Southern Weddings

It’s the Tuesday before Christmas, so naturally we’re bouncing off the walls. Don’t judge – I’m sure y’all are, too!) Something besides Santa we’re excited about? Today’s Tennessee wedding from Jeremy + Ashley Parsons. As the Queen of Reality T.V., I’m pretty darn excited that Meg + Josh met while – wait for it – on the country music series Nashville Star. Talk about star-crossed lovers! My other favorite detail about this wedding at the rustic Southall Eden? The bridesmaids ahh-dorable red, yellow + white Anthropologie frocks and ruby red sandals. (The bouquets + bouttonieres, designed by A Village of Flowers, is a close third.) The bride, who wrote the song played during her big walk down the aisle, looked every bit the country superstar in a custom v-neck lace gown. Dawn Schenkel of Premier W.E.D. planned the outdoor wedding for these singing songbirds.

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. We met on a reality show, of all places! We both had moved to Nashville separately to pursue our music careers as singers and songwriters, and it was in 2007 when we crossed paths while trying out for a reality show called “Nashville Star.” Out of the 20,000 people that auditioned, we made it to the top ten on the show. It was a crazy time in our lives, being on television and falling in love at the same time. We were star-crossed. We’ve been singing, writing and touring together ever since.
Describe the proposal. Josh planned a ski trip for me and my best friends a few week before Christmas. I didn’t know that Josh had also secretly invited my parents along, too. The plan was for Josh to propose at the top of a ski slope, ski to the bottom where my friends and her parents would be waiting to surprise us and celebrate. But, being a first time skier, and spending most of his time on his butt, Josh couldn’t seem to find the right moment. It was after his final fall that he said, “Hey, I’m already down here, so… (took off his skis, got on one knee and pulled the ring out) Will you marry me?” We somehow made it to the bottom of the mountain, and met up with all our friends and family for lunch. It really was perfect day.
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Perfect, blessed and emotional.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: I wrote the song that accompanied me and my father down the aisle. It set the tone perfectly.
What was Southern about your wedding? Everything! We had hay the bales to sit on during cocktail hour, padded with quilts, galvanized tubs with beverages, mason jars with birdseed and candles, vintage linens on every cocktail table, vintage food tins as vases, and a ton of antique plates and serving dishes. The ceremony took place in a large tool/work shed and the reception was held in the hay loft of an old red barn. Our menu was down-home goodness. We served slow cooked BBQ brisket with caramelized onions, parmesan herb baked chicken, smoked gouda potatoes au gratin, half mashed red skinned potatoes, roasted vegetable macaroni and cheese, biscuits and cornbread. Our caterer did an amazing job. Our band was a rockabilly trio that we found playing one night in a Nashville honky tonk. They were a blast.