Per our standing publication policy, wedding announcements are printed free of charge for White County residents and Helen visitors who were married within the calendar reporting month, subject to submission by a family member, the officiating clergy, or the couple themselves.

Our January 2026 correspondence produced six qualifying submissions.

Nagel–Brunnstein. Mr. Finn Reuben Nagel, 31, of Atlanta, to Ms. Beatrice Ilse Brunnstein, 29, of Helen. Married Saturday, January 3, 2026, at the Helen Chapel on Main Street, at 3:00 p.m. Officiated by the Rev. Harold Ellery, retired. The bride is the second daughter of Ms. Ilse Brunnstein (Bodensee Apparel, 1042 Main Street) and the late Mr. Heinrich Brunnstein. She is a 2019 graduate of the University of Georgia, currently an art teacher at Helen Elementary School. The groom is a 2018 graduate of Georgia Tech, currently a mechanical engineer. The couple met in 2022 at a Cool River Tubing post-float gathering. They will reside in Helen.

Gaddis–Petcock. Ms. Luanne Ray Gaddis, 27, of Cleveland, to Ms. Sasha Lane Petcock, 26, of Sautee. Married Friday, January 9, 2026, at Sautee Presbyterian Church, at 4:00 p.m. Officiated by the Rev. Margaret Crowell. Both brides are graduates of North Georgia Technical College (Gaddis '18, nursing; Petcock '19, business administration). They will reside in Sautee.

Partridge–Ketterling. Mr. Clay Harrison Partridge, 44, of Cleveland (and son of Mr. Olin Partridge of Edelweiss Strasse, Helen, who was one of the four petitioners in this publication's April 18 Glockenspiel-impeachment report), to Ms. Cora Althea Ketterling, 41, of Cleveland. Married Saturday, January 17, 2026, at First Baptist of Cleveland, at 2:00 p.m. Officiated by the Rev. Michael Hodges. Both had been previously widowed; between them they have four adult children and two grandchildren. They will reside in Cleveland.

Rutledge–Simonton. Mr. Alvin Coyle Rutledge, 67, of Clarkesville, to Ms. Winifred Mae Simonton, 63, of Sautee. Married Saturday, January 24, 2026, at Sautee-Nacoochee Indian Mound Park (at the lower pavilion, at 11:00 a.m., attended by 42 guests). Officiated by the Rev. Dr. Archibald Hoenig, a retired Unitarian-Universalist minister and Mrs. Rutledge's cousin. The bride is a retired Helen Elementary cafeteria manager; the groom is a retired White County sheriff's deputy. Brief ceremony, small reception, no cake.

Elopement notice (after-the-fact):

Boglyard–Krumpfel. Mr. Dale Aloysius Boglyard, 22, of Duncan Bridge Road, Sautee, to Ms. Phoebe Lucille Krumpfel, 22, of Clarkesville. Eloped, per the bride's own subsequently-submitted notice, on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, during a 2:30 a.m. drive- through wedding at the Clark County (Nevada) Little White Wedding Chapel (the one with the actual drive-through). The couple had informed neither family of the intent; they informed both families by phone Wednesday afternoon, and received, per Mr. Boglyard's father, "a reception that took about forty-five minutes to de-escalate." The families are now, per separate communication from the bride's mother, "in a good place about it." The couple will reside, for the time being, with the bride's parents in Clarkesville.

Vow renewal:

Kreitz–Kreitz (25th anniversary). Mr. Wilhelm Kreitz, 71, and Mrs. Hilde Kreitz, 69, of Helen, who have run the cuckoo-clock retailer Heinrich's Cuckoo Emporium together since 1998, celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary with a vow-renewal ceremony at the shop's back room on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, at 6:00 p.m., attended by eleven family members and four close friends, officiated by Mr. Kreitz's brother Walter Kreitz (who was, per the family's account, "mildly emotional"). The Kreitzes met at the 2000 Helen Oktoberfest, at the Festhalle's second-seat dinner service on Saturday, September 16, 2000, and have been together since. The vow-renewal ceremony concluded at approximately 7:20 p.m., after which the family proceeded to Hofer's of Helen for dinner. Mr. Kreitz wore, for the ceremony, a navy-blue suit; Mrs. Kreitz wore a cream-colored dress. The Glockenspiel was, at 6:00 p.m., silent.

Condolences are not applicable to this column, but congratulations are; we extend ours to each of the six couples listed above.