It was the perfect autumn Saturday in 2014 at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Jesse Gettinger and his friends were hosting a game-day party. Bailey Torkelson tagged along with her roommate. The pair connected within five minutes of Bailey’s arrival, and sparks flew.
In August 2022, Jesse took Bailey to the rooftop of their former apartment. A nice bottle of champagne and THE question surprised Bailey, as two of their friends stealthily photographed the scene from behind a door.
This kicked off a long, two-year engagement. “It was perfect for us. It gave me plenty of time to plan without feeling rushed to make decisions,” Bailey says.”We also just had so much fun being engaged! I highly suggest a long engagement.”
When it was time to pick the perfect venue, they knew it’d be in Nashville. “We wanted to find something that felt very ‘us,'” Bailey says. “The area has so many beautiful farms and barn venues, but we were looking for something a little bit different — we just didn’t know what ‘different’ looked like yet.” Enter: The Maybelle.
Bailey discovered The Maybelle through Melissa Thompson, another StyleBlueprint team member. An ornate Victorian home flanked by giant trees, The Maybelle is located in Springfield, TN, about 45 minutes from Downtown Nashville. “We visited one day in November and immediately knew it was the right spot for us,” says Bailey.
“We wanted the aesthetic of our venue to take center stage when it came to decor,” Bailey says. “It was important to me that everything felt light, fun, silly, easy, romantic, and not too traditional or stuffy,” Bailey says.
(The venue’s owner, Jessica Davis, also owns Nashville interior design firm JL Design — no wonder the space is so beautiful!)
With the venue decided, next up was the dress.
“My mom, sister, and I went shopping just a few weeks after I got engaged, and I spotted the dress in the window,” Bailey says. “I told my mom I loved it, but I quickly got distracted by other options in the store. After trying on a few, my mom asked the bridal specialist about the dress in the window, and I knew right as I put it on that it was the one.”
As planning continued, Bailey enlisted the help of event planner Lailah Street and prioritized a personal connection with as many vendors as possible. “I wanted it to feel like a celebration only Jesse and I could have thrown,” she says. The couple knew the band, the officiant, the floral team, and the glam squad! “We had a room block at The Hutton Hotel for a cool, boutique Nashville experience.”
To start off the weekend’s events with an authentic taste of Nashville, Friday night’s rehearsal dinner and welcome party was at East Nashville’s Butcher & Bee, in their private event space, The Rose Room. “It was so beautiful and fun, and the food was AMAZING,” Bailey says. After dinner, guests mingled and mixed on Butcher & Bee’s vibey outdoor patio.
Cut to the big day. When it was time for the ceremony, guests filed onto a sunlight-drenched lawn. The scene was something straight out of a fairytale, as the happy couple exchanged traditional vows through ear-to-ear smiles. “We opted not to write our own vows,” Bailey explains. “Both Jesse and I felt nervous about being the center of attention, and sharing something so intimate scared us both.”
While Bailey and Jesse took photos with family, guests enjoyed cocktails and bites in the reception space. Scrumptious Chef’s Market hors-d’oeuvres circulated: mini shredded flank tacos, mini whipped sweet potato casserole bites, and Cajun shrimp on grit cakes.
Beneath the sunset, surrounded by their most beloved people, Jesse and Bailey first danced to “Our House” by Crosby, Stills, and Nash. “We were so nervous, and you can tell,” Bailey laughs, “but it’s cute to look back at the videos.” Jesse and his mom also danced to “Here Comes The Sun” by The Beatles.
Everyone danced until the band’s last note and the buses were about to leave, so there was no extraordinary departure. Bailey and Jesse bid their guests farewell and stayed behind to spend the night at The Maybelle. (This was the weekend the Northern Lights were visible in the Nashville area, so photo ops were aplenty.)
Like many big events, many things didn’t go as planned. “The shuttles that brought guests from Nashville to The Maybelle were a bit late, pushing back our timeline. I cried a big fat stain into my makeup. A scary tornado ripped through Springfield the night before the rehearsal dinner,” Bailey recalls. But none of it took away from the feel of the day, which Bailey prioritized over the details.
When I was stressed to the absolute max a month before the wedding, my sister sent me a video of my niece wearing her flower girl dress, twirling around, feeling so happy and beautiful. It was kind of this amazing moment that put everything into perspective. None of the small stuff matters in the end,” Bailey says.
Bailey and Jesse embarked on a mini-moon in 30A for a few days following the wedding, and they plan to go to Italy — Bailey’s #1 bucket list destination — in 2025.
Congratulations, Gettingers!
RESOURCES
Ceremony: The Maybelle
Reception: The Maybelle
Planner: Lailah Street
Photographer: Lindsey Johnson Photography
Videography: TMT Weddings
Flowers: Mother of the bride, Linda Torkelson
Stationery: Papier
Makeup: FUSE Hair & Beauty
Hair: Close family friend, Vanessa Fierro
Bride’s gown: Olvi’s Lace
Bridesmaids’ dresses: A black dress of their choice
Groom’s suit: Jos. A. Bank
Groomsmen’s suits: A black suit of their choice
Catering: Chef’s Market
Cakes: Dessert Designs
Entertainment: The Wonderful Nobodies
Transportation: Rally Bus
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