Long before Bryce and Jessica exchanged vows in a garden filled with spring tulips, they were two middle school friends spending their days together in choir, theatre, football, and cheer.
Their friendship eventually turned into a high school romance, and five years later, Bryce proposed among the tulips at the Dixon Gallery and Gardens in Memphis. When it came time to plan their wedding, returning to those same gardens felt especially meaningful.
Their celebration planned with Infinity Events and photographed by Elizabeth Hoard brought together English garden-inspired details, family-centered traditions, and personal touches that reflected a relationship built over years of friendship. From a flower-filled ceremony cross to Mississippi State cowbells and a surprise first dance, nearly every part of the day told a piece of their story.
From middle school friends to a lifelong love story
Bryce and Jessica first met in middle school, years before they began dating.
They spent countless hours together through choir, theatre, football, and cheer, developing a friendship rooted in shared interests and experiences.
After five years of friendship, they officially became a couple in high school.
Growing up alongside one another gave their relationship a unique foundation. They had already shared so many important moments before their romance began, and that history would eventually influence the way they approached their wedding.
Five years into their relationship, Bryce began planning a proposal that would bring their story to another meaningful setting.
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A tulip garden proposal became their wedding destination
Bryce brought Jessica to the spring tulip display at the Dixon Gallery and Gardens in Memphis, where he had arranged a thoughtful surprise.
Among the flowers was an engraved flower marker, a personal detail that made the proposal feel especially intentional.
Surrounded by blooming tulips, Bryce asked Jessica to marry him.
When the couple began planning their wedding, the gardens already held a special place in their relationship. Returning to the same property where they became engaged allowed them to celebrate another milestone in a setting filled with memories.
The spring flowers and beautiful grounds also provided natural inspiration for the romantic garden wedding they envisioned.
An English garden-inspired wedding filled with personal details
Bryce and Jessica embraced the charm of the Dixon Gallery and Gardens with an English garden-inspired celebration.
The surrounding flowers and greenery created a romantic atmosphere, while thoughtful decorative details brought the couple’s personalities into the design.
Jessica took an especially hands-on role, designing the wedding stationery, ceremony programs, and signage herself.
She incorporated a custom monogram from Ava Fratesi Designs and colorful ribbons, creating a cohesive visual identity that carried throughout the celebration.
These personalized touches gave the wedding a distinctive character while complementing the natural beauty of the gardens.
The couple also took time to enjoy the setting together, wandering the property and pausing among the flowers.
Private vows gave the couple a moment to themselves
Before the ceremony, Bryce and Jessica shared one of their favorite moments of the entire wedding day.
They exchanged private vows, taking time to reflect on their relationship and express their love for one another away from the larger celebration.
For a couple who had known each other since middle school, the moment offered an opportunity to acknowledge just how much life they had experienced together.
The private exchange also reflected the intentional way they approached their wedding, making room for meaningful connection amid the excitement of the day.
A floral cross ceremony honored their families
One of the ceremony’s most meaningful details was a flower cross by Regina Berryman, Rick Pudwell, and Stacey Thomas positioned at the altar.
As their parents and grandparents walked down the aisle, each placed a flower into the cross.
The gesture allowed their families to participate in creating the ceremony’s central floral display, symbolically bringing generations together as Bryce and Jessica prepared to marry.
The flowers also complemented the garden setting, connecting the family’s involvement with the romantic design of the day.
It was a personal alternative to a purely decorative ceremony installation, giving the floral cross a significance that extended beyond its appearance.
Mississippi State cowbells celebrated their alma mater
After the ceremony, the celebration included a spirited nod to Bryce and Jessica’s college years.
As graduates of Mississippi State University, the couple incorporated the school’s signature cowbells into their wedding festivities.
The ringing of cowbells following the ceremony brought a familiar tradition into the gardens, celebrating a shared part of their history.
It was a lively contrast to the romantic ceremony setting and another example of how the couple made their wedding feel unmistakably their own.
A surprise first dance to Aretha Franklin
Bryce and Jessica continued surprising their guests during the reception.
While appetizers were being passed, the newlyweds performed a choreographed first dance to Aretha Franklin’s “You Send Me.”
The unexpected performance brought an energetic, playful moment to the celebration, drawing on the couple’s shared love of creativity and performance.
Following the dance, Bryce and Jessica offered a heartfelt toast, thanking their guests and taking a moment to appreciate everyone who had gathered to celebrate with them.
Together, the dance and toast created a reception that felt both entertaining and deeply personal.
A private dinner made more time for their guests
Rather than spending the entire reception following a traditional wedding schedule, Bryce and Jessica made a thoughtful decision about dinner, provided from Park + Cherry by Chef Phillip Dewayne.
They chose to share their meal privately, giving themselves time to enjoy a quiet moment together as newlyweds.
That decision also allowed them to spend more of the evening visiting each table and personally greeting their guests.
For a couple who valued the relationships surrounding them, the approach made it possible to connect with the people who had been part of their lives over the years.
It was a simple but meaningful way to balance time together with time spent celebrating alongside loved ones.
A wedding planned with marriage in mind
Throughout the planning process, Bryce and Jessica viewed each decision as preparation for their marriage rather than simply another item on a wedding checklist.
They made intentional time for one another, keeping their relationship at the center of the experience.
That perspective shaped a celebration filled with meaningful choices, from exchanging private vows and involving their families in the ceremony to creating space for quiet moments together.
Their wedding at the Dixon Gallery and Gardens was especially fitting for a couple whose relationship had grown gradually over so many years.
They began as middle school friends, became high school sweethearts, and eventually returned to the tulip gardens where Bryce had proposed.
This time, surrounded by family, friends, and the flowers that had become part of their story, they began their marriage in the same place where they had promised to build a future together.
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