This Fairytale Wedding Is One for the Books!

The night Danielle Gallione met Ian Hamilton, she placed a $50 bet with her mom that she had just met her husband. Mrs. Gallione, if you haven’t already, it is time to pay up! Danielle and Ian were students at Cumberland University, Ian studying nursing and Danielle studying physical therapy, when they met in the learning commons and talked all night. Not only was Cumberland University the place where they fell in love, it was also where Taylor Swift filmed the music video for her song, “Love Story.”

“I have always loved Taylor Swift, since I was 13,” Danielle shares. “We used the video as inspiration for our wedding theme. We wanted it to be a fairytale, whimsical, love story.” Ian knew Danielle’s love of fairytales and being the creative, thoughtful guy he is, he created a fairytale engagement. “He hand-wrote a fairytale story about a prince and a princess and left clues in Percy Warner,” Danielle says of the engagement. “At the end of the story, the character kneels down and asks the princess to marry him. While Ian was reading it to me, he did the same. It was wonderful!”

A year later, the pair would have the fairytale wedding of which Danielle had always dreamed.

Danielle and Ian had a fairytale wedding in a fairytale setting!

Danielle and her bridesmaids gather before the ceremony.

Danielle’s mother helps her into the dress of her dreams!

Even the tiniest members of the wedding looked straight out of a fairytale storybook.

“Something old: My great-grandmother’s shawl she wore on her wedding day; Something new: my earrings; Something blue: Modern Trousseau had my something blue sown into the dress. It said ‘I love you forever.'”

This smile is contagious!

The lovely flowers worked perfectly with the natural setting of the venue.

Ian getting ready for the big day!

A little pre-wedding excitement.

Each of the groomsmen wore a different pair of brightly colored socks.

Ian looked as handsome as Danielle was beautiful!

Mom putting on the final touches!

Before the ceremony, the couple met but did not peek at the other’s wedding day outfit.

On September 23, 2017 in the The Belle Meade Plantation Garden, Danielle and Ian exchanged personal vows with 180 family and friends as witnesses. The 30-acre plantation is home to an historic farm and 185os mansion. The couple chose to host the ceremony in the flowering gardens, which made for an ideal backdrop. “My husband and I actually found the venue before we were engaged and accidentally walked down the aisle,” Danielle tells us. “I fell to the ground because I knew I wanted to marry Ian right in that very spot in the garden.”

The intimate Boxwood Garden features a stone walkway that served as the aisle, and lush greenery provided a sense of seclusion. Dressed in an elegant, flowing wedding dress, Danielle had all eyes on her. “The dress made me feel elegant, sexy, beautiful and unique,” she shares. “Most of all, it made me feel like myself.”

Precious petals tossed by a precious flower girl!

Danielle’s father walked her down the aisle to meet Ian.

This stunning arrangement sat at the end of the aisle behind Ian and Danielle.

All of the arrangements were equally as stunning.

we wrote our own. I wrote mine on the back of a menu from where we had our first date, Rosepepper. Ian wrote his vows on the back of sheet music to our first dance song, Our Love by Judah and the Lion ( a local band)

How spectacular is this setting?

“We wrote our own vows,” Danielle tells us. “I wrote mine on the back of a menu from where we had our first date, Rosepepper. Ian wrote his vows on the back of sheet music to our first dance song, ‘Our Love’ by Judah and the Lion.”

Mr. and Mrs. Ian Hamilton!

The newlyweds head back up the aisle!

Framed by flowers and greenery, they make their way to the celebration.

That is one happy couple!

Not only was Belle Meade Plantation a picturesque setting for the ceremony and reception, it made for flawless photos. “Each area of the venue is just so unique in and of itself. We just loved it all,” Danielle gushes. An old bridge leads you to the property, with the gardens, mansion, historic structures, a creek, barn and rock walls.

The wedding party gathered for photos in one of the many picturesque spots on the grounds.

Shot on the bridge, the photo shows the historic mansion in the background.

The blissful couple on their big day!

A kiss for the newlyweds.

Off to join their guests at the reception!

Guests gathered for cocktail hour, which featured small bites, a bar and outdoor lawn games. Danielle and Ian joined their guests for a Southern-style dinner. “Besides the actual part of marrying the absolute love of my life, getting announced as man and wife to the Chelsea Dagger song [the Blackhawks win song] was the most memorable moment,” Danielle shares. “The way the venue is designed, it was a grand entrance. Although, honestly the whole weekend of the wedding was incredible. The wedding is so much more than that one day, it’s all of the fun leading up to it. Spending time with family and friends, getting ready and dancing with your bridesmaids, hugging your tearful grandmother — it’s all of those moments that make the day memorable.”

Danielle chose a color scheme of forest green, mauve, ivory, white and blush, with some dark purples as an accent. She was responsible for the centerpieces, signs and decorations, but thankfully had a partial wedding planner to lend a hand.

After dinner, the newlyweds took to the dance floor to share their first dance as husband and wife to “Our Love” by Judah and the Lion. This kicked off an evening of dancing and celebration!

How picture-perfect is this?

The bride and groom chose an organic vanilla wedding cake from Whole Foods. “I have never heard so many compliments on a wedding cake before,” Danielle says.