Story by Paul South
Submitted Photos
In seemingly every forever love story, there’s tradition – a band of gold, a diamond engagement ring, family, friends and joy.
But while some things never change, every couple puts their own stamp on their special day.
Hallie and Hunter Craton were no exception.
But the couple added in bits of themselves. Think a down home rehearsal dinner, a bit of espionage and a trip South of the Border.
And just as Logan Martin Lake provided a breathtaking backdrop for their wedding, the ageless body of water was home to another courtship milestone.
Popping the Question
As a small-town young man raised with small town values, Hunter had already asked Hallie’s folks for her hand. But to borrow a word from college football television analysts, he had to resort to a little “trickeration” to pop the question.
“I spent a lot of weeks prior trying to sneak around town looking for rings and stuff,” he says. “Once I got the ring, I went over to my best friend’s house trying to come up with a date. I was so nervous, just talking about it.”
Hunter, along with his co-conspirators – his friends and hers – made sure she was dressed for a special night out and got her to a friend’s lakeside dock, decorated with a table, candles and pictures.
“She thought she was going to eat with her friends, and they brought her over there. When she came around the house, Hallie saw me standing on the pier.”
The couple’s parents hid nearby, to watch the big moment go down.
“I was shocked, not that he asked me. I had an idea,” Hallie says. “I expected it to happen two weeks later, on our six-year anniversary. I didn’t expect it to happen when it did.”
She initially thought someone was working on the dock when she recognized Hunter.
“I actually saw my Mom hiding in the bushes before I saw him,” she says.
Hunter said a few words that will belong to the couple alone, Hallie recalled. But the moment was emotional.
“He asked me to marry him. I was shaking, so excited. It was beautiful.”
And both wept, just as they would almost a year later on their wedding day.
The Vows
Just as the couple will keep the words of the proposal to themselves, so it was with their vows.
“We did private vows between the two of us before the wedding,” Hallie says. “Hunter isn’t much of a public speaker and we wanted to share them in private. It was very sweet and very intimate.”
The Rings
In another nod to tradition, Hallie’s engagement ring is a solitaire round diamond on a thin gold band. Her wedding band is a thin gold band with diamonds across.
“I wanted something that would be appropriate through the ages,” she says.
Hunter’s wedding band is the timeless gold band.
“Hallie talked me into it. I originally wanted a ring that was gold or wood with antler laid into it because I’m a big hunter and fisherman. “But Hallie was having none of it.”
Perhaps a bigger chore than picking a ring was buying it without Hallie finding out.
Hunter’s red pickup is easy to spot in Pell City and Hallie – her Mom says – is “nosy, always up in everybody’s business” and tracks her loved ones with her Smartphone. So, the trick for Hunter was to buy the rings without Hallie finding out.
What They Wore
Hallie’s Robert Bullock-designed dress in the Lilac Dream style was crafted from a luxurious crepe material. The form-fitting frock has a strapless bodice and features a square neckline, adding to the sophisticated look, as well as a cathedral style veil.
For the reception, Hallie added a bow to the back of the gown.
Hunter was clad in a traditional, timeless black tuxedo.
A Pulled Pork Party
While the wedding rehearsal was at the site of the wedding, the after party was celebrated at Hallie’s grandfather’s next door.
Hosted by Hunter’s Mom and stepdad, pulled pork from Butts to Go in Pell City, along with the eatery’s delicious baked potato salad and baked beans.
“Hunter’s Mom and her friends really came through. They decorated it up, and it was very nice,” Jennifer Hannah says.
Members of the family and the wedding party delivered speeches, celebrating the happy couple.
“It was really sweet and sentimental to have that special time with our closest friends and family before the wedding,” Hallie says.
In a nod to her younger years, Hallie and her bridesmaids had a sleepover at her grandfather’s house. Some of Hunter’s groomsmen did the same at his house.
A Mexican Honeymoon
The couple celebrated their honeymoon in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, at the all-inclusive Hotel Xcaret Arte.
“We had the best time,” Hallie says. “We ate at a new restaurant for lunch and dinner every day. The beach was beautiful.”
Along with lounging at the pool, the couple went scuba diving and swam through miles of caves under the turquoise water. On land, they rode ATVs.
“It was a great, great honeymoon,” Hallie says.
Hunter and Hallie worked with a travel planner. The bride likes laid back vacations. Hunter is a go-getter. The couple found middle ground.
“I like to sit on the beach and rot, I like to say. Hunter likes to do stuff and be very active. We tried to find a place that would satisfy both,” she says.
Two final notes
Hunter Craton isn’t only a gentleman, but an Auburn man to his heart. The wedding was the same day as the Tigers’ matchup with rival LSU.
“I couldn’t miss an Auburn game, even on my wedding day. It was the only thing I asked for.”
The solution was a big screen TV at the reception. Auburn lost. But no one would disagree, Hallie and Hunter won – big.
This, Hallie says, is a man with priorities. “It just tells me how lucky I am.”
And in a distinctly Logan Martin Lake love story moment, Hunter tells about when the wedding photographer wanted to get some shots of the newlyweds as the lovely sun sank in the west.
“We had to wait for a bass boat to pass before we could take the picture.”
