Bradlee & Courtney Lockwood
September 12, 2020 at Wild Blackberry Farms in Fortville, IndianaTheir Love Story
Bradlee and Courtney had known each other basically since they were kids and both started 4-H. Steffani (Bradlee’s sister) worked for Courtney’s parents when they were kids and would always tell them stories about her crazy younger brother who was right around Courtney’s age. Growing up in the same school system, county fair, doing FFA together, and showing against each other, these two had never imagined that they would end up where they are today.
Fast forward to March of 2017, while Courtney was on spring break with some of her friends, she and Bradlee began talking. They talked all day, every day for quite some time and Bradlee constantly asked Courtney to hangout, but according to Courtney, she “always came up with some excuse.” As Bradlee recalled this moment, he said “I almost gave up but I stuck in there. It was county fair time and I knew I could find her there!” Soon after that, Bradlee and Courtney became inseparable. Bradlee spent many weekends at Purdue as Courtney was finishing out her senior year and she even got him to dress up and go to a few formals that he said he would never go to!
“Half way through Courtney’s senior year, I would mess with her telling her we should move in together after she graduated. Courtney would always freak out and I would just laugh, but one day after finding out her dad owned a place out in the country, I wanted to move there.” Shortly afterwards, Bradlee and Courtney took a leap of faith and decided to remodel that house and after countless days and nights of working on their home, they finally moved in around the middle of August 2019.
Bradlee asked Courtney’s dad for his blessing and with the help of Courtney’s sister, he picked out the perfect ring. “In the end of November Bradlee proposed on the front steps of my sorority at Purdue and as most know, I was quite surprised, but I didn’t even have to think twice about saying yes! Bradlee is the most supportive and encouraging person I could ever imagine. No matter what crazy idea I come up with or think I can do by myself, he is always right there asking what he can do to help. He treats me better than I could’ve ever imagined and I cannot wait to start our married life together!”
Their Wedding Day
In the midst of planning, we asked Courtney and Bradlee what they were most excited for about their wedding: “We are truly the most excited to be able to celebrate and share this happy day with our families and friends. A few months ago, we weren't sure if we were going to have our big special day like we had been planning. We wouldn't be where we are today if it weren't for the people we love, so getting married without them just wouldn't have felt right.”
Their wedding day was full of happy and sentimental moments for everyone. The guys spent the morning shooting clay pigeons and they were very excited to include Austin from our team in on the fun too! They didn’t have a first look, but Courtney did surprise her dad with her wedding dress, which was a heartfelt moment. Courtney’s great uncle was the officiant and he lead a beautiful, meaningful ceremony that everyone will be sure to remember, which was followed by an eventful evening with a lot of dancing!
Courtney and Bradlee have chosen to wait on their honeymoon until they are certain that they can go somewhere they’ve never been and enjoy it without any concerns.
Our Favorite Memory
This wedding had many unique elements that we thoroughly enjoyed: the guys shooting before the wedding, Bradlee’s gift to Courtney (a beautiful new bracelet) and Courtney’s gift to Bradlee (a new over/under shotgun), the first look with her dad, and all of the special candid moments shared between family and friends. But, ultimately, we have two favorite memories:
All of the elements that Courtney included throughout the day to pay tribute to her late mother and Bradlee’s reaction to seeing his bride walking down the aisle.
