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When Tiffany Hollis was planning to move to Columbia with her family from Lake Worth, Fla., she turned to the Internet to find information about her new community. What she didn’t know was that her search would lead to her future husband. One of those who responded to her questions about Columbia was Kenneth Hibshman, a graduate of Irmo High School, who was serving with the elite 82nd Airborne at Fort Bragg, N.C. From an online friendship that blossomed into love and survived a long-distance relationship with Kenneth’s service in Iraq, the couple will celebrate their love during a July 4 wedding at The Mitchell House and Gardens in Lexington. The couple won the “Great Holiday Dream Wedding” in a contest that the wedding business offered for military couples. “We love people being in love, and we have many weddings for military couples throughout the year,” said Phyllis James, owner of The Mitchell House and Gardens. “Each of these weddings is special to our staff, so we decided to have a contest to honor the men and women who serve our country and sacrifice so much for our freedom.” The Mitchell House gave a free wedding in December 2008 to a couple in response to the economic downturn. “It was so successful that we decided to have another contest and give a dream wedding to a military couple,” said Patsy Kiser, Mitchell House vice president. “All of us are looking forward to helping Tiffany and Kenneth have their dream wedding.” The “Great Holiday Dream Wedding” wedding package for 75 guests will include a catered reception, wedding flowers, candles, a wedding cake, planning sessions with a wedding consultant, the services of a wedding director and other special features. The couple had hoped to meet when Tiffany moved with her parents, Howard and Maureen Hollis, to Columbia. But Kenneth, who had joined the Army in 2004, was called to duty in Iraq. They continued their correspondence “as pen pals, but over the Internet,” said Kenneth, who joined the Army because of a family history of military service and his personal desire to serve his country. He was in Iraq from August 2006 until October 2007. It wasn’t until he received a four-day pass to come to Columbia that the couple had their first date – a movie and dinner – on Nov.1, 2007. “It was amazing to finally meet. I asked if I could hug him,” said Tiffany, 25, a business administration major at Columbia College. “From that point on, we just knew that this was what we wanted.” For Kenneth, seeing Tiffany “was everything and more than I expected … Her smile, her personality, she’s just beautiful.” On Dec. 4, 2008, Kenneth proposed to Tiffany and presented her with a custom-designed ring, which has diamonds from both sides of their families and their birthstones. The ring band has "with my other half" engraved on the inside. "The ring describes both of us and our love for each other perfectly," Tiffany said. Even though technology assisted the speed of their correspondence, their email relationship wasn’t unlike war romances from previous decades when men and women wrote letters and didn’t know when they’d see one another again. “We got to know each other. It was better than dating in many ways,” Tiffany said. “We built our trust over time, grew our friendship, and wanted to see where it would go. Too often, people rush into things. I would never wish someone going to Iraq, but the distance gave us the opportunity to ask questions and get to know one another.” Kenneth, the 25-year-old son of Eugene and Sonja Hibshman, is studying industrial electricity at Midlands Tech and continues to serve his country in the National Guard. The couple is buying a home and looking forward to their future. Visit www.themitchellhouseandgardens.com to learn more about the wedding business and the next “Great Holiday Dream Wedding” contest, which will be held for emergency/first responders.
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