From Cotillion Classes to the Cathedral

When Stephanie Wharton was a fifth grader, she never imagined that the boy escorting her at The Racquet Club of Memphis’ cotillion class would escort her once again as her husband 13 years later.

According to Stephanie, she and her then-escort Paul Stephens “didn’t necessarily become good friends,” but the duo continued to encounter each other throughout middle school and high school. After high school the native Memphians discovered they were both headed to Ole Miss. As fate would have it, a close friendship developed in Oxford, and in their second semester of freshman year, Stephanie and Paul officially started dating.

Mr. and Mrs. Paul Stephens on their wedding day

Stephanie chose her wedding palette of burgundy, ivory, peach, gold and navy because she wanted something fall-like and not too “girly.”

Throughout their courtship, the pair enjoyed spending time at Stephanie’s parents’ ranch in Senatobia, Mississippi. On February 20, 2016, Paul took an unsuspecting Stephanie for a walk on the ranch. When they reached the lake, flowers, twinkle lights and candles set the scene for Paul to pop the question. Upon returning to the house the newly engaged couple found their families ready to celebrate with champagne and pizza. To further the celebration, Paul and Stephanie returned to the site of their first date, The Como Steakhouse in Como, Mississippi. Eight months later on October 22, the two exchanged vows in a Memphis-centric celebration.