Courtney Haynes, Joel Keefe to wed
Mr. and Mrs. Garris Moore Haynes of Columbia are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter, Courtney Lyn Haynes, to Joel Grady Keefe, son of Mr. and Mrs. William Dallas Keefe of Patrick.
The bride-elect, a resident of Columbia, SC, is the granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Mabry of Columbia, the late Mr. Dwight Haynes of Florence, and Mrs. Margaret Ann Taylor of Timmonsville. She graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in social work from the University of South Carolina, where she is pursuing a master’s degree in social work with a specialization in aging.
The bridegroom-elect, a resident of Columbia, is the grandson of the late Mr. and Mrs. John Motley of Patrick and the late Mr. and Mrs. James Keefe of Pamplico. He graduated cum laude from University of South Carolina with bachelor’s degree in exercise science. He is employed with Palmetto Health Baptist as a lab supervisor in histology and plans to attend medical school.
The couple plans a January wedding in Columbia.
In her own words
Q: How did you meet?
A: We met the summer before I started college, working together at Salkahatchie Summer Service in Pendleton. We became a couple three weeks later on our first official date at his brother’s wedding. We dated long-distance for a semester while I attended an upstate college until I transferred to USC, where he was already a student.
Q: When did you know your fiance was “the one”?
A: I sent my mom several texts from camp, starting the day we met, telling her I had met this guy and how different he was. Every day, I sent her another text about how special he was and that I thought I finally found someone I could see myself being with forever. He says he also knew I was different right away and that he immediately felt a connection. So I guess you could say we both sort of knew from the beginning.
Q: Tell us about the proposal.
A: Knowing how much I love The Biltmore and how much we both love Christmas, Joel planned the perfect surprise by proposing there in December! He told me to wear something nice and that we were going somewhere as my Christmas gift, but I was not sure where until we turned into the driveway for the Biltmore. Once parked, he said he wanted to get a picture on the hill in front of the house before the tour, so we headed there, where my sister and his best friend were hiding to take pictures. He told me to get the selfie stick ready, and when I turned around, he was on one knee!