Hansell Smith and Matt Holt met on the Bumble app in April 2021. By April of 2022, they were married. To relive their engagement and wedding, they have transported us to Brierfield, Alabama, to the bride’s adventure-filled and Southern-sweet family farm.
A joyous surprise engagement was followed by an even more joyous celebration in the same location just four months later.
Rewind to December 17, 2021, when Matt casually offered up an idea to Hansell: a picnic on the farm enjoying some leftover food from a Christmas party the night before. Hansell suspected nothing. “We went down to the river to fish and eat and brought our dog, Hank. Matt invited me to throw the first cast, and when I did, I got the line stuck immediately. Little did I know, he was behind me on one knee.” Hansell turned around, still frustrated about the stuck lure, and realized what was happening. “He had tears in his eyes, and I immediately cried. It was so joyful.”
On April 30, 2022, at 5:30 in the evening, Hansell and Matt tied the knot at the bride’s family farm in Brierfield, AL.
Roughly 300 guests joined the fun on the family farm. And the florals, by Wildflower Designs, were simply stunning.
A whimsical ceremony backdrop unlike any other!
A quick four-month engagement ensued, and a “dream team” was assembled: wedding planner Symone Shaw, floral designer Sybil Sylvester with Wildflower Designs, and the ultimate planner, Margot Shaw (Editor-in-Chief of Flower Magazine and mother of the bride!). “A four-month engagement with all the trimmings would never have been possible without our dream team,” Hansell adds. “We just couldn’t wait! When you know, you know.”
This suite beautifully ties in a few themes of the big day: the outdoors, nature, and green hues. The stationery was by Key Circle Press.
The prettiest handful of fresh blooms.
Some Southern staples, by Pursuit Gifts, for guests to take home.
Hansell always imagined she would get married at her family farm — a place Matt has also fallen in love with since he first visited. “He’s very outdoorsy and very in his element there,” Hansell says. “And we got engaged there at a spot next to the river that was special to us.”
After the venue was decided, Hansell was drawn to blues and greens — sage green in particular — as she was dreaming up the day’s aesthetic. “Sybil did an amazing job working with those colors and incorporating some other ones,” she says. “The flowers and design were the most lovely I’d ever seen and just right for the country. Lush but rustic at the same time with lots of wild grasses and other touches that spoke to the setting.”
They did not miss a single opportunity to bring the dramatic florals onto the farm.
The natural hues in furniture and linens make pretty backdrops for the pastel pops of flowers.
Unlike so many brides we speak to, Hansell was amazed at how many dresses she DID love during her try-on at Ivory & White Boutique in Birmingham. “I probably tried on ten dresses, and eight of them would have worked,” she admits. “I knew I wanted something very simple and narrowed it to three.” She made an admittedly tough choice and picked a stunningly long, somewhat straight-lined dress with a pretty halter neck by Lela Rose.
Hansell calls her dress neckline “very flattering,” and we absolutely agree. And how about that BOUQUET?!
A tender mother-daughter moment while getting ready.
A funky bow tie and floral boutonnière rounded out the handsome groom’s suave look.
Hansell and Matt opted out of a first look. “We wanted it to be a special moment when he saw me walking down the aisle with no sneak peek. Some traditions are worth holding to,” Hansell says. “My mom always says weddings are theater, so these dramatic moments are important.”
Grasses rising up from the ground create a dramatic stage for the ceremony.
Flower crowns and streamer chandeliers are giving midsummer vibes.
Half an hour before the service, that fickle spring weather arose, and darkness and a light drizzle descended over the farm. “I was a little disappointed,” Hansell says, “but what can you do? I knew none of this really mattered. We would get married.” Right before the ceremony, the clouds parted, and the sun shone down directly on the crowd.
“The ribbons hung above were blowing in a soft, cool breeze. It was magical,” Hansell says of the nick-of-time weather change.
Hansell and Matt exchanged traditional vows but added, “I will with God’s grace” to the end of each response.
After a tender exchange of vows, the newlyweds are ready to keep the celebration going!
The planning team crafted a very Alabama cocktail hour. “Since Brierfield Farm in Bibb County, AL, is saturated in southernness, we wanted the first taste — and really all the food — to echo that,” Hansell says. Guests were welcomed with a smattering of cheese straws, rosemary pecans, Ritz crackers with peanut butter and crumbled bacon on top, celery troughs with pimiento cheese, and a beautiful farm table filled with charcuterie, fruit, cheeses, bread, and crackers.
This warm and welcoming tablescape makes you feel right at home.
Champagne and sparkling waters were passed as guessed walked up to the terrace and garden from the field where the ceremony took place. “And full bars were everywhere,” Hansell adds. “We didn’t want anyone to stand in line for a drink!”
Hansell and Matt first danced to “Sleep Walk” by Santo and Johnny, a special song that was a thread through both of their lives before and after meeting one another.
Guests gathered, ate, and lingered at long harvest tables as Kathy G. Mezrano, caterer extraordinaire, whipped up a curated menu of Southern delicacies like shrimp and grits, pork tenderloin, short ribs, and grilled country vegetables. The buffet-style meal even had a biscuit bar!
There is innate comradery and coziness within a long harvest table.
The stunning bride’s cake, from Olexa’s, was a yellow cake covered in vanilla icing and served with a fresh strawberry sauce on the side.
Fun was had by all, but especially this bride and groom.
At the night’s end, Hansell and Matt walked through a “gauntlet of friends and family all cheering and clapping as we got into the Can-Am — basically a glorified, all-terrain golf cart,” Hansell says. This vehicle (that was also instrumental in their engagement) was decorated all over in wide satin ribbon streamers of matching wedding colors. After a low country honeymoon in Palmetto Bluff, SC, the newlyweds nestled into married life in their Nashville home.
A luminescent tent with dripping string lights held the revelry until the band’s last note!
To future brides, Hansell says, “Enjoy the engagement time! It’s just as special as the wedding, and you’ll never have it again. Be willing to compromise because no wedding is perfect and all that matters is your commitment to the one you love and the support from the loved ones who attend.”
Thanks, Hansell, for taking us back to the farm and this special night. And thanks to Bryan Johnson of A Bryan Photo for the stunning photos.
RESOURCES
Planner: Occasions with Symone Shaw
Photographer: A Bryan Photo
Videography: Todd Urick Films
Flowers: Wildflower Designs – Sybil Sylvester
Stationery: Key Circle Press
Dresser/Wardrobe Stylist: Missie Crawford
Hair and makeup artists: Celine Russell and Virginia Linzee
Bride’s gown: Lela Rose at Ivory & White Boutique
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Bella Bridesmaids
Groom and groomsmen attire: Men’s Wearhouse
Catering: Kathy G. and Co.
Cakes: Olexa’s
Entertainment: City Party – Music Garden
Rentals: Beachview Rentals, PropHouse
Glassware: Beachview Rentals
Branded cups, napkins, and fans: The Scribbler
Linens: Beachview Rentals
Cake plates: Alice Major
Welcome boxes: Pursuit Gifts
Transportation: Rare Transportation
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