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How and when did you first meet?
Courtney: August 2017. I made last-minute plans with my sister and a group of girlfriends to see Chris Stapleton at Pine Knob. I saw CJ and just had to meet him. We ended up talking all night and missed the whole concert! We made plans for a date the following week.
CJ: It was August 2017 at a Chris Stapleton concert. The moment we saw each other, it was like the concert going on around us didn’t matter anymore. We talked through the whole show and went on our first date a few days later.
Tell us about the proposal
Courtney: We were on our annual fall trip to Marco Island, Florida. We love going there to relax and spend time together. On Sundays, we always go to the famous “Stan’s” for the live band, and before we left, he surprised me with the most beautiful ring—and of course I said yes! We immediately shared the news with our family and friends and spent the rest of our vacation celebrating.
Tell us about the wedding
Courtney: Our wedding was the most amazing day. We planned everything together, which made it so special. We really wanted to bring our families and friends together and create meaningful moments for everyone involved. Our kids—Landen (24), Drake (14), and Makenzie (10)—walked us down the aisle along with our parents, bringing us together as a truly blended family. We had a live band, a DJ, fireworks, and all our friends. Everyone danced and smiled all night. It was truly magical.
What do you cherish most about each other?
Courtney: I feel so blessed to be married to a man I can truly be myself with. Finding someone who chooses to grow with you and support you in whatever you do is incredibly special. We play together and make each other laugh, we can talk about anything—big or small—and we navigate problems as a team. That, to me, is the greatest gift in life, and I’m so grateful for him.
CJ: What I truly cherish most about Courtney is the relationship we’ve built together. Not just having her as my wife, but also as my best friend. It’s the little moments—when we’re not even doing anything special but still having the best time—that make me realize how blessed I am to have her.
Got any sweet, funny, or just plain awesome details you want to share?
Something we’ve always said is that we want to lead our family with our hearts. We want our kids to see us loving each other—even if it grosses them out! We think it’s important for them to see us have disagreements and work through them, to be comfortable saying “I’m sorry,” or sealing it with a kiss.
We kiss all the time. One day our daughter said something that was so cute and gave us a new perspective. She said, “You guys are always so romantic,” and rolled her eyes. We laughed so hard! What a sweet way to see a kiss. Now we say it all the time and laugh. We think that’s such a great way to live: Be romantic!
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