We had known each other casually for a few years, but on one fateful night in June 2016 a few of Erin's friends decided she needed to go out and have some fun. Jarrett had been working the door at Lula's a Pub on Fridays for over a year. Jarrett was outside when Erin arrived with friends in tow. Erin did not realize he worked there and upon seeing him immediately lit up and was suddenly very grateful she came out. Jarrett was equally excited to see her and asked her where she had been since he hadn't seen her in a while. Jarrett had to maintain working throughout the evening, but every chance he got he spent time talking to Erin. She was flirting shamelessly with him. Even going so far as to propose a "butt competition" to see who had the better "posterior". Jarrett won and earned one whole dollar in the process. Before Erin left with her friends Jarrett told her "We should do this again... sooner rather than later" While Jarrett was helping close the bar that night he set an alarm to remind himself the next morning to send Erin a message. When he woke up the next day he was pleasantly surprised to see a message waiting for him from her. Within a week he asked her to be his girlfriend and the rest is history.
Amid the chaos and confusion of the 2020 Pandemic, We had a silver lining thru the rain when we bought our first house together! We had been looking off and on for around a year, taking large breaks due to Erin working in Charlotte, the Covid quarantine and the unexpected loss of Erin's beloved mother Guinnell. After many months and over 30 houses, we found a cozy two-story house in a quiet neighborhood that suits us and our cherished cat Jasmine just perfectly. We decorated it with a mix of furniture from our old condo, one-off finds, some family heirlooms and a giant trip to Ikea. We are grateful for our haven every single day and have already cultivated precious memories in our home.
Jarrett proposed to Erin on the sidewalk in front of the Cape Fear River on their 5th anniversary of dating on June 17, 2021. He had been planning this moment for over three months. He had told his entire family and had gotten blessings from both of her brothers when two weeks before the date, tragedy struck. Jarrett's older brother Jeremy suffered an unexpected heart attack and passed away on June 5th. A hero and mentor to Jarrett, his last words to him were of total love and support for the upcoming nuptials. Jarrett, being shocked and devastated, at the sudden loss of his brother, questioned going thru with the proposal. His heart was broken and there seemed no room for joy or celebration. But the day before the anniversary arrived, a hail mary conversation with his Best Man Andrew Horton, reinforced that not only did he need to carry forth with his own journey but that Jeremy would never have wanted him to alter his plans due to his death. Being one of the most thoughtful, selfless people in Jarrett's life, Jeremy wanted nothing more than to see Jarrett living in love and happiness. Jarrett astonished Erin when after taking her to dinner at Circa 1922, he asked her to go for a walk and proposed in front of the river as the sun-set. Erin, having watched Jarrett's heart ripped from him, was floored that he was courageous enough to ask for her hand in the midst of his pain. She shrieked with astonishment and delight and even though he forgot to actually say the part of "Will you marry me?", When she saw the ring and heard his story of why he was doing it now she said the easiest "Yes" she has ever said. She would marry Jarrett today, tomorrow, and any future lifetimes that he would care to reserve for her. After the proposal, Erin was even further shocked that some of their friends had been hiding in the bushes to take photos and video. Then they whisked them away to a preset celebration at the lovely home of Corrie and James Slay. It was a magical night.
As we approach one of the happiest days of our lives, there are some major holes in our hearts and guest list. As mentioned before, Jarrett's older brother Jeremy left the earth prematurely last summer. He is an honorary groomsman and all of his children have delightfully agreed to be part of the wedding party. Also missing are both of Erin's parents, Donald and Guinnell Hunter. Donald passed away in 2005 and Guinnell went to join her beloved husband in April of 2020. Donald unfortunately never got to meet Jarrett but Guinnell adored him. She referred to him as the mellow fellow and was constantly swapping cooking tips with him and used him as her instant pot guru. We love and miss Jeremy, Mama, and Daddy more than we can ever express and are so grateful for the time that we had with them. We feel their love and support on this day and every day.