Southern Weddings

It’s obvious to anyone that knows them that Kristin adores her husband Kyle, so of course, we adore him by extension, too. That being said, like Brandon, most of the Southern Weddings gals haven’t had too many chances to get to know Kyle in person, seeing as the Winchesters live in Virginia. Despite that, he had me cackling and quoting lines to Lisa as I read through his interview, which is exactly what I was hoping for with this series. I hope y’all enjoy meeting Kyle just as much as I did!

Name: Kyle Preston Winchester (Have to roll out the full name in the South, right?)
What do you do for a job? Collegiate Sports Marketing Sponsorship Executive
Your Southern Weddings gal: The beautiful Kristin Neal Winchester
How and when you became a Southern Weddings gent: I noticed KNW on the first day of class during our senior year at UNC when she dropped her pen and proceeded to talk to it. Things blossomed over the next few months as we realized how many friends we had in common. We started dating in October and quickly got married 7.5 years later.

Hot Dog! Photo Booth

What is your favorite SW memory? The V6 Launch party is the only event I’ve had the pleasure of attending and it was a blast. The food was delicious and the people were so much fun. However, my favorite “memory” is more pluralized–since KNW works remotely, I have the pleasure of listening in on an occasional Southern Weddings staff video conference. To hear the energy and passion they all bring to their careers is inspiring. Plus, since it’s a video chat, I get to wave at everyone.
What is the craziest thing you’ve done in the name of SW? Editing ads, finding cows to milk, and yes, the bow ties. But, I have a feeling that the craziest thing is yet to come. These gals are dreamers and visionaries, so there’s little doubt that they’ll collectively envision something crazy and Southern and fun for me (or us) to do.
What contributions have you made to SW that people may not realize? Kristin is a sound-boarder, so there are a lot of marketing and sales ideas bounced around during our lunchtime/dinnertime/free time/all the time conversations. When there are sports involved, I am typically consulted in some fashion, given my career and passion for so many of them.

Photo by Laura’s Focus from Kristin’s Southern Newlywed feature

What is something you shouldn’t know about weddings, but do, thanks to SW? Having been a part of Kristin’s life for so long, I’m bound to have learned a great deal about weddings (I mean, she’s had a wedding notebook since she was 10 years old, come on now, people). From trumpet gowns to princess-cut diamonds, from first look photos to latticework, it’s all covered. Of course, she’s learned all about the 4-4-2 Diamond formation and never misses the NBA Draft, so it all evens out.
Have you ever been recognized by a stranger because of SW? Not yet–perhaps that’s an advantage of living in a small college town.
What percentage of your social media followers come from SW? The venn diagram intersection of “wedding blog and magazine devotees” and “basketball/soccer/hip hop music” social media followers is very, very small. Therefore, I don’t think many of my followers can be attributed to SW. However, if any readers want to be the first, @kylepwinchester would be honored.

Photo by Martha Manning on their wedding day

What is the best thing about being an SW gent? Getting to peel just a bit off of the inspiration tree from these ladies. There’s so much intentionality behind the organization’s mission and mantra that you can’t help but be encouraged by their ideas, vision, and vigor.
What is your least favorite thing about being an SW gent? This question is non-applicable.
If given the chance, would you become a Southern Weddings employee? Of course. Once SW expands into covering Southern sports and hip hop, I’m their guy.
Favorite Southern food? See entire Best Southern Foods bracket.
Anything else you want to add? Hi Mom!!

Missed a gent? Catch up with Ari, John, Brandon, and Taylor!

Written with love by Emily