Just Married: Chelsea Snow Kait & Harris Trammell Hudson

Bride’s parents:
Richard Kait and Valerie Fitzgerald

Groom’s parents:
Tramm and Sarah Hudson

The Details
First Dance: “So Why Don’t We Just Dance” by Josh Turner
Photography: Barbara Banks Photography
Floral design and cake: Morton’s Gourmet Market

How they met:
Harris is a 2011 Distinguished Military Graduate of the University of Virginia where he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the US Army. Chelsea, originally from Fairfax, Va., is also a graduate of the University of Virginia. The couple’s interest in music brought them together.

During Harris’ senior year, he decided he would like to play music (he plays guitar and sings) and searched on a social-networking site connecting local musicians. He met Chelsea, whose instrument is her voice, and they began rehearsing. Soon, they landed a bi-weekly gig at The Backyard on the Corner, a gathering area for students in Charlottesville. They were “just friends” for about a month.  

The proposal:
After attending the wedding ceremony of an ROTC classmate, in San Antonio, Harris proposed to Chelsea as they were leaving for their trip back to Sarasota for New Year’s Eve. He had spent a nervous weekend with the ring — an engagement ring his grandmother gave him when he was 3 years old — secure in his pocket, waiting for the perfect moment, but did not want to go through airport security and have it awkwardly discovered.

The wedding and reception:
On Sunday, May 5, perfect Florida weather shined on both the wedding and reception, which took place on the grounds of The Field Club. The Pine View string quartet performed the ceremony music and the bride walked down the aisle to music of Explosions in the Sky. Though Cinco de Mayo was not the couple’s chosen focus, they embraced it with margaritas (instead of champagne), a guacamole bar by Chef Tony and a Mexican buffet.

Honeymoon:
On Tuesday, May 7, the newlyweds boarded the Patriot Express for Germany where Harris is a first lieutenant assigned to the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade. Therefore, honeymoon postponed.

Fun facts:
On April 18, Harris graduated from Army flight school at Fort Rucker, Ala., earning his wings as a Blackhawk helicopter pilot. His groom’s cake was a helicopter.

Prior to the wedding day, the dinner the night before took place at Crab & Fin, the ideal setting for a continued “open mike” after-party at which the bride and groom and many of the wedding guests performed together.