Catherine Davenport, Jacob Flowers marry

Catherine Margaret Davenport and Jacob August Flowers, both of Columbia, were united in marriage on Friday, October 14, 2016, in the Memorial Garden at the Lace House on the grounds of the Governor’s Mansion. The Rev. Kevin Roberts officiated the 5:30 p.m. ceremony, with a reception following in the Lace House.

The bride is the daughter of the late James Raymond Davenport III and Debra Burton Davenport of Columbia. After earning her bachelor’s degree in English at the University of South Carolina, she is now pursuing a master’s degree in public history there as a recipient of the Becht Fellowship. She is employed with Historic Columbia as a graduate curator.

The groom is the son of Mr. Jeffery Allen Flowers and Mrs. Erin Michelle Flowers of Hummelstown, Pennsylvania. He received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the College of William & Mary and his Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina. He works as an attorney for the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs.

Maids of honor were Kayla Small and Danielle Smith. Bridesmaids were Emily Eckert, Sydney Ford, Sara Goodwin, Hannah Greenway, Claire Kudlata, Jenny Overfield, Callie Thompson, and Taylor Trachtenberg.

The best man was the groom’s brother, Christian Flowers. Groomsmen were Jamie Cooke, Brian DeWillie, Konstantine Diamaduros, James Giebink, Spencer Giles, T. J. Harrington, Sean Kelley, and Adam Stovall.

The bride, given in marriage by her mother, wore a custom Eugenia Couture gown of lace and tulle, with a train of alternating silk and lace panels.

The flower girl was Adair Hinson, and the ring bearers were Colton Fisher and Logan Fisher.

Greeters were Sydney Kirk and Laurel Kirk, and Kathleen Kirk was the guest book attendant.

After a honeymoon in Punta Cana, the couple will reside in Columbia.

In her own words

Q: How did you meet?

A: We met through a mismatched assortment of mutual friends!

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

A: Our first date! On a picnic in Finlay Park, Jacob ended up saving a stray dog that wandered near our spot and returning the little guy home. From then on, Catherine knew he was special.

Q: Tell us about the proposal.

A: Jacob took Catherine back to Finlay Park on their one-year anniversary, under the pretense of recreating the picnic they shared on their first date. As the sun set over Columbia, the city where we had met, he asked if she would be his wife (and of course, she said yes).

Q: What was your favorite part of the wedding day?

A: Jacob surprised Catherine with a moving tribute to her dad. After losing him to cancer four years earlier, everyone missed his warm presence on this special day. So, Jacob gathered a video of Catherine’s parents’ wedding day and arranged for it to be played on a large screen while they had their first dance – “so that he can share our dance with us.”

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

A: The Lace House was truly the only place for us. The history, the beautiful architecture, and the gorgeous gardens were perfect for giving out-of-town guests a glimpse of the South.

Q: What was the significance of the music played during your ceremony?

A: Our first dance song, Art Garfunkel’s “I Only Have Eyes for You,” is a favorite of the bride and was so special to hear over her parents’ wedding video. And you bet we also embraced the corniness of every classic reception song.

Q: Did you have something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue? What were they?

A: I carried carried a pearl clutch purse that has been in my family since the 1920s for my “something old.”

My dress was my “something new.”

“Something borrowed” was a necklace made from the engagement diamond my dad gave my mom.

And “something blue” was a heart sewn into my dress from the fabric of one of my dad’s blue shirts that he wore every day as a journalist (at The State for a long time). He was near me the whole day.

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