Julie Mari Kirkman

THE BRIDE

I met Richard, or as I knew him back then, Tuba Man, my sophomore year of high school in our performance theater class. He made a great Mr. Macafee in our production of Bye Bye Birdie and outside of his role, he was a goofball and a good friend. He claims to have asked me out and that I rejected him, sending him to my older brother to hang out with, but I have no recollection of it and for a girl who didn't think any guys would give her the time of day as a teenager, you'd think I would have remembered getting that kind of attention, especially from a senior.

Despite the alleged let down, we remained friends over the years, working at Sea World at the same time, me running into him at various other jobs he held after that, staying in touch through Facebook, and occasionally going together to or meeting up at Disneyland.

When he contacted me after moving back to my area in the midst of the first year of the pandemic, I was going through a rough time in my life, and his friendship not only lifted me up when I was down, but quickly turned into love.

He says that I think I'm Cinderella but I only believe it because he treats me like a princess, and being a prince himself, asked me to be his princess when he proposed. It didn't take his "pumpkin carriage" Jeep to say yes and keep me around... I'd settle for any car that has AC after being taken to Las Vegas in his old truck without it.

But really, I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with my teddy bear, my best friend, my Prince Charming.

Richard Robert Phillips

THE GROOM

I met Julie during my senior year in high school drama. I thought she was cute and one day I tried to ask her out. She turned me down and said that I should hang out with her brother instead, since we were the same age. She denies that it ever happened.

We kept in touch over the decades and when I moved back in town, we started hanging out more. Things progressed from there, and now I drive her all around in my orange "Pumpkin Coach." She thinks she's Cinderella, so our relationship wouldn't have panned out if I didn't have one.