The Tamesis
Instead of a traditional rehearsal dinner, the bride and groom decided to keep the atmosphere casual by hosting a murder mystery party the night before they exchanged vows. Candace said, “The murder mystery theme was ‘Til Death Do Us Part,’ and it was just as cheesy and ridiculous as you could imagine! I don’t think I’ve laughed that hard in a long time.” Steven added, “We greased the wheels with wine and cocktails beforehand, and everyone gave their all to make the night great.”
On an unusually sunny, warm morning in February, the couple and Candace’s two daughters got ready in their Nashville home. “I will always remember how beautiful that day was,” the bride said. The family planned to ride to church in a vintage limousine, but the car broke down before reaching their home. “Well, I was definitely not going to be late for my own wedding, so the four of us got in my car, put on tuxedos and white dresses, and drove there,” Steven said. “It was done on time and turned out to be our only problem of the day.”
As the ceremony begins, the newlyweds’ families and the officiant gather in the wooden church. “Walking down the little aisle, I remember hearing the soft sounds of live guitars played by friends of friends we had never met, the flowers that made the little wooden church feel like a fairytale greenhouse, and the warm glow on Steven’s face,” Candace recalled. “We’ve had our first look at our house, but walking down the aisle in the warm glow of a magical moment feels like our own little secret. It’s like the rest of the world is spinning in chaos and we have this little corner of the world. Time slows down and it feels like a love song.”
After personal vows were exchanged and the engagement was sealed with a kiss, the church immediately transformed into a family celebration with bubbles, music and toasts. “The formality of a large, carefully rehearsed ceremony was taken away, creating a fun, relaxed atmosphere,” the groom said. “This was not at all the wedding I imagined when I was younger. I think that’s why it was so perfect. We got to breathe, laugh, cry, focus on each other and not worry about whether everything was going according to plan.”
After taking a few photos with their family during golden hour, the newlyweds headed to the reception in a (running) vintage car. “We wanted a fun, lively steakhouse dinner,” Candice shared. “That’s exactly what we got!” Steven recalled, “We ate, drank, and cut a boot-shaped cake. Our family stood up and said so many nice things to us. All in all, it was a treat. I highly recommend it.”
Looking back on their wedding weekend, the couple recalled how magical it felt. The bride said: “On our February wedding day we celebrated by dancing in the warm sunshine and it was such a gift.” The groom added: “I can’t wait for our son to be there one day.”
