Ashton Koon, Shaw James marry

Ashton Joell’ Koon of Irmo and Shaw Williams James of Charlotte, North Carolina, were united in marriage Dec. 3 at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Irmo. Pastor Scott Lee Holland officiated the 4 o’clock ceremony.

The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Hugh Koon of Irmo. She is the granddaughter of Mrs. Josephine Leaman DeBruhl of Lexington and the late Dr. William Louis DeBruhl and Mr. and Mrs. Furman Paul Koon of Irmo. She earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Newberry College, and she is employed with Lexington School District Two as a teacher.

The groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Franklin James II. He is the grandson of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Franklin Sr. of Charlotte and the late Mr. and Mrs. Macajiah Williams of Georgetown. He earned a bachelor’s degree in sports management with a minor in business from Newberry College, and he is employed with Thermaflo Engineering.

The bride was escorted by her father. Organist Mr. English Morris provided music.

Maid of honor was Miss Corrie DeBruhl of Lexington. Bridesmaids were Miss Emma Short of Columbia; Miss Sara Peyton James of Charlotte; Miss Victoria Kimbrell of Boiling Springs; and Miss Corri Duke of North Augusta.

Best man was Mr. Nicholas Kamerer of Charlotte. Groomsmen were Mr. Christopher Krug, Mr. Alexander DuVal and Mr. Matthew Perry, all of Charlotte, and Mr. Joseph Nunamaker of Irmo.

Attendants were Mrs. Katherine Eck of Laurens and Miss Erika Stanley of Irmo. Ushers were Mr. Willaim Louis DeBruhl III and Mr. John Leaman DeBruhl, both of Lexington and Mr. Mark Tcherkezian of Charlotte.

A reception followed at 1208 Washington Place.

After their honeymoon in Barbados, the couple will reside in Columbia.

In her own words

Q: How did you meet?

A: We met at Newberry College.

Q: When did you know your fiance was “the one”?

A: I think we both knew when we saw how well our families get along together. We are so blessed to have them supporting us as we start this new chapter in our life.

Q: Tell us about the proposal.

A: I was in Newberry for their yearly Oktoberfest celebration. Shaw told me he was playing golf but instead surprised me at Oktoberfest. We walked around for a while and ended up standing in front of the restaurant where we had our first date. The next thing I knew, Shaw was on one knee asking me to be his wife.

Q: What part of the wedding day are you most looking forward to?

A: We are looking forward to starting our new life together with all of our family and friends in the same place.

Q: How did you choose the venue where you will be married?

A: 1208 is a hidden gem in Columbia. As soon as we walked in we knew this was the place. We were so lucky to find it!

This story was originally published December 4, 2016 at 12:01 AM.