindled relationship in quarantine. Then, one hot Saturday in May of 2021, Will asked the question that changed their future forever. “I could tell something was up when I came over to my parents’ house to lay out by the pool,” Emily recalls. “Both my mom and dad were frantically cleaning. I didn’t think too much of it and went outside to lay out. My sister and best friend had planned for Will to come over to the house to get me for drinks before the proposal and then a small engagement party at my parents’ house in Fairhope. When Will arrived at the house, my hair was in a topknot, and I was sweaty from the pool. He asked me if I could be ready in 30 minutes. My reply was, ‘Ummm, have you met me?’ I frantically got dressed and tried to make my hair decent. We arrived at Sunset Point, and Will ordered a top shelf margarita— which was the first sign that something big was happening. When we left, Will asked if I wanted to look at the new retreat center at Sacred Heart Chapel. We got to the chapel, and Will dragged me down to the bay, where he got on one knee and popped the question.”

Naturally, Emily said yes—and then, just over a year later on June 11, 2022, she said yes again at the altar of Sacred Heart Catholic Chapel in Fairhope. Wearing a strapless mermaid silhouette gown with a sweetheart neckline and rouching along the bodice. With their 16 attendants standing by, Emily and Will exchanged their vows, surrounded by their friends and family. “My family lives out of town, and this was the first wedding out of all the cousins that every single person was able to be there,” Emily, who works as an Exercise Physiologist in Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehab for Mobile Infirmary, while Will is an attorney at Holtsford Gilliland in Daphne. “But what made our wedding even more unique were the people standing on the alter with us. Will and I both had bridesmaids and groomsmen from every stage of life, from elementary, high school…all the way to adulthood. It made our day that more special because of the memories shared with all of them.”

Making the day even more memorable, the priest forgot the ring exchange at the wedding. Even so, the couple were pronounced married. After reconvening at The Venue in Fairhope, the newlyweds joined their guests for a buffetstyle reception and an unforgettable party. “It was so hot outside that I’m pretty sure everyone had at least a few ‘adult beverages’ to drink, but no one felt anything because we were too busy sweating,” Emily recalls with a laugh.

Having enjoyed their fill of food and dancing—first dance, father-daughter, and even a dance with her grandfather— Emily and Will cut into a four-tier almond cake adorned with a cascade of flowers that matched the flowers in the bouquet—and the cake exchange wasn’t exactly prim and proper. “I shoved the cake in Will’s face during the cake cutting, and the kids loved that,” Emily says.

More laughter came with the bouquet toss. “Will wouldn’t let go of my waist as I was trying to throw the bouquet, because I was determined to stand on the stage, and he was worried I was going to fall backwards,” says Emily. “All the while, I’m pushing him away, saying, ‘This is my moment!’ The crowd was rolling.” Of course, Emily had designs on who would catch the bouquet: “My sister caught the bouquet, but I may have thrown it straight at her,” she admits. “I was probably more excited than she or her boyfriend were!” After a late-night snack of truffle fries from Tamara’s Downtown, the party came to a close, and the newlyweds were sent off to start their honeymoon in Costa Rica. “We ziplined, rode horses, hiked in the rainforest, kayaked, paddle boarded, relaxed by the pool and met so many amazing people.”

Now back home in Daphne, Will and Emily are beginning their life together and looking forward to a future filled with new memories.

CEREMONY: Sacred Heart Chapel – Fairhope, AL RECEPTION: The Venue – Fairhope, AL DRESS: Bliss - Fairhope, AL MAKEUP: Lakin Landon Andrews HAIR: Annelore Box

PHOTOGRAPHER: One Fine Day Photography – Mobile, AL FLORIST: Belle Bouquet Florist & Gifts – Saraland, AL CAKE: Andree’s – Fairhope, AL CATERING: Tamara’s Downtown – Fairhope, AL RENTALS: SOHO Event Rentals – Fairhope, AL BAND: Ty Reynolds’s Band