Kacey Musgraves and Ruston Kelly's Charming Tennessee Wedding

By Eleni Gage
March 05, 2018
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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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

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

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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

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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

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

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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

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

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Nontraditional Bouts

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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

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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

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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

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

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The Ring Bearer

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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

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The Centerpieces

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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

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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

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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

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

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The Mother-Son Dance

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

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A Cake to Cut

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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

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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

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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

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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