Three years ago, Courtney had ended a long time relationship and was not planning on starting a new relationship anytime soon. A friend of Courtney’s suggested that she try a new dating app called “Tinder.”  For those who do not know what the college age dating app is, pictures of guys or girls show up on your phone screen, and you can swipe a check to show you are interested or an X to pass. If the person in the picture also swipes on the check, you match and can message each other.  After a few weeks of using Tinder, Courtney and her family were driving through College Station on their way back to Houston. Trying to kill some time in the car, Courtney pulled up Tinder and swiped right on James’ photo. Throughout the day, James’ photo kept appearing indicating that the something was wrong with the app. After swiping right every time his picture appeared, Courtney got frustrated and started swiping on the X.  A few days later, Courtney received a message from James; they had matched on Tinder. The two talked through the app non-stop for a week. Another week went by, Courtney and a friend decided to take a trip to College Station to meet with James. The two hit it off instantly; the following weekend Courtney made another road trip to visit James again. A month later, James asked Courtney to be his girlfriend. 

One of the most memorable days spent together while dating was a date zip lining at Lake Travis. Courtney, being deathly afraid of heights, committed to the activity for James’ birthday. Being only six months into their relationship, this was a big step for Courtney. Zip lining was a success, and the two found that they could concur anything as long as it was together. 

Courtney, 22 years old, enjoys monogramming and spending time with family while James, 23 years old, loves to fish, hunt, and watch sports. The two love to travel, go on date nights to the movies and watch sports. 

The two became engaged on May 8th of 2015. James went to San Marcos to spend the weekend with Courtney and some friends. The couples decided to meet at the Dutchman Family Winery. As they pulled up to the winery, James parked a long way from the entrance to the restaurant, annoying Courtney. Lelia, one of the friends of the couple took out her camera and began to take pictures of the winery.  Lelia walked over to a wedding area in the vineyard and asked Courtney and James if they wanted their picture taken, to which they responded yes! As they started the mini photoshoot, James kept tapping on Courtney’s shoulder. Not understanding, James grabs Courtney and turns her towards him. He got down on one knee and asked if Courtney would be his wife, she excitedly said YES! After the picture taking was finished, the couples walked to the restaurant where Courtney was surprised with her closest family and friends to celebrate the engagement!   

Courtney, loving the wedding planning process, chose blush (Courtney’s favorite color)  as their main wedding color with hints of gray, shades of white and silver mercury glasses for a neutral color. The seven bridesmaids wore blush long chiffon dresses, and the seven groomsmen wore light gray suits with blush ties. After going back and forth on a theme, Courtney final decided on a garden theme. She is obsessed with greenery, garland, and wreaths so she wanted to incorporate those aspects into their wedding day. Courtney chose lush blooms of white hydrangeas with blush peonies, ranunculus, and garden roses. 

The spring wedding began on May 20th of 2016 with 240 of the couples friends and family assembling on The Grove ceremony site at Ma Maison. After the touching wedding ceremony, the attendees gathered on The Trellis for drinks and hors d’oeuvres. Once the cocktail hour ended, guests moved to The Grand Hall for the reception. The celebration ended with a sparkler exit by the new Mr. and Mrs. James Bobalik. With their wedding on a Friday, the couple chose a few days to relax at the Omni Barton Creek Resort before they left for their honeymoon that following Sunday. Hawaii was their honeymoon destination where they spent ten beautiful days soaking up the sun on the beach, sightseeing, and relaxing as a newly married couple.