“We weren’t sure what to expect given the circumstances. Blindly trusting a man with a hairless cat on the side of the road isn’t your ideal scenario,” bride Kara Lewis Webb tells PEOPLE

NEED TO KNOW

• Kara Lewis Webb and West Webb met the owner of Ramble Creek, a Tennessee wedding venue, by chance at a gas station
• The California couple chose to wed at the venue after an impromptu tour
• “What started as a random gas station stop, a hairless cat, and a conversation with a stranger turned into one of the biggest blessings of our lives!” the bride tells PEOPLE

An unexpected gas station encounter led a couple to their dream wedding venue.

Most people keep to themselves at gas stations, but when Kara Lewis Webb, 25, and West Webb, 33, made a pit stop for gas on their way to Nashville they noticed a man with a hairless cat on his shoulders. Having never seen a Sphynx cat in person before, they had to approach him.

“We thought it was so random, and naturally, we were intrigued,” Kara tells PEOPLE. “Being the content creators that we are, we figured there had to be a story there.”

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Kara and West introduced themselves as newly engaged social media storyteller influencers, and received the man’s consent to film their interaction. He introduced himself as Buck and his cat as Romeo, and revealed that he just so happened to own a nearby wedding venue, Ramble Creek in Athens, Tennessee.

The couple had only been looking at wedding venues in California, where they reside, so “Tennessee wasn’t really on [their] radar.” However, they “immediately connected” with Buck and were so moved by his passionate description of his all-inclusive venue that when he invited them to check it out right then and there, they followed him blindly.

“Buck was incredibly interesting and charming,” Kara says. “Buck began sharing his background in construction and contracting, along with how proud he was of the venue he had built. You could tell how much it meant to him just by the way he spoke about it. After hearing his story, it didn’t take much convincing for us to want to check it out.” 

Buck promised it would be “worth the detour,” and it certainly was.

“Ramble Creek is truly like no other,” Kara raves to PEOPLE. “From the moment we drove through those entrance gates, we were speechless.”

She continues, “Transparently, we weren’t sure what to expect given the circumstances. Blindly trusting a man with a hairless cat on the side of the road isn’t your ideal scenario. Looking back retrospectively, thank God we trusted our gut!”

Ramble Creek was built in 2016 and is nestled on stunning, private acreage between Chattanooga and Knoxville. It’s “the Southeast’s only all-inclusive destination wedding venue where every detail, including catering, hair and makeup, audio, floral, coordination, and accommodations is handled in-house,” according to its website.

Kara and West felt “immediate peace” on the property.

“As we drove down the hill to enter the property, we were led to a beautiful white rustic barn, overlooking a large vineyard and green grass fields,” Kara recalls to PEOPLE. “Staff members stopped what they were doing to accommodate us, and their chef even whipped up the most incredible brisket mac and cheese for us to try.”

Buck introduced the couple to a few staff members, including the on-site chef, and gave a full tour of Ramble Creek. The team even invited them to stay the night at the manor.

“It’s not easy to put into words what it feels like to walk into a place as complete strangers and leave as actual friends,” Kara says. “What started as a random gas station stop, a hairless cat, and a conversation with a stranger turned into one of the biggest blessings of our lives!”

Kara posted the gas station interaction and tour of Ramble Creek on Instagram on Monday, Sept. 21. She described the experience as “incredible” and “insane” in the caption and asked her followers: “Do you guys think we should get married here?” The post went viral with about 8.3 million views and 560,000 likes.

Ramble Creek left a sweet comment and suggested Romeo be their ring bearer.

“Kara, we truly don’t even have the words!! 🤍,” the team wrote. “What started with a quick hello to our weird (and crazy lovable cat) turned into a day our team will never forget. Your positivity and kindness shine through just as much in person as they do on camera, and you both are such a joy to be around. Your love is so genuine, and it was incredibly special getting to spend time with you both. We’re so grateful that we had the chance to welcome you into the Ramble Creek family for the day. Thank you for sharing the experience so beautifully and for all the love you’ve sent our way. We are overwhelmed with gratitude! And just so you know… we’re already looking at kitty tuxedos in case you decide Romeo needs to be your ring bearer. We’ve got you. 😅😍.”

What social media users didn’t know at the time was that the couple had already chosen Ramble Creek as their wedding venue.

“Before we left, we prayed at the altar, and had asked the Lord to provide some sort of confirmation on this wedding venue; that if Ramble Creek was where He intended for us to become one flesh, we would know,” Kara tells PEOPLE. “In that very moment, we felt an overwhelming sense of peace and clarity. We knew that our prayer had been answered, and that our hunt for wedding venues was over.”

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Kara and West tied the knot at Ramble Creek on Sunday, Oct. 11, and were joined by 100 guests.

“Our wedding day truly felt like a dream,” the bride says, adding, “It could not have gone more perfect, and was everything we had hoped for. It was truly a fairytale-like wedding.”

The brisket mac and cheese they had loved so much during the tour was served as an hors d’oeuvre, and Romeo was, in fact, the ring bearer. Kara says, “He was the initial reason why we had gone up to the wedding owner in the first place. And yes, Romeo did indeed wear a classy tuxedo.”

In a full-circle moment, the newlyweds ended their night at a gas station for snacks and a quick dance in the parking lot before heading to their honeymoon destination.

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