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Rewind to April 6th of this year. Jillian and I are at Circle B Event Venue in Tunnel Hill, GA for Stephanie + Lane's wedding. This was our first time coordinating a wedding at Circle B and we quickly fell in love with owner Andrea and her entire family & staff and their beautiful venue, but more on that in a later post!
First, let us thank Rebekah and Caleb Rogers from Earth Psalm Photography for the beautiful photos you're about to see. We really encourage you to check out their website.
One of our favorite parts of set up that day was when the adorable Miss Daisy, the Sunkissed Photo Bus, pulled onto the drive. Out came the talented, friendly, and frankly, adorable Shane and Kaley Tretheway.
Miss Daisy, the SunKissed Photo Bus is a yellow 1971 VW bus that comes equipped with a camera on the inside. Offering a quirky, fun, and vintage way to offer a photo booth at any wedding - lavish or intimate.
Kaley was sweet enough to share a little about her and Shane's story and their adventure with Miss Daisy with us. We think you will find all three as interesting as we do. Enjoy!
Tell us about yourselves! Who are Shane and Kaley Tretheway and how did two become one?
I am from San Antonio, TX where I grew up with Texas pride, amazing Tex-Mex, and listening to country music. I enjoy playing cards and drinking a good amber lager. Traveling is my greatest passion and I do my best to seek a more holistic lifestyle.
Shane is from Maryville, TN and grew up playing baseball and the french horn. He is a creative and always sees the best in others. His biggest passion is drones. He loves flying and that he can incorporate a hobby into a career. (More on how he does this later...)
We started dating January 14th, 2013 while at Lee University. It was my second semester as a freshman and Shane was a junior. We were just friends during my first semester. We clearly had feelings for one another, but Shane didn’t like the stigma of a junior dating a freshman. So, he waited to ask me out til my second semester when I was technically a sophomore by credit hours.
A year and a half later, we went on a Lee trip to Italy where Shane proposed. He took me on romantic walk along the grand canal in Venice where we watched the sunset. Afterwards we walked to a beautiful garden and he got down on one knee and asked “mi vuoi sposare” which is will you marry me in Italian.
Once we returned to the states, we started to plan the wedding and decided on October 18th, 2015, since it was the Fall after my graduation and it would be a lot cooler weather for an outdoor ceremony in Texas.
Three and a half years later, we are one in marriage but also with our business. We are wonderful business partners as we balance each other out. I am very analytical while Shane is the creative. I handle more of the administrative work and social media while Shane focuses on photography and videography. We come as a package deal and many of our colleagues refer to us as 'The Tretheway’s.'
We have to ask… it seems like everyone falls in love at Lee University. Is love in the air there?
I wouldn’t say love is in the air at Lee. It’s more that "Ring by Spring" and marriage is simply talked about so much on campus. During my tour of Lee, the guide mentioned that if you walk under the bell tower with someone as it rings, it means you will marry them. Marriage is talked about so much on campus that it is on everyone’s mind (at least the women’s) and, in response, people look for a potential spouse.
You traveled a lot right after getting married. What inspired that?
I have always loved traveling but didn’t get the chance to travel abroad until college. Once we were engaged we considered eloping in Italy where Shane proposed, but then decided to have our wedding in Texas. While I was researching how to get married in Italy, I also researched how to live there. It turns out being sponsored by an Italian company is the best way to get a visa and that’s a little difficult when you don’t speak Italian. Then I broadened my search and found that Australia has a Working/Holiday Visa for U.S. citizens to work and travel there for a year. We thought it would be pretty cool to live in a different country together as a newly wed couple so we applied for the visa. We then found a program that helped us find jobs before we moved. Two days after our wedding, we went to New Zealand and Fiji for our honeymoon and then made our way to Melbourne, Australia where we lived for the next year.
What did you learn about your relationship and/or yourselves during that time?
It was our first time living together and it just happened to be in another country. We learned each other’s quirks, pet peeves, and how we communicate. It was definitely a learning curve since we only had each other and the rest of our family and friends were on the other side of the world. The biggest thing we learned is that we need quality time with one another. For a while, we worked opposite shifts and it was not great for our relationship. I worked nights and weekends while Shane worked 9 to 5. Now, we work together as a team and it is much better for our marriage since we get to spend so much time together.
Why a VW Bus?
While we were in Australia, we rented a VW bus named Applejack and took it down the Great Ocean Road one weekend. It was so much fun camping, seeing iconic surfing beaches, and the 12 Apostles. This is what sparked our love for VW buses. Once we returned to the states, we wanted to buy a VW bus but they are expensive to buy and maintain. We noticed that photo buses were becoming a trend in some of the larger cities and we thought it would be the perfect way to have our dream vehicle as a business expense. Chattanooga didn’t have a photo bus, so we jumped on the opportunity and after six months of restoring Miss Daisy, we debuted SunKissed Photo Bus at the Pink Bride Show on August 12th, 2018.
Where did Miss Daisy come from? Was she always this beautiful?
We found Miss Daisy on Craigslist of all places. We wanted to find a bus already restored, but that was unrealistic. Miss Daisy was rusty, with a gray primer in need of body and metal work. But that was just the beginning of what needed to be fixed. After 6 months of restoration, she had new window seals, seats reupholstered, new axles, chrome trim, headliner, flooring, and her beautiful duo white and yellow paint.
What inspired her beautiful yellow and the name Miss Daisy?
The VW bus we rented in Australia was yellow and we wanted Miss Daisy to be painted a bright yellow in memory of all the fun and vibrant times we had on the Great Ocean Road. We decided to name her Miss Daisy because she is lady and pretty as a flower. She is also yellow and white just like a daisy.
What is the most fun you’ve had with Miss Daisy to date?
While we love driving her and taking her to new places, we mainly use her for business purposes. One day, we would love to take her on a road trip. Maybe to Colorado or even California but that won't be for awhile. I’d say the most fun we’ve had was Bug-a- Palüza this past spring because we got to showcase her to other VW fanatics. It was such a fun event and we loved seeing so many VW buses and bugs all in one place.
Do you offer any other services?
We also own Tretheway Media and provide photo, video, and aerial services. Right now we are focused on weddings, real estate, and small business marketing.
Anything else you want us to know?
We love traveling with our work and will go just about anywhere! We have been to Colombia to film a promotional video for a startup coffee company and it was the most amazing experience. We met so many locals and got to see how a Colombian coffee farmer lives. We even returned to Medellín, Colombia this past May to film a wedding for our friend that we met the first time we were there back in November 2017. We have made several relationships down there and hope to return soon.
Do you have a dog? (Unrelated, we know. We just love dogs.)
Yes we do! Her name is Daisy and she’s an 8 year old Australian Kelpie. My family adopted her as a puppy when I was 16 and I have always been her person. She has lived with my family in Texas throughout college and my time in Australia. Daisy now lives with us in Chattanooga and we are so happy she is here.
As always, thanks for spending some time with Mia + May Events. Jillian and I love sharing our friends with you. Whether it's our brides and grooms or the talented vendors we get to work with on stunning Chattanooga weddings. Until next time...
Danielle + Jillian