Sandals Wedding Blog

Meet The Brides Live Wedding Couple

Hey, Katie and Sean, we can’t wait to host your beautiful destination wedding, with BRIDES, at Sandals Whitehouse!

After being chosen as one of three finalist couples, Katie Kelly and Sean Swetnam went through an intense round of public voting before they were finally selected as the 2015 BRIDES Live Wedding couple! This fun-loving and adventurous pair will now embark on a once-in-a-lifetime experience, as they journey to a magical destination wedding at Sandals Whitehouse, all of which will be documented in a Web series on Brides.com. And thanks to BRIDES, readers will have the chance to vote on every element of their wedding, from the dress to the cake and even which Sandals Resort the couple will visit for their honeymoon!

We think it’s only right that as you, the reader, prepares to vote for all their WeddingMoon elements  you should get to know Katie and Sean. Here’s their story according to brides.com:

About Us

Hi, I’m Katie 🙂 I am a volleyball coach and a soon to be Spanish teacher. I am drawn to anything that gets me moving; paddle boarding, yoga, and volleyball. I’m a California girl, but volleyball took me across the US to Maryland for college, which is where I met Sean. He was a pitcher on the baseball team, and well… the rest is history. BUT, it definitely was not love at first sight! I remember rolling my eyes to my friends whenever he tried to catch my eye. I was not very impressed when we first met, but thankfully he was persistent 🙂

I’m Sean, a baseball coach and personal trainer! I love staying active, and I love working with kids. When I first saw that California girl, I knew she was the one. I have always felt pressure to find a different type of career, one that requires a tie, but Katie has pushed me to stick with what makes me happy and make a living doing that. She brings the best out in me, she pushes me to reach my full potential, and I couldn’t ask for a better woman.

When We Fell In Love

We had only been dating for about four months when Sean flew from Maryland to California to meet my family for the first time. I knew I was crazy about him, and after seeing him interact with my family, I realized there was no turning back. I was in the house with my mom talking, when I looked out the window and saw Sean in the pool with my nephew, James, holding him up in the air and spinning him around. James was laughing so loud, and Sean was smiling so big. I knew right then that I would spend the rest of my life with that man. – Katie

I fell in love with Katie the first time I saw her. She doesn’t believe me, but I swear it’s true. Her smile lit up the room. I was determined to make her mine. She was reluctant, but I made it happen. I tore down her walls, I got to know her soft side and her goofy side. She blew me away. On our second date, she grabbed my hand and put it around her shoulder. I knew right then I would never let her go. – Sean

Our Proposal

Ah… the proposal. Sean had just met me in Spain for the last two weeks of my semester abroad, and was coming back to California with me to spend Christmas with my family for the very first time, after having dated for almost 5 years. Christmas morning comes. We’re all gathered around the tree, and Sean starts acting weird! He got up and stood on the other side of the 13 foot Christmas tree, pretty much out of sight. My mom, sister, and I just thought maybe he was a bit overwhelmed. He’s reaching in the tree, sticking his head between the branches. My dad says, “Sean, stop messing with the tree, it’s going to fall!” Sean pulls away and gets red. He walks towards me, gets down on one knee, and says “Kathryn, I want to ask you to marry me, but I hid the ring in the tree and can’t find it.” Everyone laughs, my mom and sister cry, my dad and Sean find flash-lights and search for the ring. He finds the ring, gets down on his knee again, and says “Well?” I cry and laugh and say, “Of course!”

Read more about Katie and Sean.

Voting is now open on Brides.com, starting with wedding decor, so be sure to vote and follow along as the excitement continues while we count down to their WeddingMoon!