Hannah Blaylock of Edens Edge Marries Longtime Boyfriend in Arkansas – Exclusive Wedding Pictures
Edens Edge lead vocalist Hannah Blaylock is officially off the market. The brunette songstress married her longtime boyfriend, Justin Wakefield, last weekend (Sept. 30) on a farm in Fayetteville, Ark., not far from where she grew up.
"We pride ourselves on where we come from, and we have a huge group of family and friends there that have been the foundation of our faith and our beliefs and our songs and our music," Blaylock reveals exclusively to Taste of Country of her wedding, also sharing a first look at personal pictures from the big day.
"They have supported us from day one," she adds. "I wanted to get married back at home with all of those people… the people who have loved us and loved me since I was born up until now. I have a really big family, so that was fun [laughs]!"
Rather than hiring a wedding planner for her big day, Blaylock kept everything sweet and simple, focusing on things that were significant in her relationship with Wakefield and the foundation on which they have built their love. "I found this horse barn that would hold everybody," the new bride reveals. "It was perfect for me because I grew up riding horses my whole life. We decorated it, and I had so much fun dreaming and coming up with whatever ideas I could muster in my brain and just making them come to life. I had a lot of fun doing that."
"Everything had a meaning," Blaylock continues of her wedding day. "Everything was significant. Nothing was there without being symbolic in some way. Trees are a big part of my life for obvious reasons, but people don’t realize that trees are a big part of my family. My father has studied trees and knows every tree that grows in Arkansas. We love trees and we’re all mystified by them. They signify roots. They signify so much. My uncle is an amazing painter. I asked him to paint me a picture of a tree, and then I had everyone ink their ring finger and put their fingerprint as a leaf, and then signed their name around the fingerprint. That was our sign-in."
The rest of the decor that surrounded the happy couple were things from the family farm, or items which were handmade by family members or Blaylock herself. "There was heart in everything," she says, beaming as she spills that even her family horses made it to the wedding -- they grazed in the background while the newlyweds exchanged their self-written vows.
"We just tried to make everything authentic and everything down-home," the Edens Edge singer says. "We wanted it to be a big party. We wanted to get hitched, and then we wanted to have a big party."
Following the ceremony, which included 160 guests -- including the bride's Edens Edge bandmates Dean Berner as an usher and Cherrill Green as a bridesmaid -- everyone was able to let loose to a band that Blaylock's father started back in college. They played all the classics, such as Motown, 'Mustang Sally' and 'Brown Eyed Girl.' "They were all great songs that no matter what your age, you’re going to dance to it!" Blaylock explains, laughing.
Now with their wedding behind them, Blaylock and Wakefield can gear up for their honeymoon, which will take them to Bora Bora. "I never really have taken an adventure like this before, so it’s a really big treat to be able to go," she notes, adding, "I don’t’ know what to expect, but I love to travel, obviously. I’m excited that we’re going somewhere that’s not in my comfort zone!"
See ToC-Exclusive Photos From Hannah Blaylock and Justin Wakefield's Wedding