Aindrea Dunton, Philippe Hochadel marry
Aindrea Hollie Dunton of Little Mountain and Philippe Jerome Hochadel, previously of Neuburg an der Donau, Germany, were united in marriage Aug. 27 at the top of Little Mountain. Robert L. Wessinger officiated the 2 o’clock ceremony.
The bride is the daughter of William R. “Robbie” and Anne Stoudemire Dunton of Little Mountain. She is the granddaughter of Gerald W. “Jerry” and Faye C. Stoudemire of Little Mountain and the late William A. “Bill” and Peggy L. Dunton of West Columbia. She is the great-granddaughter of George M. and Dorothy G. “Dot” Stoudemire of Little Mountain and the late Walter H. and Ruth D. Counts of Prosperity.
The groom, a resident of Little Mountain, is the son of Reinhold Steinberger of Neuberg an der Donau, Germany. He is the grandson of Manfred and the late Albertine Hochadel and Luise and the late Josef Steinberger, all of Germany.
The bride was escorted by her father and given in marriage by her parents. The sounds of nature – birds singing and wind in the trees – provided music.
Maid of honor was Rebekah Ruth “Becka” Smith of Seneca. Bridesmaid was Amanda Sue Crane of Little Mountain.
Best man was Joseph Soper of Savannah, Georgia. Groomsman was Brandon Taylor Dunton of Little Mountain.
A formal renewal of vows and reception will be held in April 2017 for friends and extended family.
The couple will reside in Little Mountain.
In her own words
Q: How did you meet?
A: We met on Halloween while I was working the firearms sales counter at Sportsmans Warehouse. (I was dressed as a “buck-ette” for Halloween.) Philippe and a colleague came to look at firearms; his colleague mentioned Philippe was from Germany and gracefully left the conversation. We continued to talk about firearms, our interests, etc., and he asked me to the upcoming University of South Carolina football game, which I declined due to my work schedule. He gave me his phone number, which I kept but did not call. I loved talking to him. We had so many of the same interests, and after two more times of him visiting and shopping, I decided to contact him.
Q: When did you know your spouse was “the one”?
A: On the first date we went to the movies. Not only did we have similar interests and personalities, but he also was a perfect gentleman; he did not try the routine most guys employ at the movies. It showed that he respected me, and still does, as well as respects my personal boundaries.
Q: Tell us about the proposal.
A: My parents and I went to Germany with Philippe and visited the beautiful Neuschwanstein Castle, also known as the Fairytale Castle, in the Bavarian Alps. I never knew he had my mother “keeping the ring safe from the United States until the proposal in Germany” until he was READY. He intended to propose inside of the castle, but the timing and atmosphere were just never right. We started walking down a path and came upon a beautiful partially dry river bed with gorgeous rocks and views of the Alps, and as I was “playing around” picking flowers and playing in the little bit of water, I never saw him retrieve the ring from my mother. He surprised me by running up behind me (didn’t know until later he almost dropped the ring while trying to catch me), he put his arms around me, asking me if, I really wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. My verbal response was, “DUH?” while in my head I was thinking, “Why would you even ask me that? You know that I do!” Then he took me by the shoulders, turning me around and went down on one knee, holding out a beautiful rose gold ring with a leafy vine pattern and inset with diamonds. Before I realized what was going on, my eyes filled with tears and of course the answer was yes!
Q: What was your favorite part of the wedding day?
A: Marrying someone I truly never thought I would find. The setting was natural and beautiful with only the sounds of the wind in the trees, and birds chirping.
Q: How did you choose the venue where you were married?
A: It was an easy decision, we both love nature and the outdoors, and Philippe has loved the top of Little Mountain ever since he saw it the first time.
Q: Did you have something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue? What were they?
A: Old and borrowed was a beautiful antique bracelet from my great-great-grandmother, which had been passed to her daughter and then to my mother. New was my dress, which was purchased during the trip to Germany, and blue was streaks of color throughout my hair, which is part of my normal style.