VIDALIA — Katie and Doug Smith are semi-professionals when it comes to marriage.

The couple, married three and a half years, was getting ready for a wedding Saturday when the Dart found them on Elm Street in Vidalia. This time the wedding was that of their two best friends, Kristy Woodruff and Brannon Arthur.

Kristy and Katie became friends when they were sorority sisters in college. Kristy is responsible for introducing Katie to Doug.

“It is a funny story actually,” Katie said. “Kristy begged me to come home with her one weekend to go to a chitlin cook-off in Frogmore. Kristy and Doug had been childhood friends, so she introduced us, and Doug and I have been together ever since.”

After they met at the cook-off, they began dating and soon became engaged. Kristy was in Katie and Doug’s wedding as a bridesmaid and Brannon was an usher.

Before Katie got married, Kristy drove up and spent a few days helping prepare Katie for her wedding.

“She came and stayed with me at my parent’s house and helped me get ready,” Katie said. “The night before my wedding, we stayed up talking all night.”

The two couples are already best friends and spend a lot of time together.

“We do the couples thing, like cooking, going out to eat, swimming and they watch our baby, Julia, for us,” Katie said.

Doug and Katie have special advice for the newlyweds.

“You just have to say ‘OK,’ and agree when you are disagreeing,” Doug said.

And patience can go a long way to making a relationship last forever, Katie said.

“You have to be patient because you can drive each other crazy sometimes, but if you have patience, it will be all right.”

In addition to Katie and Doug being bridesmaid and groomsman, they planned on sharing the good luck charms, including a handkerchief, from their wedding with the bride and groom.

“It gave us good luck in our marriage,” Katie said.