Maddie Marlow and Jonah Font are married.
The “Die From a Broken Heart” singer (who is one half of country duo Maddie & Tae) tied the knot with her longtime boyfriend Font atThe Barn at Sycamore Farmsin Arrington, Tennessee, on Friday in front of about 150 of their closest family and friends — and PEOPLE has all the exclusive details.
Ahead of the big day, Marlow, 24, told PEOPLE that they knew their venue was “the one” as soon as they pulled up. “We loved how beautiful it was, but it also feels really cozy,” she said.
Throughout the space, the couple decorated with maroon and mixed metal colors to bring their fall and winter theme to life.
“Ironically enough, maroon was our high school color!” said Marlow, who first met Font, 25, eight years ago during her sophomore year of high school in Texas. “The general decor is very fall and winter-driven. It’s our favorite time of year so it felt perfect to blend the two together.”
Standing beside Marlow and Font on their big day was a bridal party made up of seven bridesmaids (Marlow’s lucky number) and six groomsmen. The couple’s pastor from their church in Nashville married them, and they chose to forgo writing their own vows for the ceremony.
“That felt like a lot of pressure,” Marlow said. “So we just wrote letters to each other to read privately and then [will do] the traditional vows.”
Marlow anticipated that at the ceremony, both she and Font and would be a “hot mess.”
“We both can’t hold back happy tears,” she said. “It’s been eight years of knowing this was our goal and the fact that it’s finally here is so exciting and very emotional. I’m most excited for walking down the aisle to my dream man.”
Harlow & May Studios
“I wanted to feel sexy on my wedding day but also have some classic elements like lace and a train,” said Marlow, who decided on her gown after trying on about nine dresses.
“Maddie is always such a joy to work with,” said Shawne Jacobs, president and creative director of Anne Barge. “I have had the pleasure to dress her many times in our Black Label evening wear collection for award shows and events. When we found out that she was engaged, we knew she would be the perfect Anne Barge bride.”
“It touched me every time she spoke about her fiancé, Jonah,” she added. “She mentioned several times how excited she is to marry her high school sweetheart and dream man. Last October, Maddie and her stylist, Tiffany Gifford, traveled to N.Y.C. for her first fitting and to watch our runway show during New York Bridal Fashion Week. After trying on many silhouette shapes and styles, the creative process began. The custom hand-beaded embroidered lace gown and illusion tulle cape took 105 hours to create. Watching everything come to life and seeing Maddie’s excitement is one of my favorite parts of the process. She is going to make a stunning bride!”
Maddie Marlow’s wedding dress sketch.Anne Barge
“Jonah gave me a promise ring when I was 17 and moving to Nashville. It was from David Yurman so we wanted to keep that going,” she said.
“We are going to dance our booties off!” Marlow said. “We have a three hour dance floor because us and our family LOVE to dance. The reception is going to be a giant party, so chill will not be the vibe at all.”
Both Marlow’s dad and little sister Camy, who served as her maid of honor, gave speeches, as well as Font’s oldest brother Justin, who served as his best man.
Maddie Marlow and Jonah Font.Harlow & May Studios
“It’s been eight years, and we are still crazy in love like the 15-year-old kids we were when we met,” Marlow said.
Though Marlow and Font have been together for years, they decided the time was right to make things official.
“We just felt ready to start another chapter in life together,” Marlow said. “It is funny to think [back] to being 15-year-old kids in love and to see how our love has grown over the years. Getting married was always a goal of ours, and this year just felt right.”
The couplegot engagedin May 2018, and Marlow credited their strong relationship to the way they “act as a team.”
“When one is falling short, the other steps up and vice versa,” she said. “We forgive fully. We don’t hold our mistakes against each other. We figure out what needs improvement, move on and try to love each other better the next day. Being vulnerable is also very important for us. When we fight or argue we try to avoid attacking, take a breath and say, ‘My feelings are hurt because….’ Pre-marital counseling really helped strengthen the foundation we already laid down.”
“But most importantly, we have fun!” she added. “We make the time to go on dates, play games at home, laugh and goof off. I’m talking water balloon fights, blow up pools in the summer time and snowball fights in the winter. We are basically just big kids. We celebrate all the wins, big and little. We love hard and fight for each other. We don’t give up, ever.”
Harlow and May Studios
As for what she’s most looking forward to about being married, Marlow said it’s doing life with Font.
“It’s all fun with him,” she said. “I’m looking forward to more adventures, more memories and our love to just keep growing stronger and stronger. We definitely want to have kids one day, but for now we are just going to enjoy each other and keep making amazing memories.”
Before forever, though, comes the honeymoon, which the couple will spend on the Exuma islands of the Bahamas.
“We love the Bahamas and love to snorkel,” Marlow said. “The water there is so clear and beautiful.”
Marlow and her bandmateTaylor Dye— who also served as a bridesmaid — released the second part of their three-part album,Everywhere I’m Goin', last month.
source: people.com
