Tessa Monahan, Kellen Failor marry

Tessa Elizabeth Monahan and Kellen Michael Failor, both of Columbia, were united in marriage Aug. 6 at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Columbia. The Rev. Msgr. Richard D. Harris officiated the 1 o’clock ceremony.

The bride is the daughter of Ellen Easterby Monahan and Thomas Monahan, both of Columbia. A graduate of the University of South Carolina, she is employed with the S.C. Department of Commerce.

The groom is the son of Ruth Failor and David Failor. A graduate of Salisbury University, he is employed with CGI Federal.

The bride was escorted by her father. Mrs. Janet Marks, organist, provided music.

Matron of honor was Kelley Monahan Prust of Houston. Bridesmaids were Jillian Lowman, Lauren Meads, and Stephanie Stewart, all of Columbia. Bailey Prust of Houston was flower girl.

Best man was Brian Snyder of Omaha, Nebraska. Groomsmen were Eric Snyder of Omaha, Nebraska; Gary Stewart of Roswell, Georgia; and Jonathan Moore of Baltimore. Seth Prust of Houston was ring bearer.

A reception followed at Stone River.

After their honeymoon in Key West, Florida, the couple will reside in Columbia.

In her own words

Q. How did you meet?

A. My longtime friend Taylor was visiting me in New York City. At that point, I had only been living in New York for a short time, so it was a weekend full of having fun getting lost and laughing hysterically trying to navigate the city. Saturday night we had an amazing dinner on the rooftop of Eaterly in the Flatiron District. I remember eating Caprese salads with beautiful summer tomatoes and drinking pink champagne – toasting to how fabulous and sophisticated we (thought we) were. I was expecting to have a great night with a great friend. Little did I know that I would meet the love of my life and things would change forever.

After dinner, we headed to the East Village and landed outside a bar – Boulton & Watt. Taylor and I were chatting when a group of guys walked towards us. One of them (Kellen) asked, “Is there anything going on around here?” We looked at each other, laughed and replied, “This is New York City, I’m sure you’ll figure something out.”

The rest of the night went by in a flash. Kellen was hosting a group of friends and showing them around town for a bachelor party. They didn’t stick around for long, but we did have a chance to chat for a while and exchange numbers.

My time in New York had its ups and downs, but that was a magical night that changed everything. I remember watching Kellen as he walked away and crossed the street moving farther away from me. I couldn’t help but wonder if I would ever see him again. Sure enough, I did – and now we are getting married!

Q. Tell us about the proposal.

A. Everyone who knows us knows that we like to play tennis. When Kellen first moved to the South, we had such fun being outside, enjoying all of the luxuries available to us once we escaped the daily grind of the East Coast. I started teaching Kellen how to play tennis on a warm spring day in 2014. Since that day, Kellen has never put the racquet down – which is great, until we’ve hit the 300th ball on a hot summer day and he has no intention of slowing down.

The heat in South Carolina is at its absolute peak in August. One hot August morning, Kellen suggested that we hit the tennis court at noon. Keep in mind that when you play on a hard tennis court in the summer in South Carolina, you can feel the heat radiating off the ground. It is absolutely brutal and takes most of your energy just to survive, let alone play tennis with any kind of skill. I replied to Kellen by saying, “You’re crazy.” This particular day, Kellen was not taking no for an answer and insisted that we play for at least 30 minutes, so I had no choice but to oblige.

We took a ball hopper out to the court with us. Kellen set it up, and we took our positions on opposite sides of the court. I started hitting the balls one by one to Kellen, and he started hitting each one directly into the net. I started to say, “I told you it was too hot!” but before I could, I picked up a ball, and underneath was a small black and gold box at the bottom of the ball hopper. I reached for the box and knew immediately was it was.

I am still so overwhelmed with joy. I can barely believe how much has happened in two years and that I have been blessed with such a wonderful fiance. That moment was so special because it was just us out there. He knew that no one would be crazy enough to go to the park in that heat. We were by ourselves – it was truly our moment, and it was perfect.

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

A. I am most looking forward to marrying to love of my life!

Q. How did you choose the church where you will be married?

A. I went to school and have attended church at St. Joseph’s for my whole life.