An Ohio Engagement to An Asheville, NC Destination Wedding
A Narrative by Beth Stokey
Beth Stokey and Shannon Hunt, married 2020
Shannon and I met in late 2016 through a mutual friend. We are the first to admit; we don't have the most romantic or picturesque beginning to our love. With that, our beginning taught us so much early on, most valuably, that genuine and honest love requires vulnerability and hard work; in the end, it's worth the investment.
To make a long story a little shorter, I'll skip ahead to the summer of 2018, when we decided to start fresh. We agreed to plan a date for the other to see where things went from there. I went first, and I'll admit: I was nervous. Even though we were starting fresh, my heart knew that Shannon was the one I was meant to love, and I was excited to see that feeling through.
I had just recently moved to an up and coming neighborhood on the East side of Columbus, OH. I took Shannon to a vegan brunch spot in my neighborhood, followed by an afternoon of walking through the Parade of Home. Not your typical first date, but as Shannon will be the first to say, she's the dreamer, and I am the logistician.
Shannon's favorite thing to do is dream about homes we can't afford.
Even now, two years later, we still talk about the Three Pillars home that we fell in love with on that HOT August afternoon and still can't afford. [Shannon: I've come to realize that Beth shows her true love for me when she's willing to do anything in hot weather. The girl does not like to sweat.]
Fast forward a few more dates and a couple more months of me working on peeling back the layers of the onion that is Shannon. On February 3, 2019, we made our relationship official. All I could say was FINALLY!
Through all those months and years, we traveled, spent time with family and friends, spent way too much time (and money) at Target and the movies, and slowly tried to convince our three dogs that they could be friends if they just tried. With all the history and the weird timing of our relationship, somehow, I think Shannon and I just knew that we would end up together.
When Shannon started sending me links to wedding venues in June 2019, I'd be lying if I said I was surprised.
Shannon is the dreamer, and this time was no different. She persuaded me to visit a local venue with her; we weren't engaged, but we were committed, and what was the harm in taking a look? The harm was that Shannon convinced me, even the most logical of people, that because venues in Columbus book up fast, we could and should book a wedding venue before we were engaged! So began our journey to a 2020 wedding and Shannon's obsession with 'pinning' tablescapes and florals.
We booked our first venue for the weekend of October 3rd for the following reasons: I wanted a Fall wedding!
[Shannon: Don't let her fool you; it wasn't because of the Autumnal colors; I will repeat: the girl doesn't like to be hot!]
Shannon did not want the Ohio State game on at our reception, and October 3, 2020, was a bi-week for OSU Football.
“After picking a date, we should probably get engaged. That's how relationships work.”
Well, not traditionally, but we're not the most traditional of people, which's okay with us. Early on, Shannon and I decided that we both wanted to plan a proposal for the other. It would be a surprise (Shannon did a better job with that part). It was something we felt strongly about providing for the other.
Shannon's Proposal
Shannon proposed to me at our local zoo outside of the Red Panda exhibit. It was a day originally planned to celebrate the start of another school year for Shannon, and I was surprised by the moment. I am in love with everything Red Panda and have made Shannon go to zoos all over the country to see them. It felt very authentic in our relationship.
She had found a beautiful ring at a local artisan shop in Grandview, OH; she was so proud to have found a ring that allowed her to support local. She loved the shop so much; she later returned to take a two-day class where she forged my wedding band from scratch (if you haven't caught on yet, Shannon is literally the coolest and most thoughtful).
Beth's Proposal
My proposal was a little more, as some would say, spontaneous. Shannon caught me off guard by proposing in August, and her ring wasn't set to be finished until mid-September. I had also found a local jeweler who was able to design Shannon's ring from scratch, incorporating an antique style with the peace of mind of local business. By the time Shannon's ring was finished, I was so excited to give it to her that I couldn't wait, and I didn't. We went for a walk by the river at sunset, where I asked Shannon the same question she'd asked me six weeks prior. Afterward, we celebrated with dinner at Cracker Barrel.
I would be remiss to leave out from our love story that Shannon was a Cracker Barrel waitress in high school, and she was awarded 2 stars. If you know anything about the Cracker Barrel waitressing experience, this is quite an accomplishment. I am the proud wife of a two-start Cracker Barrel waitress, but I digress.
[Shannon: She, literally, tells everyone this story! I can't carry a plate of food at a family holiday without someone being regaled by this story.]
Fast forward to March 2020, where the world got pretty crazy. In the face of COVID-19, we were left with many choices related to the wedding we had planned in Ohio.
We had always wanted a small ceremony, and COVID helped put more things about our wedding into perspective.
We decided to cancel our plans in Ohio and look at a micro-wedding out of state. Shannon and I love to travel; more specifically, we love the mountains and have traveled West every summer since we met. But, with COVID still looming and a nephew due two weeks before the wedding weekend, we decided to make (the easily drivable for our families) Asheville, NC, our wedding destination.
After a bit of research, we stumbled upon Canaan Valley and were in love with the idea of a wedding set in nature, provided by a family run business. Bonus: the venue was available for our original wedding date!
Continue to Beth and Shannon’s Asheville, NC Wedding
If you like this Engagement Story, read more about the 6 Best Engagement Proposal Locations in Asheville, NC
Venue: Canaan Valley NC
Photographer: Fox House Studio
Day-of Wedding Coordinator: Wedding Belle’s NC
Rentals: East West Vintage Rentals
Floral: The Never Ending Flower Farm