Watermark’s Wedding Bells: Dolly Ferraiuolo and Katie Shrum

In the fall of 2011, Katie Shrum was working full-time and taking night classes at St. Petersburg College. One was an introduction to sociology class at the Clearwater campus. She liked the professor so much that she followed her to the Tarpon Springs campus the following semester for the follow-up class.

“It was really far, but I was like, why not? Turns out, it was fate,” she says.

That class was where she met her future wife, Dolly Ferraiuolo. After sociology, they found themselves in the same biology course and became fast friends.

“There was a really good group of people in that class,” Ferraiuolo says. “All of us really bonded.”

When they first met, there was only friendship between the two. Not only were they both dating other people, but they “were in very different places,” Shrum says. “I’m a total hippie and I was not on a path yet. I was floating through life, and she’s very type A.”

Ferraiuolo adds, “I seriously plan everything. I’m hyper focused. I wrote her off as someone I’d date, but she was a great friend; cool to hang out with.”

Their friend group grew apart as they became busy with school and work, though they kept in touch via social media. Shrum “found her path” along the way, she says, studying sociology, and women’s and gender studies at the University of South Florida.

Ferraiuolo also studied at USF, but they didn’t cross paths much – until Shrum reached out after seeing her post on Facebook that she was graduating. They decided to reunite their friends – professor included – from the biology class where they met.

The group met for brunch, and afterwards the newly-single Ferraiuolo and Shrum stayed behind to talk. “We connected that day,” Shrum recalls.

“We had more in common than I thought,” Ferraiuolo adds. “She was in a different place. She’d grown up a bit. One of my biggest hang-ups in life was that I felt I couldn’t find anyone that matched my drive. It was nice to be able to connect in that regard, to have hopes and dreams and talents in many areas, and wanting to explore all of those things.”

The two started dating. “It was the gayest thing ever,” Shrum says. “She invited me over one night and I never left.”

It wasn’t long before the Safety Harbor couple got engaged. Though Shrum had “a solid plan,” Ferraiuolo proposed first.

“It was really beautiful,” Shrum says. “I came home from school one night and I got hit by a wall of fire, literally. It was so hot in our house. I was seriously concerned that something was on fire and I was right; the whole living room on fire. She lit, like, 100 candles. First, I was like ‘yes,’ and then I was like, ‘we’ve got to blow these candles out.’”

The wedding process was easy for the couple, she adds. “Once we decided we would have it in St. Augustine, everything fell into place.”

Ferraiuolo describes their intimate wedding as “elegant goth.” She adds, “It was perfect. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Wedding Date: Oct. 5, 2019

Wedding Venue: The Lightner Museum, St. Augustine

First Dance: “I Will Follow You Into the Dark” by Death Cab for Cutie

Officiant: Katie’s best friend, Gigi Brudno

Caterer: A1A, St. Augustine

Bakery: Creme de la Cocoa

Photographer: Sarah Resta Photography

DJ: Feedback Entertainment

Day of Wedding Coordinator: The Wedding Authority

Dolly’s Dress: Tadashi Shoji

Katie’s Suit: Sharpe Suiting

Planning a wedding? Check out our 2019 LGBTQ Wedding Guide to use as a great resource to find several LGBTQ wedding resources for your special day!

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