Kimberlee Lockwood, John Cannon marry

Kimberlee Allen Lockwood and John Thomas Cannon were united in marriage March 18 at Riverland Hills Baptist Church in Irmo. The 6 o’clock ceremony was officiated by the Rev. Dr. Edward Milton Carney.

The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. David Carr Lockwood III of Irmo. She is the granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Lillard Allen Jr. of Lexington; the late Nancy Starnes Allen of Cayce; Mrs. Teddy Burrell Lockwood of Charlotte, North Carolina; and the late David Carr Lockwood Jr. of Charlotte. She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Wofford College in 2012 and a master’s degree in social work and graduate certificate in drug and addiction studies from the University of South Carolina in 2016. She is employed with the Lexington Richland Alcohol and Drug Abuse Council in Columbia.

The groom is the son of Dr. and Mrs. Stephen Bernard Cannon of Spartanburg. He is the grandson of Mrs. Betty Humphries Cannon of Spartanburg, the late John Richardson Cannon of Spartanburg, and the late Mr. and Mrs. William Thomas Ponder of Greer. He earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from Wofford College in 2012. He is employed with First Community Bank in Lexington.

The bride was escorted by her father and given in marriage by her parents. She wore an elegant ivory satin ballgown with a cathedral train. The bodice of her dress and sleeves were covered with sparkling Swarovski crystals. Her cathedral-length veil was embellished with Swarovski crystal beading.

Mrs. Amy Grace Peele Donohue of Arlington, Virginia, the bride’s lifelong best friend, served as matron of honor. Bridesmaids were Miss Sarah Ashley Assemany and Miss Sallie Rebekah Gregory, both of Greenville; Mrs. Sarah Elizabeth Allen Helsley of Elgin; Miss Emma Kiana Hughes of Lakewood Ranch, Florida; Mrs. Lauren Stephens Lavigne of Chapin; Miss Bethany Alise Moorefield of York; and Mrs. Diana Callison Price of Beaufort. Miss Emma Grace Hope served as flower girl.

Miss Allison Nicole Poole of Spartanburg was the scripture reader. Program attendants were Ms. Ali Suzanne Burns of Columbia and Miss Kristin Leigh Lawson of Lexington.

The groom’s father served as best man. Groomsmen were Mr. Todd Costner Handell, Mr. Peter Alan Mayrhofer and Mr. James Morgan Snead, all of Spartanburg; Mr. John Preston Hatch of Chicago; Mr. Robert Lee Jordan II of Birmingham, Alabama; Mr. Christopher deGraffenried Keenan Jr. of Columbia; and Mr. David Carr Lockwood IV of Irmo. Ushers were the Rev. Jacob Henry Helsley of Elgin; Mr. Casey Fulton Rogers of Chicago; and Mr. Allen Nathaniel Wilkerson of Columbia. Ring bearers were Master Avery Bland Wilkerson IV and Master Aiden Brandt Wilkerson.

Wedding music was provided by The Columbia Strings Quartet, organist Mr. Gregory Wayne Boatwright and soloist Michael Wade Allen, uncle of the bride. Ceremony music included the bride’s favorite pieces she enjoyed learning to play on her violin beginning at age 7.

A reception followed at 701 Whaley in Columbia. Guests were greeted by Mr. and Mrs. Earle Jennings Hayes and Mr. and Mrs. David Nicholas Yohan.

After a wedding trip to St. George’s, Grenada, the couple will reside in Irmo.

In her own words

Q: How did you meet?

A: God began working in our lives during our freshman year at Wofford College. John remembers the day he first noticed Kimberlee walking between two freshman residence buildings on campus. At the time, Kimberlee was dating someone and did not have the slightest clue that a sweet and handsome guy from Spartanburg had his eye on her. John and Kimberlee both joined Wofford Activities Council during their freshman year. They would see each other at the weekly WAC meetings, but Kimberlee really did not have her eye on John until Spring Weekend, a large annual WAC event. Kimberlee had been praying about her future mate throughout the course of her freshman year and put her faith in God to lead her to the man that God wanted her to marry. Kimberlee noticed that John was interested in another girl during Spring Weekend, but she could not help but hope that she would have the chance to get to know John better during their time at Wofford.

During their sophomore year, Kimberlee was a WAC committee chair, and John served as a member on Kimberlee’s committee, which required more time spent planning events. Kimberlee was always impressed with John’s willingness to serve others and his genuine kindness. John somehow managed to get Kimberlee’s phone number and began texting her. On Nov. 12, 2009, Kimberlee had a bonfire and music WAC event. John helped Kimberlee keep the bonfires going by going back and forth to the Roger Milliken Science Center to get recycled papers. Before the end of the night, John asked Kimberlee to dance, and she agreed. John asked Kimberlee for a second dance, but it was time to clean up the event. John sent Kimberlee a text that evening that said something like, “Thanks for dancing with me tonight. I really enjoyed it,” to which Kimberlee responded, “Yeah, I had fun. I guess I owe you another dance.” Kimberlee knew going down to The Row that Friday night that John would be waiting on her, and sure enough, he was. John asked Kimberlee out on their first date that weekend, which consisted of dinner and watching a meteor shower. You could say the rest is history.

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

A: On our first date.

Q: Tell us about the proposal.

A: John and I went to look at rings together in August 2015, just a few weeks before I started my last year of graduate school. In my mind, I knew that John would propose by Christmas and that we would be married in the summer of 2016. John and God, however, had other plans. As I began my last semester of graduate school, I was ready to marry John and reminded him of this quite frequently. You see, I knew before John and I ever officially started dating that John was the man God had placed in my life for me to marry. Fast forward six years later, and I was a bit ready to marry John. Graduation came, and John still had not proposed. I began questioning myself and God and wondering if John was not ready to marry me, even though he would tell me otherwise. I prayed for God to give me patience, peace and contentment in where our relationship was.

A few weeks after graduation, I planned to get together with my best childhood friend, Amy, for a day. Amy was scheduled to be in South Carolina from Washington, D.C., for a family wedding. I could not wait to have a chance to catch up. The week before Amy came to Columbia, she informed me that she would be staying an extra week to help her parents get their house ready to sell. I thought this was odd but brushed it off, excited to have a full day with Amy instead of a quick bite to eat. The week Amy flew into town was also the week before I was to start my first job as a social worker. My mom suggested that I get my nails redone so they looked good for my first day of work the next week. This was my first clue that something was up. I never keep my nails manicured and found this suggestion silly, but I obliged and went to get my nails done. After all, Mom was paying. For my second clue, in the middle of the week, I suggested to John that he needed to get his hair cut soon. To my surprise, John got his hair cut during lunch the next day. John getting his hair cut during lunch was not abnormal, but how quickly he got his hair cut after I commented was unusual. Also, while talking to my mom on the phone one day that week, she asked what my plans were for the weekend. I told her that Amy and I were having a “best friends day,” and we were probably going to Spartanburg to walk around Converse College (where Amy went to school) and have lunch. Mom commented and said, “Ohhhh.” I can still hear the pitch in her voice, which was my third clue that something was up. All week long, I kept telling myself that there was no way John was going to propose on Saturday; after all, it was best friends day, but a big piece of me hoped that he would propose and that I was not going crazy reading too much into all of the “clues.” On Friday of that week, I came home to my dad pressure-washing the deck, which was my fourth clue that something was up. I had always told John that I would love a get-together with family and a few friends after the proposal, and I knew when I saw my dad pressure-washing that he had to be doing it for a reason, even though he denied having a particular reason when I asked him.

That Friday night, I texted Amy to see what she was wearing for our “best friend day,” and she told me she would be wearing a sundress because she had been sweaty and dirty all week cleaning up the house and needed to feel like a lady. This honestly did not throw me off, as this is something Amy would totally say and want to do. I will say, when picking out my outfit for Saturday on Friday night, I made sure to think of something that would photograph well in the event that John did decide to propose. See? It really is hard to surprise me. Amy also gave me the option of going to Charleston or Spartanburg, but being Memorial Day weekend, I chose Spartanburg. Amy insisted on driving to Spartanburg, and so I reluctantly let her. Before leaving Columbia, we talked to my mom for a little while, drove around our old high school, and I got her lost trying to take her a back way to the interstate. Not once did I see Amy check the time, or seem like we were pressed for time. I remember thinking, “Well, there is no way John is going to propose if we are not on some type of schedule.” On the way to Spartanburg, we discussed lunch options, and I threw out the idea of going to Converse Deli, where John and I had our first date. I mentioned to Amy that this is where we had our first date and that I had not eaten there since. We easily decided to go eat lunch there. As we drove into downtown Spartanburg, Amy asked me various questions about John proposing and when I thought he would, and if I thought he would, etc. It was all I could do to not say, “Well, I was really hoping it would be today,” but I did not because I did not want to ruin best friends day. Amy and I enjoyed a great lunch at Converse Deli and took a stroll around Converse College afterward. We had planned to go to Wofford to walk around after Converse, and as we were pulling out of Converse, Amy offered me a piece of gum. This was my fifth clue that something may be up. As we pulled into Wofford, Amy commented about wanting to go see “a garden on campus,” to which I replied, “Oh yeah, Martha’s Garden.” Martha’s Garden was almost right next to where we parked, but I insisted that we walk all the way around campus to see the new Greek houses and how awful the back of the senior Phase V living space looked. Little did I know I was putting myself in danger of seeing John waiting in Martha’s Garden to propose. John told me he was washing dishes about this time, which I thought was strange, because this was not an activity that John does on Saturdays. Anyways, as we approached Phase V, I saw Amy pull out her phone and start texting. I thought to myself, “She is either texting Ross (her husband) or John,” secretly hoping it would be John. As we rounded the corner between Wightman and Lesene, the two junior residence halls, my heart began to beat faster. I really wanted John to be at Martha’s Garden. I was excited to see that he was and quickly gave Amy my purse and my sunglasses and went to go see my Prince Charming.

I obviously knew what was about to happen and hugged John and enjoyed a few moments of telling him how much I loved him. John then told me he wanted to sing me a song. I practically melted right then and there. You see, for over SIX years, all I have wanted is for John to sing to me. He always told me he would sing to me “one day,” and I am so glad that the first day he chose to sing to me was the day he proposed. John sang “Shine Through the Stars” by Chasen, a Christian band. John had me tearing up with his sweet voice and the lyrics he sang to me as he held my hands. John got down on one knee after telling me how he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me and asked me to marry him. I said, “YES!” John had a good friend and photographer, Rebecca Butcher, there to capture it all. Our parents, my brother (who drove up from Savannah during exam week), and our dog, Milli, were also there hiding behind a building. It was super sweet and special to have my best friend and our families there to witness such a special time in our lives. I also loved having Rebecca there to photograph the engagement since I had talked to her many times about John proposing.

I rode back to Columbia with Amy as she kept talking to her family about eating dinner in Sumter. I was a little bummed because I was hoping John would have planned something with our families. When we drove down our street and I did not see any cars, I knew there was no way our families were at the house to celebrate. I was a bit confused as to why my dad would have pressure-washed the deck the day before, but just focused on the fact that I was engaged to my Prince Charming. We walked in the house, and I heard my dad say, “Hey Kimberlee, come in here.” About the same time, I saw several glasses out on the counter and walked into the room with our families and a few friends waiting to surprise us and celebrate our engagement. It was such a sweet and special end to the day. For someone who is very hard to surprise, John sure did a good job surprising me with an awesome get-together with our family and friends.

John spent so much time and effort planning the perfect proposal, and it was 100 percent worth the six-and-a-half-year wait.”

Q: What was your favorite part of the wedding day? Or, what are you most looking forward to?

A: We are both most looking forward to celebrating this exciting and special time in our lives with the most wonderful family and friends who have loved and supported us throughout our lives. It is the presence of the people we love and cherish that makes our wedding day such a joyous occasion.

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

A: We loved the history of 701 Whaley and the openness of the venue.

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

A: Ceremony music included the bride’s favorite pieces she enjoyed learning to play on her violin beginning at the tender age of 7.

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

A: The bride’s handkerchief was originally given to her as a baby bonnet from Ms. Sherry Harvey Crain. The poem enclosed instructed her to save it for her “something old” on her wedding day.

The bride’s “something new” was her wedding dress.

Attached around the bride’s bouquet for her “something borrowed” and “something blue” are an angel pin and a set of blue sapphire and diamond earrings once worn by her Nana, Nancy Starnes Allen.

Instead of a silver sixpence, the bride placed inside her shoe the quarter her dad gave her before she left for college, reminding her he was only a phone call away.

Kimberlee honored the memory of her Nana and Gramps by having the ring bearers carry their Bibles.

This story was originally published March 19, 2017 at 12:01 AM with the headline "Kimberlee Lockwood, John Cannon marry."