Country Star Cole Swindell and Wife Courtney Celebrate Wedding with Bash in Nashville: 'Something We'll Always Cherish'
“It was a dream to have a wedding, depart for our honeymoon and then come back to Nashville to celebrate with everyone,” Courtney told 'Brides'
Cole Swindell and his wife Courtney Little Swindell are keeping the wedding celebrations going!
Just 10 days after the country music star, 40, and the boutique owner tied the knot in a private family ceremony in Sonoma County, California, on June 12 — before jetting off on a honeymoon in Turks and Caicos — the couple celebrated their nuptials with a big party in Nashville on June 22 surrounded by more than 250 family members and friends.
“We loved the intimacy of a private ceremony with only our close family, but also wanted to celebrate with our favorite people,” Courtney told Brides of the Tennessee reception, held at Cortina Farms, a private estate spanning 120 acres. “It was a dream to have a wedding, depart for our honeymoon and then come back to Nashville to celebrate with everyone.”
Courtney told the magazine she and Cole — who got engaged in May 2023 — were drawn to the scenic venue's unique blend of old-world European sophistication and southern charm. "The venue feels like you were transported to somewhere in Italy, while still giving a small-town Tennessee vibe,” she said.
To achieve cohesion between their California ceremony and Tennessee celebration, the Swindells worked with wedding planners Josiah Carr and Justin McGregor of SAMKOMA for both events. “Working with SAMKOMA for both our ceremony and reception allowed us to have two completely different events in separate locations that still felt the same and had very similar aesthetics,” Courtney told Brides.
The reception mainly took place in a black-framed tent — complementing the overall event color palette of black, white and tan — hung with rustic bronze chandeliers and filled with flowers and candle-lined tables to create Cole and Courtney's vision of a “beautiful, candlelit dinner party.”
“It was so tall and open and we were surrounded by nature on all sides," Courtney added of the tent setting.
For the occasion, Courtney wore a dramatic white Katherine Tash dress featuring a high slit at the leg, long sleeves and an off-the-shoulder design. She paired it with white Badgley Mischka pointy-toe pumps detailed with ribbons that tied at the ankle.
“I found a dress store in Nashville who happened to carry the designer,” Courtney said of her reception look. “We had them rush ship [the dress], and I had a fitting the same day. I purchased it minutes later. It was exactly what I envisioned!”
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As for her reception glam, Courtney worked with her friend and hair stylist Lexie Echard to achieve her "effortless" look. “I knew we would be outside for the entire evening and I just wanted to look elevated, but natural,” she noted.
While she and Cole didn't hold another wedding ceremony at their Tennessee bash, Courtney did include some traditional wedding details such as a bouquet, designed by Curry & Co, featuring white roses, hydrangea and hanging amaranthus.
Her husband wore a tan Hugo Boss tuxedo, teamed with a cowboy hat and a pair of white Tecovas western boots. “Amber Lehman helped style me for our wedding in Sonoma, as well as the Nashville party,” the musician told Brides.
During the reception cocktail hour, the couple gave a nod to their roots via several unique touches. “We had custom marble trays made in the shapes of our home states, which the catering team used for passed appetizers,” Courtney said. “We also included a few more sweet nods to our home states [through] our menus and cocktail napkins.”
Guests were treated to a live performance by guitarist Jacob Davis — who also played at the Sonoma ceremony at Chateau de Ninis — while they mingled and sipped on a variety of flavored margaritas, both frozen and on the rocks.
Related: Cole Swindell Engaged to Courtney Little: 'I Couldn't Wait Any Longer' (Exclusive)
Dinner featured an elevated southern menu catered by Beyond Details, later followed by a late-night snack of fried chicken served up by a Raising Cane's food truck.
After the sit-down meal, Cole and Courtney shared their first dance to "Forever Me," a song that the ACM Award winner wrote especially for his wife. “It was so special [to dance to this] while surrounded by all of our family and friends," Courtney recalled.
In another touching moment, Courtney took a spin on the dance floor with her father. "He’s always been my biggest support and I’ll never forget that moment with him," she told Brides.
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As a way to share their intimate California nuptials with their Nashville crowd, Cole and Courtney played a three-minute recap of the ceremony at the party.
"It really felt like all of our guests were a part of our wedding ceremony, too," Courtney said of the footage, put together by videography team Light Cannon Films.
Reflecting on the night, Cole told Brides it was truly unforgettable. "It's hard to put into words how special [the reception] was," he said. "Having family and friends in town to celebrate our marriage is something we'll always cherish. Looking forward to this chapter of our lives."
As for Courtney, she embraced the opportunity to enjoy a double celebration and now has a hot tip for future brides and grooms out there: "I would recommend the two-part wedding vibe for anyone and everyone — who wouldn’t love to celebrate two times in a row?”
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