Clarksville couple ties the knot during total solar eclipse in Kentucky
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Monday’s solar eclipse marked a moment many will remember forever, but for one couple in Clarksville, the day marked the beginning of their forever.
Tess Blankenship, who will soon go by by Tess Whilite, married Ben Whilite in Paducah on Monday during the total solar eclipse.
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The pair got engaged about six months ago after knowing each other for five years, and Blankenship said her husband went right to work.
The Clarksville couple didn’t have to drive far to watch the day turn dark, but for Blankenship, she was only focused on one thing.
“I’ll be honest with you,” Blankenship said. “The actual eclipse was a kind of an afterthought, I was more distracted with the kiss on him. And then I looked up and realized the eclipse was going on.”
The newlyweds are both students at Austin-Peay State University. Blankenship is studying veterinary technology while Whilite is studying engineering and physics.
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The pair hopes to plan a honeymoon when schoos lets out, but for now they are just holding on to this special memory.
“There was a moment where I had to walk from the amphitheater to the center pavilion over the small lake,” said Blankenship. “And so Shelby just parted the Red Seas and she’s like, ‘everyone, please, a moment for the bride and groom so we can take pictures,’ and everyone just skedaddled on. That made me feel a little special.”
Blankenship is referring to Shelby Thompson, the photographer of the wedding, after she said her initial photographer cancelled the night before the wedding.
Thompson of Gray Skies Photography quickly stepped in.
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To make the day even more special, the couple went with a Renaissance themed wedding.
“We had a friend who got married at the Renaissance Festival,” said Blankenship. “And we just really liked the whole theming around that and we thought it would be a nice way to have like a kind of goofy, fun, irregular setting that kind of fit both of us nerds.”
The couple said they are already looking forward to celebrating this memory during the next total solar eclipse across the U.S. in 2044.
The special wedding ceremony ended with a seafood dinner at Strickland’s in Paducah.
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