True love is always a beautiful thing, no matter the couple, the ceremony, or the story. Below we interviewed a couple who took the route of elopement to share their vows and commitment. While this is a common process of marriage, many people do not talk about it, but this story will definitely reassure us that elopements are just as special as weddings, for they symbolize the same thing, in different styles and settings. Read below as the story and snowy photographs warm your heart, and thank our featured bride for reminding us, “make your big day about you.” What better way to start this holiday season than the story from a beautiful couple with an amazing tale leading up to their snowy Charlotte, NC elopement.

Snowy Charlotte, NC Elopement

Images by Charity Parrish with theelopementco.com

Bride Name: Jontyce Holland

Groom Name: Jovon Green

Engagement Location: Our apartment in Atlanta, GA

Engagement Date: February 14th, 2017

Alma Mater of Bride: University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (BSN)

Alma Mater of Groom: Georgia Southern University (BBS. Major: Computer Info. Systems), Savannah State University (MBA)

Current City where you live: Charlotte, NC

Bride Hometown: Nashville, TN

Groom Hometown: Savannah, GA

Bride Sorority: Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated

How did you meet? We met on Match.com in fall of 2014. My best friend had visited me one weekend and MADE me make a profile while she was there. Thanks, Dannelle! Jovon and I quickly took our talks offline and began communicating on the phone long distance. He was living in Savannah and I was in Atlanta. We didn’t go on an actual first date until he came to Atlanta one weekend about 2 months after meeting online.

How long have you dated? We had been dating for a little over 2 years when we got engaged.

How did he propose? I had been at work that day and got home at my usual time around 8pm. When I got home, we had our normal discussion about our days and I began walking to our bedroom to get out of my work clothes. He followed (which I did think was sort of weird). When I turned the corner, in our bathroom he had run me a bubble bath and he had lit candles all throughout the bathroom. I was totally shocked, but excited! What a nice way to end a hard-working nurse’s day I thought to myself. Anyway, he told me to take my time and when I was done we’d have dinner. I must’ve really been enjoying that bath because Jovon had to come check and make sure I was still ok, LOL. I got changed and came out for dinner. He had prepared a delicious meal and we were just enjoying each other’s company. After dinner, I gave him my gift of a card and some cheesy candy gift. He gives me his card and tells me how he wishes that he could’ve done more. I was like, “That bath was EVERYTHING! So I’m good.” He goes on to tell me lots of other really sweet things and how much he loves me and then gets down on one knee and asks me to be his wife!!! I of course, began crying and asking him “what are you doing?!?” over and over again. I eventually said YES! Now the best part of this story to me is where Jovon had hidden the ring this entire dinner. Because he didn’t want me to have any idea what he was about to do, he had made a hammock-like pocket out of a paper towel that he taped under the dining room table and placed the ring box there. So, all he had to do when he was ready to propose was slip it out of there and get down on one knee. I asked him later that night what he would’ve done had the ring fallen before he was ready. He said, “I had placed it there many hours before to make sure that it would be stable throughout the entire dinner.”

When did you know he was the one? I knew that he was the one pretty early on in talking with him. We only had the talking on the phone for the first 2 months of knowing each other, so the fact that he held my interest without having any in person contact was huge! We began dating exclusively after 3 months of knowing one another. I think we both had reached the point in our lives where we were serious about a relationship. He truly is the man of my dreams and more! I’ve never known love like I know it with him. We truly complement each other. My mom always said to not look for someone to complete you because you should be complete by yourself. But rather you should find someone who complements who you already are.

What is the cutest thing he has done for you without you asking? I think that him asking my mom for her permission/blessing to marry me without me having any idea was the cutest thing. I don’t ever remember telling him that it was something that I wanted him to do. Honestly, I’m not even sure that I knew it was something that I wanted him to do until after he told me that he had done that. My mom is so very special to me and I love that he understood that and wanted her to be a part of that process.

What is something you love about him that has completely changed your life? I know this might be really weird but he has done this since our very first date. He never lets me walk on the street side while walking on the sidewalk. No matter what, he shifts me to the inside and he walks on the outside. I think he sees it as just the gentlemanly thing to do, a protective thing if you would. It means so much more though. It certainly does show me his protection of me in that he doesn’t want anything to get to me until it has gone through him, but it also shows me how much he truly loves and cares for me. He puts me first.

What part of wedding planning is making you crazy? Well thankfully, I didn’t have a true “wedding planning” experience. I knew a long time ago that I didn’t want anything big. When Jovon and I started talking about our future together, that was something we both agreed on. So we decided that a courthouse wedding would be perfect for us. The little planning that did have to happen, Charity with The Elopement Co in Charlotte helped us out. She made a bouquet and boutonniere for us, got cupcakes for our group, and took these pretty AMAZING pictures! The hard part was deciding who we wanted to be there on that day. I struggled with this because I knew that there were people that wanted to be there but I also knew that just having our immediate families there was going to eliminate so much stress from me…or so I thought. It still ended up being very stressful and difficult to tell people that I love and that love me that they can’t come to one of the most important days of my life. I’m not a confrontational person and would rather have everyone be happy all the time. However, I am so proud of the both of us for holding on so tightly to what we wanted for that day, supporting each other in that, and for trusting that our relationships with those that could not come would be able to withstand this. I truly believe that our wedding day went off just the way it was supposed to. My advice to other people getting married…ELOPE! Just kidding! But seriously, it is to make the day about the two of you and absolutely no one else because when it all comes down to it, that’s all there is.

What part of wedding planning can you not live without? The photography! That was so important for me to have memories that we could share with others and look back on of our wedding day. I searched for a specific magistrate’s office that would allow us to photograph the actual ceremony because a lot of them won’t allow photography in the courtroom. It was important that we get some beautiful pictures after the ceremony, but I also wanted to make sure that we had memories of us as we said our vows and became husband and wife.

What was your first thought the day after your engagement? OMG, I’m getting married!!

What did you love about taking engagement pictures? We didn’t do engagement photos, but I’m assuming you’d like me to talk about our wedding photos. I just loved that we were going to have something visual to look at showing how much love there was on our wedding day. Something to say, “remember that moment?” I love photos anyway, but to see how awesome our wedding day photos are…just amazing is all that I can say!

Who did you tell first about your engagement? My mom! The funny thing is she said that she had been so excited all day about it knowing that it was going to happen, she fell asleep! LOL. I had to call my brother and get him to wake her up!

Are you used to the ring yet? It has been almost a year now and we just added the wedding band on January 18th, but I still look at it sometimes and think “I’m somebody’s wife!”

How many times do you accidentally say boyfriend instead of fiance in a day? I got used to fiancé and now husband pretty quick. I do make a conscious effort though.

Who did the photography? (Need this to give credit to the photographer: Charity Parrish with theelopementco.com. We absolutely loved her! She was so professional but also so much fun. She gave us some beautiful memories and for that we are eternally grateful!

FULL GALLERY