YOU BEFORE ME – Alaina Courtney & Jhonatan Urbina

Photography by Amy Riley Wobser

The serene setting of Alaina and Jhonatan’s wedding ceremony was exactly the way Alaina envisioned it; “very simplistic but elegant.”

Family and friends gathered around one of the large oak trees that give Eden Gardens State Park its enchanted look.
The bride wore her sister’s earrings (something borrowed), her grandmother’s ring (something old), and looked stunning in a champagne-tone layered dress. Unlike most weddings, Alaina opted for a daytime event. “I wanted to be able to enjoy the beautiful outdoor setting with the large trees and beautiful landscape,” Alaina says. “I felt that a wedding brunch would be perfect.” Guests enjoyed a wonderful brunch buffet with delicious tropical fruit, international cheese specialties, savory omelets with crawfish gravy, Carolina shrimp and grits, and fried chicken and waffles with bourbon syrup. The menu also included coffee and doughnuts as ‘must-haves’ for the bride. “After the ceremony, there was this moment when we both realized how beautiful everything turned out. The birds were chirping, the sun was shining through the trees, there was a light breeze, and the soft sound of music played by local singer-songwriter Anthony Peebles added joy to our day. It was simply perfect. Everyone loved it so much. Several of our friends said they would love to get married the same way.”

While Jhonatan thought they should either have a large wedding or a destination wedding, he was very happy with how well everything turned out. The couple had agreed that the ceremony should be brief and decided against several of the usual wedding traditions. “It was just the two of us in front of God. We did not nominate bridesmaids and groomsmen as we did not want to pick and choose among our friends, who all were there during the wedding celebration.”

Their love story started years after graduating from the same high school. While they had not crossed paths during their years in school, she remembers that he played soccer.

Three years ago, Alaina had just moved back home from Tampa and attended Northstar Church’s evening service. Jhonatan led worship that evening and they noticed each other immediately. “When we finally met officially, she waved and said, ‘How have you been… it’s so good to see you!’ But I knew that we had never spoken before,” Jhonatan remembers with a large smile. “She is very outgoing. She can talk about everything and can also talk about nothing. Acts of service is how she shows her love and she constantly helps everyone.”

“He has a huge heart and is very passionate about the Lord. He is gentle, calm, and laid back. We balance each other,” Alaina says about her husband who has been a volunteer worship leader for the past four years a role that he would like to eventually pursue full-time. A graduate of worship arts, Jhonatan currently works as an associate at a local bank. Alaina is a very busy hair stylist. Both have been dedicating most of their spare time to their church.

As they started spending time with each other, they felt very comfortable. When he unexpectantly met her parents one day, Alaina’s mother was immediately impressed with Jhonatan. “He is the kind of guy you have to keep in your life,” she told her daughter. Her mother was right, of course. “It all just flowed from there,” Alaina says. “Nothing was pressured. Our relationship grew and we took the next step.” But Jhonatan’s proposal still came as a sophisticated and well-planned surprise. The couple had made plans to go backpacking on a weekend but the weather conditions were not ideal. They changed their plans and went to Birmingham on a city discovery trip instead. Alaina did not even suspect that he would propose as the trip was a last-minute decision. She had no idea that Jhonatan, with the help of a mutual friend, arranged that a group of photographers would be waiting for the couple above the famed 1931 tunnel, Railroad Park’s best lookout point with stunning views of the city lights at nighttime.

As the photographers waited for the couple to arrive, Alaina, who had walked a lot that day, was so tired that she refused to walk up the hill to see the city lights. Jhonatan had to use all his charms and convincing techniques to get her to the lookout point. He pretended to be surprised to see the photographers there and in turn, they pretended to be there for a school project. “Would you mind taking a picture of us?” he asked nonchalantly.

When the photographers started to light sparklers, Alaina got suspicious. She remembers thinking, “What are the odds of meeting a group of photographers up here?” Of course, once Jhonatan fell to one knee, she understood what this was all about. Despite her hurting feet, she happily said, “Yes.”

After a few months of marriage, they are confident and happy. “I feel that the more time we spend together, our relationship gets so much better,” Alaina says.

Their dedication to each other and to God is a solid foundation for their lives. “It changes everything. It helps change attitude, the way we communicate and look at each other, the way we spend time with each other. Things are more meaningful in a way.”

Jhonatan explains; “It’s you before me. Putting God’s word first is literally the number one thing. It makes me be selfless. I must give 100 percent–my all. I can’t think about myself. I will think about Alaina first and she does the same for me. We think about the other first.” And what do they think about the word “obey” in wedding vows? “God said, if you love me, you obey my commands,” Jhonatan reflects. “The word “obey” sounds weird nowadays, it gets twisted. I think the sentence needs to be understood as; ‘When you love someone, then you would want to do things that make them happy… it’s almost an ‘obey.’ You should understand it as, ‘The more you love me, the more you would want to please me.’ If you love someone, you will want them to be happy. In marriage, I will put my wife first in my life. There is no room for selfishness.” After a dreamy honeymoon on a cruise ship in the Bahamas, their wedding day is still the most memorable event. “Simplicity was important to me,” Alaina says. “Everyone who was a part of our day made it so much better. So many people were able to come even though it was a Friday brunch wedding. And the best part is we got to spend time celebrating our big day with them. We were not stressed one bit. We could enjoy the beautiful day, lovely park, and a wonderful time with family and friends.”

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THE BRIDE’S FAMILY

Sionna Courtney

Allen Courtney

Alicia Hedgecock (sister)

THE GROOM’S FAMILY

Ada Urbina

Antonio Urbina

Ligia Urbina (sister)

Israel Urbina (brother)

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[box type=”info” align=”aligncenter” ]If you would like to have your wedding featured, please send an email to wedding@panamacityliving.com.[/box]