Paul Samuel Freeman swears he proposed to Timmery Elizabeth Turner, a children’s book author and illustrator, about two weeks into their relationship, when he gave her a ring on a bench in New York and told her that he was never going anywhere and would always be by her side. “I thought he was a little nuts but intriguing,” Timmery laughs. “I didn’t think anything of his ‘proposal,’”
What Timmery sees as the more official proposal came five years later at the Nashville Airport. And once engaged, the couple decided on hosting their June 2019 wedding at Paul’s uncle’s “castle” in Arrington, Tennessee.
Aesthetically, the bride always knew she’d have a colorful wedding. “Rainbows and bright colors have been my jam my entire existence, but I also wanted it to be very classy and elegant,” she says. Timmery planned the whole day herself, but her friend Chelsi Chastain stepped in as the day-of coordinator.
The bride’s wedding dress was made up of three different vintage dresses—one being her mother’s own wedding gown. Timmery’s designer friend in L.A. Estrella Fernandez helped her put them together. “I went to school for fashion design, but I didn’t want to sew my own dress,” the bride explains. And on the day-of, she got ready with her cousin and makeup artist Lerie Turner.
Bridesmaids and Timmery’s “bridesman” complemented her in gold looks of their own choosing. And Paul and his party wore midnight blue with gold accents.
On June 22, 2019, Timmery walked down the aisle to “To Know Him is to Love Him” by Amy Whinehouse. Two of Paul’s groomsmen met her at the top of the stairs and began the trip, and at the bottom of the stairs, the father of the bride took over and led his daughter to the altar. Timmery’s cousin Mikki officiated the ceremony, and during the bride’s vows, their one-and-a-half-year-old daughter “decided she needed her mama,” and Timmery finished her vows with her baby in her arms.
To conclude the service, the married couple jumped over a rainbow broom that a friend of the bride had custom-made and walked away to “Got Me a Woman” by Levon Helm Dirt Farmer, while rainbow heart-shaped, bio-degradable confetti was thrown. “The best day of my damn life!” Timmery exclaims.
Since it was June in Tennessee, the weather was scorching, so there wasn’t a whole lot of dancing. “The kids used the dance floor as their own personal balloon play area,” Timmery remembers. But they did have their first dance to “Day Too Soon” by Sia. Timmery describes the dance as “awkward” because they didn’t account for her long train during their lessons, and it kept wrapping around her ankles. The bride’s favorite part of the reception was the father-daughter dance to “My Girl.” “He cried like a baby the whole time, but man he had moves.”
After dinner, the cake by Timmery’s godmother was a smash hit. Each tier was a different flavor. The couple saved the last tier for their first wedding anniversary, but unfortunately, one of Paul’s groomsmen was staying with them during that time and decided he needed a midnight snack. “I laugh so I don’t murder him,” Timmery jokes.
For more celebrating, Timery’s best friend’s parents’ offered their Airbnb, where dancing really kicked off. Eventually, the revelry got too much, and people had to be asked to leave, but there were no regrets. The next morning, nearly the entire wedding party headed to breakfast together and reminisced on the previous day.
However, shortly after the wedding, Timmery and Paul discovered that they had forgotten to get one tiny thing…their marriage license—one last (very important) loose end to tie.
