Cody and Courtney

Wallburg, NC

Cody and Courtney decided to get married at the place they spent the most time during the summer months and where Cody had proposed, at his grandmother’s house! This is where they keep their horses, bring their dog Clint to play in the pond, fish, and where they eat every Sunday evening. His grandmother fixes supper for the entire family every Sunday evening. After eating, Courtney and Cody find themselves sitting out on the porch swing watching the sun go down. There was never really any thought to have the wedding somewhere else. They wanted it to feel like home and wanted the opportunity to create more memories in one place.

There are a lot of sentimental items that make up the foundation of their wedding and decorations that were handmade from their families or borrowed. They wanted it to be authentic and real, instead of just looking that way. They also purchased a lot from local vendors. The flowers that were displayed as decorations came from either the Piedmont Triad Farmer’s Market or wild ones that were picked fresh out of the hay field. The flowers used for the bouquets were ordered online and put together by family members. The popcorn and peanuts were also from local vendors at the market.

They also wanted their wedding favors to have a little “taste”, of their lifestyle! The wedding favors needed to be something that the guests would use and not something that would just be thrown to the back of a cabinet. Strawberry jam was the lucky winner! They were also able to use an old recipe from the bride’s grandmother that was made with fresh strawberries from the local Hedgecock Strawberry Farm. Labels were placed on the jars in favor of the wedding and wrapped in cloth to give them that country feel.

During the ceremony, the unity piece was also something special to the couple. The groom is a Horseshoer and works daily with a forge and horseshoes. They saw the idea of making a brand with their initials on it and branding it into a wooden plaque to display as they became one. The couple designed the brand and the groom brought that idea to life. There are two C’s surrounding an E that represents Cody and Courtney Essick. They also made the wooden plaque with scrap wood.

"Something old something new, something borrowed something blue" also had its share of sentimental value. The bride collected her mother’s 30+ year old blue garter, borrowed her sister’s veil, wore a new bracelet, and put a “Lucky Penny” in her shoe. The “Lucky Penny” has been passed down from the groom’s family over the years and started with the first wedding in 1948. Cody’s Great Grandmother was the first bride to have put it in her shoe to wear on her wedding day. It has also been passed down to his grandparents at their wedding, his parents and will be worn in Courtney’s shoe for theirs.

Cody and Courtney are most excited and feel so blessed to be able to have and experience their wedding day on family land with so many memories that they have created there. Nothing means more to them than to have their big day celebrating with friends and family that mean the most to them, the town they were raised in and the land that has been in Cody’s family for many years! It is not every day when a young couple has the chance to say they got engaged, married, and spend every Sunday evening at the same place. It is this place that they hope to make their own one day and to continue the memories with generations to come.