The Sentinel-Record - HER - Hot Springs
In its time
It was all by chance that Courtnie Hall met Billy Maness as the two led completely opposite lives.
Courtnie grew up in Hot Springs and attended Mountain Pine High School. Billy was born in Pine Bluff and moved to Hot Springs where he attended Hot Springs High School before moving to Germany with his mother before returning to the Spa City.
In 2006, the two met through mutual friends, but it was not love at first sight. When Courtnie’s father passed away just a few months after meeting, Billy was there for her.
The couple love spending time together with their daughter Olivia, having fun regardless of what they are doing. “There is nothing like being married to your best friend,” Courtnie said.
The proposal: The proposal was what I have been dreaming of since I was a little girl. I guess he listened when I told him what my ideal proposal would be.
Billy and I were living in Germany at the time and we had decided that we were going to spend a week in Paris to celebrate our fourth anniversary. The day we arrived, the first place we went to was the Eiffel Tower. I had noticed that Billy started to act strange, especially on the way up the tower. He wasn’t videotaping or taking pictures like he normally would be. Once we reached the top, Billy took me away in a more secluded spot, he got down on one knee and with shaky voice and trembling hands, he presented me with a beautiful ring and asked me to marry him. The only thing I could say was “Billy are you serious?” followed by “YES!” We then spent a wonderful week celebrating our engagement in Paris.
The big day: June 22, 2013 Best Man and Maid/Matron of Honor: Our entire bridal party was so special to us. The matron of honor was my best friend Jessica Naccarato and the maid of honor was my little sister Whitney Hall. My sister Tasheana Spencer, sister-in-law Karen Hall, and great friends Jen Fraser and Hope Foster proudly stood beside me. The best man was Billy’s longtime friend Jamie Stewart. My brother Cody Hall also stood beside the groom, along with his brother Derek Maness, best friend Evan Fraser and high school friends Clint Logan and George Andersen. Our daughter Olivia was the flower girl and our “fur-baby” beagle, Chloe, carried the rings.
The location: The breathtaking Royal Ridge Barn in Royal.
The reception: The reception was held at the Royal Ridge Barn. Food was served buffet style by Bubba’s catfish. The cake was a four-tiered, red velvet cake with a smooth ivory colored fondant, with broaches and strands of pearls lining the bottom of each layer and a crystal Eiffel tower we purchased in France.
DJ Daneger provided the entertainment. From the moment he introduced the bridal party until the last guest left, he kept our party going. He was energetic, played a variety of great music and was so fun to work with.
The dress: Finding the dress was fate. We had been to a couple of shops and I found dresses that I liked but none that were me. From trying on dresses I knew the style I was looking for but couldn’t find the perfect one.
I began looking online and found the dress, a San Patrick one shoulder organza ball gown with a drop waist with flower and jewel details. We took the chance and ordered it and it fit perfectly.
I accessorized it with “Cinderella shoes” — Betsy Johnson platform heels covered in rhinestones.
Growing up, whenever my dad and I got into an argument, he would always make up with me by saying “Who’s going to walk you down the aisle?” I would say “You are,” and the argument would be over.
As an accessory, I wore a locket anklet with his picture in it so, my dad did walk me down the aisle.
The look: We went for a romantic simple
elegance theme that reminded us of our week in Paris.
For the ceremony, we used hydrangea petals to create a design down the aisle. The aisle was lined with rose pomander balls and parasols. The guest chairs were covered in white and adorned with satin watermelon colored sashes. The gazebo was decorated in chiffon fabric with a beautiful chandelier and crystal balls lining the back side. A table was set up in the middle of the gazebo to hold the water and dirt used for the unity tree planting during the ceremony.
At the reception, lights were strung everywhere in the barn. On the tables were simple white table cloths with metal lanterns, tealights and Hydrangea bouquets.
The groom and groomsmen wore tan suits without jackets, only vests and coordinating ties.
The bridesmaids wore chiffon floor length strapless dresses with a cascading ruffle down the front in watermelon color from David’s Bridal.
Our daughter’s dress had a satin white bodice with a pleated organza shirt in the same color of the bridesmaid dresses. And our ring bearer, our beagle, Chloe, wore a gold collar accented with pearls with our rings attached.
Most unforgettable moment: Our wedding was so great from start to finish. It is hard to pick just one memory, but I would have to say that the most unforgettable moment was when the majority of the guests were gone. It was one of the hottest days we had all summer. Earlier that day I had made the comment that I was going to jump in the pool and this was overheard by Lani and Lilly, the daughters of Angie and Darrell Butler. As Billy and I were walking out, a sweet little voice behind us says “Are we going to jump in the pool now?” and it was Lani.
I thought they would be asleep when we left but she stayed awake patiently waiting. So, in the pool we went dress and all!
Billy, myself, the bridal party and we even convinced Darrell and Angie to jump in too.
The honeymoon: Billy and I didn’t take a honeymoon. We were presented with a business opportunity we couldn’t pass up. We took advantage of the time we had off work and became the new owners of Ablution Day Spa and Salon. It was a great wedding gift to ourselves.