There is nothing like a great college sweetheart story. This cute Howard University couple will surely melt your heart. This is our first Arkansas Belle and we are so excited about this love story. Learn more about this Howard University couple, it will definitely put a smile on your face!
Bride Name: Ashley A. Hunt
Groom Name: Michael H. Pentecost
Wedding Location: Oklahoma City, OK
Wedding Date: 7/27/2012
Alma Mater of Bride & Groom: Howard University
Current City: Oklahoma City, OK
Hometown: (Her) Hampton, AR (Him) Detroit, MI
How did you meet: Through mutual friends our freshman year @ Howard
How long did you date: A little over 3 years
How did he propose? I went to San Antonio, TX to celebrate his graduation from basic training (I thought), he proposed on the Riverwalk before dinner.
When did you know he was the one? I don’t think there was a moment, we just grew together. I got so wrapped up in spending time and taking on life together and just enjoying each other’s company that one day I looked up and realized… Hey! This was the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.
What is the cutest thing he has done for you without asking? Besides proposing?? No seriously, I think whoever you ask, the answer to this question is always going to be in the little things. So I couldn’t honestly say if it was the Chic-Fil-A fries he brought me during lunch that time, or a poem he wrote, or when he gives me the remote when I know he wants to be watching something else. The cute things are the little things, the gestures that remind me that he cares.
What is something you love about him that has completely changed your life? His unwavering chill (note, this is something about him that I both absolutely love and absolutely hate depending on the situation). He is absolutely the flip side of my coin. Where I’m a high-strung, mile a minute, everything all at once kind of person, he’s a very deal with it as it comes, don’t worry, laid-back type. And because that’s so dramatically different from how I typically handle things, he balances me out and has shown me that his approach can work. I don’t have to pull my hair out over every little thing and even when things don’t go exactly according to my plan, they can still work out. Life still goes on and the sun still shines. I love his attitude about life because it’s taught me not to take everything so seriously.
What part of wedding planning made you crazy? Trying to plan a wedding in Oklahoma from 1300 miles away while still in DC.
What part of wedding planning could you not live without: 1st My amazing support group. I cant even begin to thank the women who listened to my rants, my lists, my fretting and my triumphs along the way. Who were googling and sending me links and smoothing my feathers when I was going 5 directions at once. There is no way I could have done it without them. 2nd, my checklist/reminders/budget from theknot.com. I am a planner by nature, so that gave me a list that I could check things off of, and write things down and make sure that I didn’t forget some terribly important detail.
What was your first thought the day after your engagement? “OMG. Is this real? We’re for real getting married? Seriously? OMG!” I was a ball of emotions, primarily excitement.
What was your favorite part of the ceremony? Without a doubt, our vows. I’ll never forget that moment standing with my future husband, in front of all our family and friends. Even though we were in a crowded room with cameras snapping and tears flowing, that moment was just ours. In our little bubble, vowing to be the best “us” that we could be for the rest of our lives.
What was your favorite part of the wedding? Just the wedding itself. Having our family and friends be there to celebrate us and wish us well as we started our life together. The support and the love just made for a really beautiful and happy day for everyone. And then of course it was finally OVER. All the planning and stress and it was finally DONE and we could get to spending the rest of our lives together.
Did you do any DIY? Yes! We did so much DIY, and my bridesmaids (and others!) were so awesome stepping up to the plate and making that happen. We ordered flowers wholesale and did all of the floral arrangements ourselves, we decorated for the wedding and the reception, we made the programs. If it could be done, we did it on our own.
Who were your wedding vendors? Sad to say, I can’t remember much of this. I found my dress at David’s Bridal, my bridesmaid’s dresses came from Alfred Angelo. The guys used Men’s Warehouse. I believe a vendor I found on Zazzle did our invitations. I emailed her personally and she worked with me to get something personalized to my liking (she was awesome). Gigi’s Cupcakes did our cupcake tower/wedding cupcakes and we went with Kirk McGee Studios for our photography.
What were your wedding colors? Clover green, white and black. We accented in silver.
What was your wedding theme? We didn’t have one. I couldn’t commit or decide what exactly that would mean, so we just skipped it altogether rather than give me a headache about yet ANOTHER detail.
What is your favorite part about being married to each other? I think the best part of being married to each other is how much of a team we are. It is great to know that at the end of the day when the dust has settled, we’re on the same side. We’re both willing to make moves and compromise for the good of the team. It makes all the things that seem to be in the way that much more insignificant, because if its not working to make us happy, it has no place here.
What did you learn about each other through the wedding planning process? I don’t think we really learned anything new in the wedding planning process. It did make the difference in how we handle stressful situations more apparent, but having the drastically different outlooks better equipped us to deal with whatever came up through one of our different approaches. In the end, us being different made it that much better because if we had both been having a breakdown, I don’t think anything would have ever gotten solved.
We loved this wedding and are so happy for the couple. We wish Ashley and Michael all the best on the journey of love, life and marriage! Happy Tuesday Bellese!