MELISSA NESS and BRIAN KEPLEY September 30, 2000 THE CEREMONY LOCATION The Homeleigh TIME 5:00 pm ADDRESS 411 North Main Street Belmont, NC. ABOUT THE MENU A buffet dinner will be served. The menu consists of roast beef au jus, marinated grilled chicken breast, a garden salad, parslied potatoes, corn, and rolls. Of course there will also be a scrumptious wedding cake. MELISSA NESS and BRIAN KEPLEY September 30, 2000 About MELISSA I moved into the Charlotte area about 7 years ago. Originally, I moved here to finish college. Eventually, I graduated from UNCC and have been a 5th grade teacher ever since, finishing up my 3rd year now. I'm currently going back to school, part-time, to obtain my Masters in Reading, Language, & Literacy. With this, I hope to write a children's book or two, as I love to spend my free time both reading and writing. About BRIAN Brian was born and raised in the Salisbury area. He has been a graphic designer for over 10 years now. Currently, he is working for The Charlotte Design Group which is based in Concord. In his free time, he enjoys fishing, camping, and any other outdoor activities. HOW WE MET It was October 1994. I was living in Suite 120 at Locke Mill Plaza with my mom and the rest of my family. Brian just happened to live across the hall from me, in Suite 149. We had seen each other a few times, as my family had been living there for several months, but had never really spoken to each other other than to say "Hello." I was fairly busy at the time since I was working 2 jobs and going to school full-time also. Our paths rarely crossed. Well, one October afternoon, as I was heading out to school, Brian called down from his upstairs office window, "Hey, would you like to go to dinner sometime?" I was surprised that this young man was calling down to me from inside of his house, but I thought, dinner couldn't hurt anything. I told him I would be home from class around 8:30 and we could talk then. Our first date was 2 days later, at Villa Maria's, a little Italian place, where we went for pizza. And as they say, the rest is history...we've been going strong ever since. WHEN WE GOT ENGAGED March 31, 2000 HOW IT HAPPENED About a week before the engagement, I had received an e-mail informing me of a weekend getaway to a surprise destination. I was told what to pack and what time I needed to be ready to leave. I was also told that I could only respond to the invitation through e-mail. On Friday afternoon then, March 31, 4:00, we departed. I still had no idea where we were going, but had suspected the beach because one of the items I needed to bring with me was my bathing suit. As we began our journey, I realized right away that I had never been to the beach that way and therefore, the chances of us going there were slim. We hopped on I-40 West and I immediately suspected Black Mountain, since that is a special place for us. Well, we passed Black Mountain, passed Asheville...the next sign that I saw was for Cherokee, and although we had talked about Cherokee, that didn't seem like a real romantic place, not really a place worthy of being kept a secret anyways. At this time I decided to ask Brian if I could get any hints about where we were going. He had said we had dinner reservations at 8:00 and it was getting a little late. I thought that possibly we were lost. Brian then said he was looking for a particular Asheville exit, which we happened to have passed about 30 miles back. We got turned around but had to stop and call so that we could change our reservations. Eventually we got to Asheville, to our destination...The Grove Park Inn & Resort. It was an absolutely beautiful place...We still didn't have a lot of time at this point though to look around, so we quickly changed into our eveningwear and headed out for dinner. We had reservations at Horizons which was located inside of the Grove Park. When we arrived at Horizons, we were taken to a quaint, intimate table with the piano being played in the background. We had one of those 5 or 6 course meals that takes about 2 hours to eat. At this point, I knew something was going on. The surprise destination, the fancy restaurant...Brian didn't really seem like himself and I was so nervous that I felt sick to my stomach. I'm not sure if either one of us was able to truly enjoy our meal. I excused myself to the ladies room to try and pull myself together. Upon my return, we finished up our meal when Brian then asked if there was anything else left, "Anything else to cleanse our palates?" I responded "I think that's it..." The waiter then came around the corner and said, "There's one more thing..." He set down a plate and pulled off a silver lid...underneath the lid, resting in the middle of a bunch of rose petals, was my ring. Brian got down on one knee, expressed his love for me, and then, asked me to marry him. I couldn't believe it...I was in complete shock, completely overwhelmed. As tears streamed down my face, I answered him with a "Yes, I will marry you..." It was a perfect evening...one that will be remembered always.

REGISTRIES Sears Bed, Bath, and Beyond Sign our Guest Book! MELISSA's Attendants Halah Kablan -- Melissa's one and only sister. Halah currently lives in Charlotte and attends UNCC. She is majoring in MIS, Management Information Systems. JoEllen Kuehnel -- A very dear friend to both of us. JoEllen is originally from the Atlanta area, but has been in Concord for the last 3 years. She has 3 girls who attend Coltrane-Webb Elementary. Brandi Graham -- A close friend of Melissa's that she has kept in touch with since they attended high school together in Georgia, almost 10 years ago. Brandi currently lives in Acworth, Georgia and works for a medical company. Cecelia Kuehnel -- One of JoEllen and Yochen Kuehnels' daughters. She is a very talented young lady who wishes to learn how to play the guitar. Amalie Kuehnel -- Another one of JoEllen's and Yochen's daughters who is actually Cecelia's twin sister. Amalie is a true tomboy at heart, and a sweet young lady. Sophie Kuehnel -- The oldest daughter of JoEllen & Yochen. She is a bright 3rd grader who is extremely well traveled for her age. Sophie also speaks German fluently.

BRIAN's Attendants Randie Kepley -- Brian's one and only brother. He is very talented with his hands, as forging knives from scratch is one of his favorite past-times. Russell Mills -- A true blue friend of Brian's and an amazing artist. He is sure to be the life of the party. Kenny Anderson -- Kenny has been a good friend to Brian for over ten years. He spends his days tending to his patients at the Veteran's Hospital in Salisbury, NC. Jay Kablan -- One of Melissa's many brothers who is currently a sophomore at UNCC. He is studying engineering at the present moment. When not in classes, he enjoys working out at the gym and playing football. Robert Ness -- Melissa's oldest brother who lives in Colorado. Rob enjoys computers and good conversation. He also is a veteran of the Gulf War. Jordan Ness -- Melissa's youngest brother who lives in Chicago. There, he is a very active third grader who enjoys playing roller hockey, of which he is now in his second year playing.

Autumn as Wags, the dog; Ashlynn as Dorothy, the dinosaur; and "The
Wiggles - Anthony and Murray" (Brian was actually mistaken by several
little ones for the "real" Anthony) - is that funny or what? 2005

XMAS 2005