An Elegant Affair: Courtney & Josh DeBord

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Story by Shelbi LeMeilleur Photos by Ashley Monogue

Courtney Hewitt was a little confused when her then-boyfriend Josh DeBord asked her to come home from work and help him with a horse. Little did she know, this day would be one of the most memorable days of her life. Josh proposed to Courtney on August 27, 2015, after the couple had been dating for six years.

“He made me trot this horse in the yard twice in a big circle, and he wanted me to take a hard right with the horse,” says Courtney. “Well… I took a left. So he made me do it all again. He made me circle back around and take the hard right … and he bent down to check to see if the horse’s foot was sore. And when he bent down and turned back around, he had the box … It took me about five minutes to say ‘yes’ because I was such in shock. I had no idea that was happening at all.”

After the engagement, Courtney started planning the wedding with the help of her mom and local wedding planners Ashley & Company. She chose the Thomas G. Hildebrand Equine Complex, but much to everyone’s surprise, didn’t want a “country wedding.”

“Everyone expected us to have a country wedding because I’m from the country and from [Josh’s family saddlery] business they just expected a country wedding, and I was not having a country wedding,” says Courtney. “No burlap, no sunflowers, that’s not what I wanted. I wanted it to be a very traditional, elegant wedding … [Everyone] said, ‘You’re getting married at a horse facility, how is that not country?’ but that space can totally be transformed and it fit everybody. It was the perfect space for all of that.”

On April 30, Courtney and Josh tied the knot in a perfectly elegant fashion. Courtney chose black and

white stripes with gold accents for her colors. She had a string quartet play during the ceremony. But perhaps the most unique aspect of the wedding was the Voices of Praise gospel choir from Texas A&M University, who sang “Oh Happy Day” at the end of the ceremony.

“I don’t really know where I got this crazy idea of the choir, but I wanted everything to just be upbeat and fun,” says Courtney. “The choir was a complete shock, no one knew. I knew, [Josh] knew, my mom, and one of my grandmothers knew about the choir and no one else. So everyone was completely shocked.”

However, the choir wasn’t the only personal touch the DeBord’s added to their wedding. They also put together picture slideshows to play during some of the traditional wedding dances. During their first dance, the pictures showed the progression of the couple’s relationship, and during the father/daughter and mother/son dances, the pictures showed both Josh and Courtney as they grew up.

Overall, it was everything Courtney could have wished for. For future brides she says, “Don’t stress. Just have fun with it; it’s a happy time. And everything will come together in the end. Whether you think it will or not, it will.”

DeBord Vendors

Venue Thomas G. Hildebrand Equine Complex

Planner Ashley & Company

Photographer Ashley Monogue

Videographer Matt Sweeney Films

Florist Post Oak Florist

Cakes Sandee’s Sweets

Catering D’Vine Cuisine

Drinks Chartwells

Band Texas Unlimited Band

String Quartet College Station String Quartet

Gospel Choir Voices of Praise from Texas A&M University

Dress Bliss Bridal in Ft. Worth

Groomsmen Al’s Formal Wear

Lighting Downtown Event Services

Honeymoon Riviera Maya in Mexico

For more pictures from this wedding, visit our Pinterest page.