Brittney Skinner, James Ash marry
Brittney Jernell Skinner and James Ash III, both of Eastover, were united in marriage Aug. 11 at the Farm at Ridgeway in Ridgeway. Pastor Darryl R. Brooks officiated the 6 o’clock ceremony.
The bride is the daughter of William and Christina Skinner of Winnsboro. She is the granddaughter of the late Esther L. and Anthony R. Wynn. She earned a bachelor’s degree in graphic communications from Clemson University, and she is employed with Schneider Electric as a customer service coordinator and with Designs by Brittney as owner.
The groom is the son of Clotel Ash and the late James Ash Jr. He is the grandson of Mozelle Wilson and the late Edward Wilson Sr. He earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Clemson University and is employed with Schneider Electric as an electrical engineer.
The bride was escorted by her father. Saxophonist Jon Stot Juru provided music.
Matron of honor was Ezra Ash-Malachi of Eastover. Bridesmaids were Laverne Henderson and Briana Foust, both of Irmo; Dominique Geiger of Columbia; and Tamika Payton of Bellwood, Illinois. Lundon Jenkins of Virginia Beach, Virginia, was junior bridesmaid. Hastings Clotel Malachi of Eastover was flower girl.
Best man was Jarry Kuilan of Ruskin, Florida. Groomsmen were Jerrod Brown of Mount Pleasant; Vincent Fripp and Edward Wilson III, both of Greenville; and James English of Vallejo, California. Caleb Malachi of Columbia was ring bearer.
A reception followed at the Farm at Ridgeway. The couple will reside in Eastover.
In their own words
Q: How did you meet?
A: Brittney and James met on Aug. 25, 2010, at Clemson University. A mutual friend named Marcus lived in the same dorm as Brittney and asked her if she played basketball and told her that he and some friends played on Friday nights. The next semester, James sent Brittney a message on Facebook asking if she was interested in playing on their intramural basketball team. Brittney told him that she would love to! James told her that they played throughout the week and that she was welcome to join them. Later that week, Brittney met James and two of his future groomsmen, Vincent, and Jerrod, in the parking lot at Thornhill Village Apartments when James drove them to Fike to play basketball. That is where their friendship started!
Q: When did you know your fiance was “the one”?
A: I knew James was the one when I saw how he treated his family. I remember being up late one night watching TV with him, when he called his sister Ezra to make sure she made it home safely from being on call at the hospital. He made sure she was in the house and that she’d set the alarm. Family is very important to him, and he cares so much.
Q: Tell us about the proposal.
A: James proposed on Sunday, Feb. 14, 2016. After eating lunch at Taco Time with Ezra and Eric, they all walked out to the parking lot. The previous week, James had gone to GameStop to get a free code for his Pokemon game, and Taco Time just happened to be next to GameStop. As everyone walked out, James asked Brittney to check his game to make sure the code worked. James handed Brittney the game, and told her which buttons to push to “check” to see if the code worked. Brittney hit the buttons, but didn’t see anything. So James hit the buttons for her, and up popped the screen showing, “BRITTNEY SKINNER WILL YOU MARRY ME?” Brittney replied, “Are you serious!?” She looked down and found James down on one knee. Brittney said, “Of course,” but James said he wasn’t finished yet. James looked up at Brittney and repeated what was shown on the game screen, and asked her to marry him. Once again, Brittney responded, “Of course!”
Q: What part of the wedding day are you most looking forward to?
A: I am most looking forward to getting to share this special moment with our friends and loved ones.
Q: How did you choose the venue where you will be married?
A: I loved the beauty of the farm. The green grass, the nice tall trees, the pond, and the porch is wonderful!