Betty Barton knows a thing or two about weddings — for more than 37 years, the longtime member of Eastminster Presbyterian Church also served as the church’s in-house wedding planner, a role that allowed her to help thousands of couples walk smoothly down the aisle.
Yet in all those years, Betty had never been responsible for the couple getting together in the first place. That all changed in 2019 when she realized that Paige Bryant and Cordes Kennedy, both Eastminster members, might make a perfect couple. “I’ve known Cordes’ mama, Martha, forever, and Cordes has been a good friend to my grandson since they were young,” says Betty. “I know Paige, who I think is just darling, through her mother, Sharon.”
Betty’s role as matchmaker began when Cordes’ mother, Martha Chandler, mentioned wanting her son to meet a nice girl. A few weeks later, Betty ran into Paige at an oyster roast. “Miss Betty came to say hello and grabbed my left hand, asking if I was married yet. I told her ‘Not yet, Miss Betty!’” Paige said.
“Well, you absolutely have to meet Cordes Kennedy!” Betty responded.
Paige says that she wasn’t quite sure how to handle the suggestion, but she took the time to look Cordes up online that night. “I realized I wouldn’t be opposed to meeting him,” she says with a laugh.
Meanwhile, Betty had worked her magic with Cordes as well, sharing what she knew about Paige. “I just think the world of Paige and the whole Bryant family,” says Betty.
A few months later, at an engagement party for a mutual friend, Paige and Cordes finally met in person. “I’d told my friend who was getting married that I was excited to meet him,” says Paige. “I was eager to meet him, so at the end of the night, I walked up to him to introduce myself. He was sweet, funny, and attractive. I hoped I would get to see him again.”
Paige had to wait a week before Cordes reached out, though, because in that short bit of time, COVID-19 had descended on the world, making dates challenging. “On our first date we took our dogs for a walk,” says Paige. “Not exactly typical, but with COVID it was the best we could do, and we enjoyed getting creative on how to date in that environment.”
Though Sharon and Steve Bryant didn’t meet Cordes until he and Paige had dated for a couple of months, Sharon knew from the start that this boyfriend was different. “Paige was smitten, and Cordes actually balanced Paige, which was wonderful to see,” she says. “He’s also patient, very kind, and shares her same Christian values.”
Paige says that she and Cordes had their first marriage conversation in the spring of 2022. And while some couples might only focus on the fun parts of marriage, Cordes steered the conversation toward more meaningful topics, including faith, budget, children, values, and long-term professional goals. “In my job we call it due diligence,” Paige says with a laugh. “It might not seem like the most romantic discussions to have, but it was all the things that really matter. We didn’t figure out exactly how we’d do it, but we learned enough about each other to know that we would just figure it out together.”
One realization that the couple came to was their mutual love of the mountains. “My mom has spent my whole life trying to turn me into a mountain girl and she finally succeeded,” says Paige. “So, when we decided on a weekend away in November of 2022, we headed to the mountains.”
Paige says that though she wasn’t sure when Cordes would propose, some of his actions that weekend perked up her antenna. “On the way up the mountain we stopped at the store for firewood, and I realized I had forgotten to bring a hat. Since I was going to stay in the car with the dogs, Cordes said he’d get the wood and a hat. He spent quite some time in the store, and instead of a typical wool cap, he came back with a semi-sparkly beige taboggan,” she says. “He also spent a ton of time on his phone looking for just the right hike for us to take.”
Once the couple hit the trail, Paige was surprised to hear Cordes complaining about the number of other people out for a hike on such a chilly day. Then she realized why. “Cordes got down on one knee and asked me to marry him, and my answer was a very definitive ‘yes!’ I couldn’t wait to marry the love of my life,” says Paige. “We were alone, but a sweet couple showed up a few minutes later so we asked them to take our photo, sporting my new sparkly hat, and ring.”
Returning to Columbia to share their news with friends and family, Paige and Cordes got right into planning the wedding. Since they’d already been dating for so long, they decided that, instead of waiting, they’d take the first date that all their preferred vendors were available.
“We had sort of assumed that Paige and Cordes would want to marry in Columbia at Eastminster,” Sharon says, “but Paige was in four other Columbia weddings that year. She asked if Steve and I might be open to a less traditional wedding in Lonesome Valley, in Cashiers, North Carolina, where we have a second home. We were thrilled to have our daughter and future son-in-law want to marry in the place that Steve and I hold near and dear to our hearts.”
Paige and Cordes were delighted to marry in such a spectacular and meaningful setting. “Where better to get married than the place that brings such peace and serenity?” says Paige. “Our venue, Lonesome Valley, which sits at the base of an awe-inspiring valley, was perfect, too, because it’s one of the few places in the mountains where, instead of looking out over them, you’re cradled by them. I love that feeling and Cordes does too.”
Although Paige and Cordes were to be married outside and not in a church, it was very important to the couple that the ceremony reflect their Christian values as well as have Dr. Brad Smith from Eastminster officiate. Both families treasure Brad and his special gift of sharing God’s Word.
The wedding weekend kicked off with the rehearsal at Lonesome Valley followed by a rehearsal dinner and a welcome party with a bluegrass band at Country Club of Sapphire Valley, a few minutes down the road.
On the morning of the wedding, Paige, Sharon, and Paige’s bridesmaids met at the Bryants’ Cashiers home to get ready. Paige describes getting ready as one of her favorite parts of the day. “It was like a sleepover with all of your best friends growing up — the perfect setting as I prepared for the wedding.” That afternoon, they headed down the mountain to Lonesome Valley — and after an emotional first look, Paige and Cordes were ready to say their vows.
The wedding ceremony started when a bagpiper and a string quartet hit the first notes of “Highland Cathedral,” a traditional Scottish melody special to Paige as a Heathwood Hall alumna. Paige and Cordes were married in a flower-filled meadow, surrounded by about 200 friends and family members. After the ceremony, the bagpiper led the group to a cocktail area. The reception began about an hour later in Canyon Kitchen where I Love This Band was waiting to get the party started.
Throughout the day and evening, meaningful touches were everywhere. The room was filled with dahlias, Sharon’s favorite flower. Paige had also carried a bouquet of dahlias, the bottom of which was wrapped with a piece of lace from the sleeve of the dress Sharon wore when she married Steve Bryant more than 35 years ago. To honor loved ones no longer in this life, the memory table’s silver-framed photos sat atop a cloth fashioned from the bottom of Sharon’s dress. The couple’s first dance, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” was a tribute to their love and their locale.
Paige says that the most meaningful moment of the evening was her father’s speech. “Cordes, all of our guests, and I were touched by his words of love and encouragement,” says Paige. From the grandeur of the surrounding mountains, the crisp fall air, to the magnitude of joy that filled Lonesome Valley, it was a night to remember. The couple and their families describe the evening as “truly magical.”
Working with wedding planner Meagan Warren, the Bryants planned a cocktail-style dinner filled with food that celebrated not just the South but the mountains of the South, with choices that included local trout, a grilled cheese and tomato bisque station, a raw bar, and a special bar to create custom Irish coffees. Throughout it all, everyone danced the night away. Paige says, “Meagan Warren is truly the best. She made our wedding dreams come true.”
Paige says that the best advice she received before her wedding day came from a dear friend who had recently wed. “She told me to take a few minutes each day leading up to the wedding to proclaim three things I’m thankful for and three moments during our wedding weekend that I want God to help me focus on. When those moments came in real time, I was so dialed in that now when I look back, the memories are vivid and wonderful ,” says Paige. “It was such an incredible reminder to pause to take in the beauty of God’s word during the ceremony, of the mountains, and of our love. My heart was full, and I was so happy.”