Greenville Weekend

Married Life Adventure #2 - Weekend getaway to Fountain Inn and Greenville.

Our sweet friends Jaimie and Ross tied the knot this weekend at a barn (aptly named the "Luv Shack") in Fountain Inn. It was a beautifully rustic wedding - complete with burlap, mason jars, lanterns, birds and paper flowers. They had such personal touches that were so sweet! (Plus, they used a lot of Dave Barnes music...my favorite!) It rained off and on all day, but the clouds parted long enough for the beautiful ceremony and reception! I'd say their marriage has God's favor!

All the tables had these on them - and the design was different on each one

They even used my lanterns from our wedding! 

Twinkling Lights

Dancin' time!

I was in love with their cake! So sweet!

More handmade decor

Programs doubled as hand fans

Fingerprint Guest book

Looking a little weather-beaten after fighting off the rain!
(Hence the fuzziness of the camera - I think it got hit with a raindrop!)

Cutting the cake!

After the wedding, David and I headed to Greenville for the night, and enjoyed some quality time together. It's always so nice to get away! We woke up Sunday morning and walked down to Falls Park and hung out on the bridge for a while, then enjoyed some overpriced breakfast at Coffee Underground, before heading back to the hotel to pack up and head back to Charleston. We stopped at Columbiana Mall on the way home for some lunch and people watching window shopping. David read our book (the Hunger Games) to me all the way up and back, and when we got home - we couldn't stop! After briefly unpacking and settling in, we were back to more reading to each other (one of my favorite things we do). This time, while one was reading, the other was giving a foot rub - a great way to end a busy weekend!

Congratulations, Mrs. Jones-Porter!

Today's a two-blog-post kind of day. This one goes out to the Porter Family!

This is Kathryn on my wedding day. Today is HER wedding day. She has become one of the most special friends I've ever had. Which is strange, considering we only lived in the same town for a few months. Since then, she's lived in Washington, DC and now North Dakota. But distance has not weakened this friendship one bit! She's my soul-sister. We were destined to be friends. She has one of the greatest spirits of anyone I've ever known. She fights for what (and who) she loves. She has passion for what she believes in. She wears 8 tattoos, all meaning something really special. (She also wears REALLY great clothes). She has really great hair. She ensures that her life is an adventure. She has an exuberant love for the ocean. She hails from a small town in Alaska, wearing her pride so naturally. She is brave to stand up for her family in the face of adversity. She is independent, confident, strong, and beautiful. 

She found her soulmate Zachary via friend-of-a-friend, and after meeting/dating via Skype for pretty much their entire relationship, they are getting married today. They finally have a home together. They have an adorable daughter, whom I'm convinced Kathryn was born to love. And they have a love story to tell the grandchildren one day. 

(Have I mentioned that they're all ridiculously photogenic?)

Their story is one of day-at-a-time victories, all leading up to this blessed day. Tearfully I say, I would give anything to be in Alaska with her, Zachary, MaeKennah, and all of the Joneses. I will meet them all one day. But until then, I will send my prayers, blessings, and good vibes all the way from Charleston.


So Kathryn and Zachary, here's to you! Kathryn, I've said it a million times, I love you, and Zachary, I have yet to meet you, but I already know I love you! Congratulations to the Porter family!

Special Days!

We're celebrating two special days this week!

Monday was the first anniversary of the second-best day of my life - we got engaged! (trumped only of course by our wedding day...see below)!

Incase you haven't heard our engagement story, I pulled this off of our wedding website. Such a special day, and I may be biased, but I think I have the best engagement story of all time. :)

(Courtney writing) It was just after my Family vacation, which of course David went on as well. Vacation was at Lake Jocassee, SC up in the very top corner of the state. One of David's favorite things to do (and, it's growing on me too...) is to go camping in the North Carolina Mountains. So, David decided weeks before we left for vacation that we should go camping for a day or two after vacation since we were so close to the mountains. We camp a lot, so I didn't think anything of it, besides that it was a great idea.

The day we were set to go camping, the weather took a turn for the worst. The temperature dropped to about 60 degrees (yes! in July!) and it was pouring outside! Of course, at that point I just wanted to head home, but everyone was insistent that I go "because David is so excited about camping". So, off we went. We spent the day perusing around Brevard, NC, and when the weather cleared a bit, we headed for a campsite. We camped and had great quality time...and surprisingly enough the weather was perfect! It didn't rain and we got to enjoy a campfire and even saw some wildlife (no bears!). In the morning, we packed up and headed to hike some waterfalls, because I love waterfalls. So, off we went. David suggested "Why don't we stop by Target before we go see the waterfalls, so we can clean up a little?" (See, it had been about 2 days since either of us had showered...smart boy, knowing I'd want pictures of what was coming up!) So we cleaned up and drove a little ways to Hooker Falls, Triple Falls and High Falls. 

We got to the biggest one, which was breathtakingly beautiful (and breathtakingly cold!) and were there for a while, before I started getting antsy, wanting to move on to the next waterfall. I told David "I'm bored" to which he responded, "Don't be bored, just enjoy it for a little while longer". Then he asked me to sit down on a rock, and he sat across from me. He then pulled out some soap and began to wash my feet. Thinking it strange, and beginning to know something was going on, I asked why he was washing my feet. While washing, he said "Biblically, washing someone's feet is the ultimate act of service. And I want you to know I love you and I want to serve you for the rest of my life." Immediately I knew what was going on and screamed and put my face in my hands. He pulled the most beautiful ring I've ever seen out of his pocket and asked me to marry him. I began to cry, and don't really remember anything after that, but I said "Yes, yes yes!" and he put it on my finger. After this, he led me around to the side of the waterfall to show me a huge fallen log where he had carved "Mr. and Mrs. Irvin" into it! Turns out, he had come up for a day weeks before (told me he was working late) and been to all the waterfalls to scout out the perfect place!

When we left the waterfalls, we headed home to Charleston, where we were greeted by both families for a mini-celebration! It was a perfect day. I will never, ever forget that feeling!

Some pictures from our day:

The other special day we are celebrating is the best day of our life! It's our four-month-anniversary today! Yes, I'm reverting to celebrating middle-school-style-monthly anniversaries (remember how big of a deal those were!?) - because every month has been so special! Hey, you're allowed to do that in the mushy-gushy-love phase of your first year of marriage, right? :)

My favorite picture of the whole day!


Yay for love and mini-milestones - Here's to a life full of them!

The MiniMooners

Finally got around to uploading some of the few pictures we took on our mini-moon!

We had a MUCH needed relaxing trip to a quaint little cabin in Bryson City, NC.

Before going to NC, we spent our first night in the honeymoon suite at the Andrew Pinckney Inn. It was beautiful and wonderful and perfect...wish we could have stayed longer!

Will never get tired of looking at these! 

Our little cabin!

What the website did NOT show when we booked it, was that our cabin was SO close to a cabin next door! For our privacy and the couple staying next door, David fashioned up a redneck-wall out of a camo tarp we found in a fishing tackle store up the road. 

Our sweet mugs my sisters made us!

Hot stuff - had to run out to the car and David's boots were closest! Busted.

Our night at the Cherokee Casino! We went with $100 to blow, played penny slots for a few hours, and left with a little over $100 - pretty fun!

But first, we enjoyed Paula Deen's restaurant inside the Casino - this place was HUGE!

Another sappy honeymoon-ring-shot :)

Our cabin backed up to a huge field, and the cows came right up to the creek!

Our little cabin. We so enjoyed this porch overlooking the creek and cow field!

Yay for self timers!

I LOVE this picture of my hubby. Doing his favorite thing - fishin'!

While David fished, I read a book on the creek bank. Such a peaceful, perfect day!

And on our way back from fishing and walking around Cherokee, this BIG guy was just hanging out on the side of the road! Weird!

All in all, our mini-moon was just about perfect! We so enjoyed just being together - with no sort of agenda. It was so nice to sit by the fire, enjoy the hot tub, watch the creek, do some fishing, watch movies, and just BE. We even did a puzzle & lots of crosswords...I guess we're old souls!

A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words

First of all, let me say, that wedding photographers have a tough job. They're responsible for capturing the moments that pass in an instant, that will never happen again. For example, the groom's face when he first sees his bride. The First Kiss. The bride's face as she walks down the aisle. The cake cutting, the first dance, The father-daughter and mother-son dance. (Especially in our case, the father/mother's reactions to the songs we chose for them). It's a tough job to capture once-in-a-lifetime moments.

But let me tell you, my photographers hit this one out of the park. They nailed it. Both of them captured every emotion, every moment, and every aspect of our wedding day flawlessly. I will forever be in awe of their work. 

And these aren't just any photographers I hired off the street. These girls are so special to me. Laurie Barnhill is my cousin, so it goes without saying that it was special to have her a part of the big day. She is such a talented graphic designer and photographer. Being a graphic designer, I've always admired her work, and while I never caught the knack for photography (after one miserable class in college), she has truly stepped into her gift! She did our engagement photos, my bridal portraits, and our wedding. I built a relationship with Julia Madden, my other photographer, as an adult leader for the FirstWave Student Ministry a few years back. I remember her always having her camera in hand. (I think she was deemed the unofficial-official FirstWave photographer!) So I always followed her blog and have always loved her work. Before David and I even started dating (again) I told her to plan on shooting my wedding. Boy did she keep her promise!

Both girls have posted the pictures to their blogs, so check them out here: (And check out all of their other beautiful work!!)

Julia Madden's Blog "Life Through a Lens"

Laurie Barnhill's Blog

Laurie's Photo Gallery

 (Bridal Portraits, Engagement Session, Bridal Shower, Rehearsal Dinner, and Wedding Day)

Introducing the Mr and Mrs!

Hello World!

We've officially been married a whole month! So, I figured it was time to jump on the blogging wagon. I will share my disclaimer, that my [Courtney] blogging track record boasts 2 abandoned blogs in the past...but alas, I decided to try again. Now that we're married, we'll have much more to blog about, right?? Well, I'll try. Here's hoping we go on lots of adventures, share lots of memories, and post lots of updates for our friends and family. 

Follow us!

Courtney & David