Joel Courtney and Longtime Love Mia Scholink Are Married! See Their Sweet Photos
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: The Kissing Booth's Joel Courtney and Longtime Love Mia Scholink Are Married! See Their Sweet Photos
Joel Courtney is married!
The Kissing Booth actor, 24, wed his longtime love Mia Scholink, 23, on Sept. 27. in Phoenix, AZ, surrounded by close friends and family.
″I am just so thrilled to be married,″ Courtney, 24, tells PEOPLE. ″It’s one of those things where as much planning and as much anticipation goes into the day, I’m so excited to be married to my best friend."
Although their romance first sparked in 2017, Courtney and Scholink, 23, a Beauty Counter consultant/entrepreneur, have known each other since they were toddlers.
"My parents knew Mia’s parents before either one of us were born," explains Courtney. "My dad did some web development work for her dad’s business, and they met through church and by the time Mia and I were born, we hung out for three or four years running around in diapers and play dates -- not just us, but our siblings. There are multiple photos where all five of the Scholink kids and all four of the Courtney kids are sitting around a table eating sandwiches and we’re all under the age of 14. It was so cool."
He continues: ″We reconnected in 2015 and started dating in 2017. We dated for a year and we broke up for a little bit of time and then started dating again in 2019 and it moved really quickly after that.″
Scholink says there ″was a clear sign″ for both of them at that point that they were meant to be.
″I knew she was the one,″ adds Courtney.
The couple got engaged on Valentine's Day this year and quickly started wedding planning. COVID-19 definitely put a wrinkle in some of their plans, but they were still able to have their dream wedding, with the proper precautions in place.
″The venue was at 50 percent capacity so we already had a cap [on the guest list] and we socially-distanced everybody. Masks were encouraged and worn, and temperatures were checked at the door,″ says Courtney. ″We left it up to our guests to decide their level of comfort, if they wanted to interact and talk to people, we asked that they just be wise/mindful, respect that some people might want to keep their distance and not interact.″
Adds Scholink: ″It was sad not having some people there but during these times, it was totally understandable. It was so intimate, it was all close family and friends which kept it amazing, seeing everyone close to you together.″
When asked about their favorite moments from the wedding, they have similar answers.
″No question, watching Mia walk down the aisle. I was a mess,″ says Courtney. ″My chin was trembling and I had tears in my eyes. It was everything I could do to keep them from pouring down my face. I have never experienced such joy.″
Scholink feels the same way about seeing her husband-to-be.
″Walking down the aisle was such a special moment, with everyone we know standing there and then once I saw Joel I thought, ‘Everything’s okay.’ All the stress was gone, I felt super calm. Also our first look I think was one of my favorite things in the entire world, because we hadn't seen each other since the rehearsal dinner the night before and we wrote each other letters. Also because he hadn’t seen the dress, he didn’t know anything about it.″
″She wouldn’t even tell me what her hair was going to look like or her makeup,″ says Courtney. ″I didn’t know anything about the dress other than it was maybe white."
The bride wore a beautiful gown with lace detail by Demetrios Bridal and the groom, styled by Ashley Weston, rocked an Emporio Armani black wool one-button shawl collar tuxedo with satin trim. The bridesmaids wore dresses by Show Me Your Mumu and the groomsman wore suits by The Groomsman Suit.
The happy couple is currently looking forward to their honeymoon.
″We are going to the Florida Keys, neither one of us have been,″ says Courtney. ″Mia has never been to Florida and when I talked to her originally about honeymoons she said, 'I want beaches, sun, and little umbrellas in drinks.'″
″Yeah! I just want to relax,″ Scholink says. ″And we both love the beach.″
″I said 'Say no more, I’ll run with the idea.' So yeah we’re going to be down in the Florida Keys. I’m really excited. That’s a different kind of warmth and heat, I love the ocean air.″
All in all, the newlyweds couldn't be happier together and to be married.
″I would just include that Mia was the most beautiful bride in the universe. In all of time and history, or the future." says Courtney.
Scholink [laughs] and adds: "I married the best man ever!"