Courtney Hewitt and Ryan Bushardt, with the help of their pup, Padme, celebrated their big day on Sept. 7, 2021
By Megan Tillotson | Photography by Photos By Clay
Courtney Hewitt and Ryan Bushardt’s love story began when the two met on Bumble in the summer of 2016. As a big animal lover, Courtney requested that their first date take place at a dog park so she could see how Ryan was with dogs. The couple hit it off and bonded over their mutual love for animals. After years of long-distance dating – Ryan attended Marshall University in West Virginia while Courtney began her master’s in French at UNC – the couple moved in together in Carrboro with their pitbull, Padme.
Ryan proposed on April 28, 2019, the day before Courtney’s birthday. After an intimate homemade birthday dinner, Ryan told their pup to “go get it,” and she came back carrying the ring box.
The couple was married Sept. 7, 2021, at The Barn at Valhalla, a fairy-tale setting with a natural forest backdrop and twinkling lights. As Courtney described it, the ceremony was “personal and heartfelt.” Her favorite parts were everyone cooing over Padme (who served as ring bearer once again), walking down the aisle and seeing guests emotional over their love. Courtney’s parents, Nanci Hewitt and David Hewitt, Ryan’s parents, Deb Bushardt and Jeff Bushardt, and other family members all came together to celebrate with the couple, enjoying Fords Fluent N’ Food and dancing the night away to DJ Willis.
Ryan and Courtney live in Lexington, South Carolina, and plan to soon adopt a sibling for Padme.
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