Exclusive: How Singer Maddie Marlow Personalized Her Holiday-Themed, Country Wedding
Two high school sweethearts made for one sweet wedding. On November 22, singer Maddie Marlow, 24, married longtime partner Jonah Font, 24, in a holiday-themed, country wedding in Nashville. The couple, who met their sophomore year of high school, personalized their wedding by simply staying true to what makes them happy. “We just chose things that made sense for us and our style and our personalities,” Marlow tells The Knot as she exclusively reveals new photos from her wedding.
Since the nuptials took place right after Maddie & Tae’s tour with Carrie Underwood, the couple relied heavily on wedding planner Adriel Nutter from Sutlan + Co to plan during the craze. “She made the day run so smoothly that Jonah and I were able to just soak in every moment and not feel stressed.”
Photo by Ashley Maresh
The couple exchanged vows before nearly 150 guests in Nashville after being engaged for a year and a half. Font, a graduate student, had planned to propose during a romantic trip to Cabo—but that didn’t end up happening. Marlow, who’s known for having premonitions in her dreams, envisioned days before the trip that Font lost the ring on the beach before proposing. “My dream completely flipped him out,” she says. “The night before we left for the airport, he went into this super sweet speech and got down on one knee. It was actually perfect since I always wanted an intimate proposal, but I felt bad my dream derailed his real plan!”
The highly-personal engagement set the tone for the couple’s intimate wedding. Read on to see all the ways the couple dreamt up their wedding (and how those details came true).
The Ring
Photo by Ashley Maresh
Font proposed to Marlow with a sentimental engagement ring. The center stone, a diamond, was procured from the engagement ring of Marlow’s mother. “She gave it to Jonah, and he had a new custom setting made for it,” Marlow says.
Photo by Ashley Maresh
Marlow’s mother is also a jewelry collector, so she turned to jewels to incorporate meaning into her wedding. “My Something Borrowed and Something Blue [combined] was a 100-year-old sapphire and diamond art deco ring that belongs to my mom,” the bride says.
The Dress
Photo by Ashley Maresh
Marlow, best known for hits like “Friends Don’t” and “Die From a Broken Heart,” stunned in a custom Anne Barge gown on her wedding day. The star has worn Anne Barge Black Label evening gowns to red carpets in the past, so the partnership was an extension of work, says designer Shawne Jacobs, President and Creative Director of Anne Barge. The two first met during New York Bridal Fashion week in October 2018, and they instantly connected. “Hearing about her fiancé and high school sweetheart, Jonah, truly inspired me during the design process,” she tells The Knot.
Courtesy of Shawne Jacobs
After fitting Marlow in different silhouettes and fabrications, Jacobs created a sketch to help Marlow visualize the final gown to the very last detail. “We decided on a fitted structure with a plunging V neckline in a custom, handed-beaded, embroidered lace gown; something she felt sexy and confident in,” Jacobs says. “We accessorized the gown with an illusion tulle cape.”
Courtesy of Shawne Jacobs
Jacobs says Anne Barge artisans spent a total of 105 hours to create the stunning gown, but the end result was truly rewarding. “From pencil and paper, to picking fabrics, and crafting the perfect fit, we imagined and crafted her one-of-a-kind custom gown into reality. I am honored that I was able to be a part of Maddie and Jonah’s special day and I wish them a lifetime of happiness.”
The Venue
Photo by Ashley Maresh
The couple had their celebration in Nashville, as a nod to Marlow’s country singing profession. They decided on The Barn at Sycamore Farms, just outside of the live music town. “We visited a few venues, but pulling up to Sycamore, there was a different feeling and we immediately knew this was the place for us,” Marlow says. “It felt so cozy and inviting, which is exactly what we wanted for our venue.”
The Decor
The couple opted for a holiday theme because it’s their favorite time of year. As such, they chose an appropriate color scheme for their nuptials: maroon with a brush of metallics. Marlow tells The Knot that the oxblood hue has a special meaning to the couple’s love story too. “Maroon was our high school color, so that was a fun full-circle moment there,” she recalls of their Texas days.
Photo by Ashley Maresh
While the couple relied on their wedding planner to help with most logistics, they tapped Font’s parents for other sweet details. “Jonah’s mom is very crafty, so some of our decor was handmade by her and Jonah’s dad,” adds the bride.
The Flowers
Photo by Ashley Maresh
Marlow had a clear vision for her wedding flowers, and she says her florist, Fresh by CaryAnn, executed it perfectly. “I really wanted to add dimension to our floral arrangements, especially with the petals hanging off the veranda and in my bouquet.” The couple stuck to their maroon and blush color scheme, but they also made sure to include their favorite plant as well. “We love succulents, so we added a couple of those in there as well.”
The Wedding Party
Photo by Ashley Maresh
Photo by Ashley Maresh
The couple’s wedding party consisted of their close friends and family. Font had six groomsmen and Marlow had seven bridesmaids—one of which was Taylor Dye or “Tae,” the other half of Maddie & Tae. “Maddie’s wedding was nothing short of beautiful,” Dye tells The Knot. “Their love story is full of laughs, tears, honesty, real life and real love, and that’s exactly what their wedding highlighted. I just feel so honored to have gotten to be a part of this day!”
Photo by Ashley Maresh
The Ceremony
In following tradition, Marlow’s father escorted her down the aisle, but the couple personalized the special moment by walking down to a song that Marlow and Dye co-wrote called “Tryin’ On Rings.” “The song is very specific to us and our story, so there really wasn’t a more perfect song to start our big day with,” Marlow says of the track released in October 2019, just a month before her nuptials.
Photo by Ashley Maresh
The singer says walking down the aisle was her favorite moment of the entire day. “Seeing my sweet Jonah and all of our closest family and friends all in one place just filled my heart with overwhelming joy,” she adds. “I was so excited to walk down the aisle to Jonah that I accidentally walked way too fast without even realizing it.”
During the ceremony, the couple also made sure to include other members of their families, namely Font’s grandmother, who read a Bible verse during the ceremony. “She is the cutest, little Jesus-loving Puerto Rican grandma, so we wanted to include her.”
The Vows
Despite Marlow’s performative singer-songwriter profession, the couple kept their vows simple during the ceremony. While some couples write their own vows and read them aloud in front of their guests, Marlow and Font chose not to. “That felt like a lot of pressure for us, so we stuck with the traditional vows route and then wrote private letters to read to each other the day of.”
The Music
Photo by Ashley Maresh
To put a personal stamp on their cocktail hour, Marlow and Font created a playlist together for their guests to enjoy. “Jonah and I made a playlist of jazz and blues music for it,” she says. “Lots of Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, and Otis Redding.”
The Food
Photo by Ashley Maresh
The holiday season is the couple’s favorite time of the year, so they wanted to reflect that in their menu. At the wedding, Marlow and Font decided to have Thanksgiving dinner as their meal. To give their food selection a festive feel, the couple delighted guests with a hot cocoa bar as well. “This is our favorite time of year, so we wanted to incorporate as many fall and winter elements as we could to make the night feel extra cozy,” she adds.
Photo by Ashley Maresh
Photo by Ashley Maresh
The First Dance
Photo by Ashley Maresh
Marlow and Font danced to “Late to The Party” by Kacey Musgraves for their first dance. The song has a special meaning to the couple, Marlow says. “This song is the essence of our relationship, not to mention Kacey is one of our favorite artists. It’s all about having fun, just the two of you, no matter where you are or who else is around.”
Marlow says the experience of their first dance was surreal for her and her husband. “When we danced, we both only saw each other in a room full of people. It was a wild experience.”
The Cake Cutting
Photo by Ashley Maresh
To make a sweet moment even sweeter, the couple had a special tool on hand. “We cut our cake with the cake cutter Jonah’s parents used to cut their cake 30 years ago,” Marlow says. “His older sister Patricia and her husband Pierce used it as well, so it’s extra special.”
The Registry
More and more couples are creating registries that reflect their love story—and this couple is no exception. Marlow and Font asked for meaningful items that align with their shared interests and hobbies. “Our favorite gift we registered for was a record table from Amazon that Jonah’s grandma got us,” she says. “We collect vinyl records, and now they are displayed beautifully.”
Related Articles
