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  4. Kacey Musgraves and Ruston Kelly's Charming Tennessee Wedding
Martha Stewart Weddings

Kacey Musgraves and Ruston Kelly's Charming Tennessee Wedding

eleni-gage-0314-8551-d111150.jpg
By Eleni N. Gage
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bride groom portrait
Credit: N Barrett Photography

The country singers said "I do" in a party that featured a dash of whimsy, some Southern staples, and a healthy dose of good music.

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bride groom portrait
Credit: N Barrett Photography

When Kacey Musgraves met Ruston Kelly, she could hear music playing. Mainly because she was in the audience at Nashville's famed Bluebird Cafe, where Ruston was performing a "songwriter's round" showcase. "His songs really spoke to me," the country star says, so she suggested they collaborate—and they set a date to work together. "The second that he walked through my door, I had this feeling like my entire world changed."

"We were pretty inseparable from then on," says Ruston, who proposed a year and a half later, on Christmas Eve. He surprised Kacey with vintage decorations in her childhood bedroom and, of course, an appropriate soundtrack: a recording of Henry Mancini's "Two for the Road," which Kacey calls "a really special, nostalgic old song." The pair played the same tune 10 months later for their first dance as husband and wife, after a nondenominational ceremony officiated by Ruston's best friend, on a Tennessee farm "where two rivers flow into one," says Kacey. After exchanging vows they'd written on Ruston's old typewriter, the bride and groom kissed—and 200 guests showered them with confetti in the day's palette of green, pink, gold, berry, and white. Then everyone headed to the barn for a cocktail- and-popcorn hour, followed by an outdoor dinner featuring wood-fired pizza served from a pizza truck. Guests sat where they wanted, if they wanted—some preferred to spend the night dancing to music played by the "Motown Mondays" DJs from the 5 Spot bar in Nashville. As the night ended, the newlyweds "twirled under everybody's gold sparklers, ran down the long gravel road to the carriage house where we were staying, and watched the glow from the sparklers fade out," says Kacey. "It was like a slow-motion movie moment."

The entire night was magical, but for Ruston, the best part was watching Kacey walk down the aisle to songs he had written for her, played on banjo and cello by two of Kacey's bandmates. "The musician in me was like, I can't wait to hear how this sounds," recalls Ruston. "But in that moment, when I saw her, it was like everything went silent in my head." Proving that even for two singers, there are some things in life more powerful than music.

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The Stationery

stationery suite
Credit: N Barrett Photography
24 Wedding Details You Can Gild with Gold Foil

The gold-embellished invitations featured hand-lettering by
 Alli K of Alli K Design and a floral motif. "Rusty loves wildflowers, so it was important to include them," says Kacey.

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Bridle Shower

bride with horse
Credit: N Barrett Photography
40 Chic Cascading Wedding Bouquets

At the October 14, 2017, wedding, both the bride and her horse dressed to thrill. Kacey wore a lace gown by Berta; her horse, a floral wreath made by Bows + Arrows Flowers.

Kacey wanted a lush, trailing bouquet and she got it with this cascade of dahlia, garden roses, hellebores, strawflower, lisianthus, cosmo, lysmachia and wildflowers tied together with a honey-colored velvet ribbon.

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The First (Non) Look

bride and groom reading
Credit: N Barrett Photography

Kelly and Ruston didn't want to see each other before the wedding, but did want to take portraits together pre-ceremony. They settled on a non-look "first look." Says Kacey, "We were both led to the middle of the field, eyes closed, and placed back to back. We grabbed each other's hands and said hello without looking at each other. He had no idea what my dress looked like but he touched it and was surprised by the beading. I passed him a sweet, little embroidered heart with a personal note on it."

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Something Green

couple portrait
Credit: N Barrett Photography

"I love emerald green, and I like the texture that velvet brings to everything," says Kacey. So much so that Ruston found a green velvet jacket to wear for the ceremony.

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Green Velvet

green bowties
Credit: N Barrett Photography

The best man, the groom's brother-in-law, and another close friend wore green velvet bow ties that matched Ruston's jacket.

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With This Ring

ring
Credit: N Barrett Photography

Kacey designed her own engagement ring, shown here atop the vows she banged out on Ruston's typewriter.

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Nontraditional Bouts

boutonnieres
Credit: N Barrett Photography

Instead of traditional boutonnières, gents wore miniature wreaths of rosemary, hyacinth, and wild grasses tied with amber and taupe velvet ribbons.

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A Stylish Hankie

handkerchief horseshoe
Credit: N Barrett Photography

Alli K Design created this logo featuring two of the day's main motifs—horseshoes and flowers—and printed it onto a handkerchief as a memento for the bride.

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Aisle Style

wedding aisle
Credit: N Barrett Photography
14 Beautiful Ways to Elevate Your Ceremony Aisle

The floral designers at Bows + Arrows Flowers used local greenery and grasses along with dahlias, cosmos, Queen Anne's lace, and larkspur to create a natural "aisle" that looked as if it had grown on the site.

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All in the Family

wedding siblings
Credit: N Barrett Photography

Ruston's brother 
and Kacey's sister were the wedding's only adult attendants.

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The Ring Bearer

ring bearer
Credit: N Barrett Photography
Dapper Ring Bearers Who Completely Stole Our Hearts

The ring bearer, Dash, wore a maroon velvet suit by Appaman.

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Flower Girl Power

flower girl throwing petals
Credit: N Barrett Photography
The Prettiest Pink Dresses for Your Flower Girls

Flower girl Dylan wore a pink dress from Itty Bitty Toes and tossed confetti out of a little plastic swan. "It kind of went with the woodland theme, and it was funny," says Kacey. "Who doesn't like a swan filled with glitter and confetti?"

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A Momentous Occasion

wedding guests
Credit: N Barrett Photography

The ceremony was short, but sweet, and a perfect conglomeration of the couple's personalities. There were some goofy moments too, including when the couple's officiant said, "by the power vested in me by the State of Tennessee and UniversalLifeMinistries.com."

"Looking at this moment that won't ever happen again, and these people who love us so much, we both came to tears," says Kacey. "It was beautiful and bittersweet, the beginning of a new chapter."

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The First Kiss

couple confetti
Credit: N Barrett Photography
24 Creative Wedding Exit Toss Ideas

"I felt like I was in my own personal snow globe," says Kacey of their first kiss, when guests flicked tubes of confetti from Flutterfetti at the pair. "They're biodegradable and you can customize the colors inside."

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Buckets of Fun

popcorn baskets
Credit: N Barrett Photography

Cocktail hour featured bushel baskets of popcorn, accented with vintage horse ribbons from the bride's home state of Texas. Flavors included jalapeño-cheddar, Parmesan-garlic, regular butter, sea salt–caramel, and toffee-almond.

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Familial Faces

family photos
Credit: N Barrett Photography

A guest-book-table photo gallery featured weddings from both the bride's and the groom's families.

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The Centerpieces

reception flowers
Credit: N Barrett Photography

Centerpieces of dahlia, roses, zinnia, scabiosa, amaranthus, strawflower, lisianthus, cosmo, lismachia, coleus, tobacco and fall foliage graced long farm tables where guests could rest and eat their pizza between dancing and ducking into the Photo Wagon to take pictures. Each arrangement was contained in terra cotta pottery Bows + Arrows custom made for the event and glazed in different shades of pink, peach, and tan.

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A Table for Two

sweetheart table
Credit: N Barrett Photography
11 Neon Wedding Signs That Lit Up Real Receptions

A neon heart marquee sign by Roadhouse Relics hung above the sweetheart table. "It's so cute and charming," says Kacey. "Everyone loved it."

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Tipi Time

wedding teepee
Credit: N Barrett Photography

An outdoor bar and seating including hay bales and wooden benches turned this decorative tipi from Indah Events into a lounge for the reception.

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Daddy's Girl

father daughter dance
Credit: N Barrett Photography

Kacey and her father danced to Nickel Creek's "When You Come Back Down."

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The Mother-Son Dance

mother son dance
Credit: N Barrett Photography

For their song, Ruston and his mom chose "Return of the Grievous Angel" by Grant Parsons.

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A Cake to Cut

small white cake
Credit: N Barrett Photography
52 Small Wedding Cakes with a Big Presence

The newlyweds cut into a small cake by the Kind Cake, and toasted with Champagne in a pair of vintage glasses.

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Sweet Love

dessert cupcakes
Credit: N Barrett Photography

Vegan and gluten-free desserts included a variety of cupcakes from the Kind Cake, and cookies and chocolate-covered strawberries from Leeuw Bake Shop.

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Horsing Around

horseshoe wedding favors
Credit: N Barrett Photography

The bride's parents helped assemble the gold horseshoe favors. The motif came from a gift Kacey had given Ruston when they were dating, inspiring him to write the song to which she walked down the aisle: "Horseshoe Ring."

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Sources

bride groom kiss
Credit: N Barrett Photography

Event planning, Melissa and Evan Tate of Summerfield at Tate Farms

Catering, Crankees Pizzeria

Flowers, design, and styling, Bows + Arrows Flowers

Photography, N Barrett Photography

Videography, Peyton Anne Frank Films

Stationery, Alli K Design

Desserts, The Kind Cake cake and cupcakes; Leeuw Bake Shop cookies and chocolate-covered strawberries

Music, Electric Western

Rentals, Marquee Event Rentals

Bride's gown, Berta

Bride's veil, Erica Koesler Wedding Accessories

Hair, Ali Ryan for the Dry House Nashville

Makeup, Carlene K

Groom's tuxedo, Alberto Nardoni

Photo booth, Photo Wagon

Tipi rental, Indah Events

Neon sign, Roadhouse Relics

Popcorn, Popcorn Papa

Bar service, V.I.P. Bartending & Events

Mineral water, Topo Chico

Wine, Silver Oak

Maid of honor's dress, Love Culture

Flower-girl attire, Itty Bitty Toes dress; Avry Couture Creations flower crown

Ring-bearer attire, Appaman suit; Amanda Jo Handmade bow tie

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    1 of 26
    2 of 26 The Stationery
    3 of 26 Bridle Shower
    4 of 26 The First (Non) Look
    5 of 26 Something Green
    6 of 26 Green Velvet
    7 of 26 With This Ring
    8 of 26 Nontraditional Bouts
    9 of 26 A Stylish Hankie
    10 of 26 Aisle Style
    11 of 26 All in the Family
    12 of 26 The Ring Bearer
    13 of 26 Flower Girl Power
    14 of 26 A Momentous Occasion
    15 of 26 The First Kiss
    16 of 26 Buckets of Fun
    17 of 26 Familial Faces
    18 of 26 The Centerpieces
    19 of 26 A Table for Two
    20 of 26 Tipi Time
    21 of 26 Daddy's Girl
    22 of 26 The Mother-Son Dance
    23 of 26 A Cake to Cut
    24 of 26 Sweet Love
    25 of 26 Horsing Around
    26 of 26 Sources

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    Kacey Musgraves and Ruston Kelly's Charming Tennessee Wedding
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