This Alabama Couple Put a Formal Spin on Their Rustic Wedding

Given that they both grew up in the same small town in Alabama, it’s pretty surprising that Paige Bone and Hunter Hayes didn’t meet until August of 2008. “He was a football player and I was a cheerleader — but for rival schools,” Paige says. “We spotted one another in the crowd at a football game, and were introduced by mutual friends the next night. The rest is history!” And even though she went to college at the University of Alabama and he’s from an Auburn University family, the longstanding rivalry couldn’t keep them apart. After four years of long-distance dating and two years back together in Gadsden, Hunter proposed to Paige at his family’s vacation house on Lake Neely Henry, and the couple got started planning their September 19, 2015, wedding at a family friend’s farm in Ashville, Alabama.

The groom is an outdoorsman who loves hunting and fishing, but the bride wanted to put a dressier spin on a rustic Southern wedding. She skipped the burlap in favor English garden-style arrangements and hundreds of brass candlesticks. “It was the perfect mix of both of our personalities and our Southern heritage,” Paige explains. The whimsical yet traditional celebration was full of homey touches, and Rob & Wynter Photography captured every sweet detail.

The elegant invitation suite was dressed up with rose gold calligraphy and the pair’s wedding logo, a crest decorated with antlers and soft florals around an H in the middle. “We used it on everything from the invitations and programs to koozies and pillows used in the reception décor,” says Paige. She and her bridesmaids wore matching Natalie Deayala pajamas (the bride in white, her girls in navy) as they got ready for the big day.

Paige had always dreamed of wearing a delicate lace gown for her wedding, and loved the combination of Chantilly and tulle in this gorgeous Martina Liana. She added a modern spin to the strapless silhouette by topping it with a lace crop top by Girl and a Serious Dream. And every Southern bride needs some sparkle! Paige’s came in the form of her gold glitter Kate Spade pumps.

The bride carried a flowing, oversized bouquet of Italian ruscus, David Austin roses, seeded eucalyptus, wax flower, green hydrangeas, and pheasant feather — a nod to her hunting-obsessed groom.

Hunter donned a modern shawl-collar tuxedo with a black cummerbund. His organic boutonniere mixed strands of wheat and white wax flower. “The farm was covered in bistro lights, garlands of greenery, and soft candle light,” says Piage.

The bridesmaids all wore powder pink Natalie Deayala dresses. “I loved the combination of a formal and elegant silhouette with a soft feel,” says Paige. The ‘maids carried smaller versions of the bride’s bouquet, all tied with flowing silk ribbons. The groomsmen matched Hunter in shawl-collar tuxedos.

The couple wed in a traditional Presbyterian ceremony, with urns of lilies and roses on either side of the altar.

Immediately after the ceremony, the caterers treated the couple to an intimate dinner for two in the farmhouse. The menu included mushroom grits, apple-bacon canapés, and bacon-wrapped venison tenderloin tips. “Hunter actually provided the venison for our caterers himself!” says Paige.

Long tables were arranged in the barn, which was strung with café lights. Paige spent the couple’s nine-month engagement collecting brass candlesticks to use as décor. Along the barn stalls, hay bales were framed with greenery and posts were hung with deer mounts dressed with lilies and hydrangeas. The couple’s wedding coordinator, Courtney Bell, did all of the calligraphy for the menus.

“Having dinner privately inside meant we could head around the farm at sunset to take pictures and still have a chance to eat,” says Paige.

For dessert, the pair offered both a chocolate groom’s cake (decorated by the groom with shotgun shells, antlers, and feathers) and a five-tiered wedding cake with layers of white cake with buttercream and strawberry cake with cream cheese icing.

The couple and both of their parents took dance lessons in advance of the wedding. Paige and Hunter performed a swing dance to “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” by Stevie Wonder.

Then, Paige and her father danced the foxtrot to “You Are So Beautiful” by Joe Cocker, and surprised guests by breaking into a fun dance to “You Never Can Tell” by Chuck Berry.

At the end of the evening, a sparkler exit led the bride and groom to their getaway car, a friend’s 1961 Lincoln. “We did our best to enjoy every moment,” says Paige. “Remember, you’re only engaged for a small amount of time. There is something so wonderful about planning a this celebration, but don’t let the hiccups get in the way of how amazing an engagement can be!”

Ceremony Venue: Rainbow Presbyterian Church || Reception Venue: Dawson’s Honeysuckle Farm || Wedding Coordinator: La Belle Vie Weddings || Bride’s Wedding Dress: Martina Liana; Girl and a Serious Dream || Shoes: Kate Spade || Jewelry: Ex Voto Vintage || Hair & Makeup: Melissa Moore Bogardus || Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Natalie Deayala || Groom & Groomsmen’s Attire: Tuxedo Inn || Engagement Ring & Wedding Bands: Levy’s Fine Jewelry || Florist: Attalla Florist || Invitations & Paper Goods: Sincerely Me || Music: 2nd Groove Showband || Catering: Garfrerick’s Café || Cake: Edible Memories by Lorraine || Rentals: Top Notch Events & Rentals; Prophouse Rentals & Styling; Ultrapom || Videographer: Crooked Tree Productions || Photographer: Rob & Wynter Photography

Feeling inspired by this pretty wedding? Then you’ll get even more ideas from another couple’s rustic celebration in the video below.