Wightman Chapel at Scarritt Bennett

Wedding Ceremony

Ceremony

14TENN

Wedding Reception

Summer

Our Wedding

Story according to Blake 😉:Blake and MaryGrace's connection goes way back to Centerville, OH where MG's parents grew up and Blake's family lived for several years when he was a kid. They would first meet years later at Frothy Monkey in Franklin, TN when they were both in town to see family for Christmas in 2017. They hung out a few times but Blake failed to impress her and she sent him a text that she was moving to Cleveland for grad school and out of his life (more or less). Shortly after MG moved to Cleveland, Lebron decided to leave the city and the Cavs have never been the same, but that is neither here nor there. Nearly three years of silence followed before MG invited Blake to a game night after she ended up back in Tennessee when the music industry mostly shut down during covid. Blake didn't make it to that game night but likely would have beat her in Catan if he had. Blake hesitated to reconnect, knowing that he was no more impressive now than he had been three years ago. Ultimately though, he couldn't resist and they met at Mojo's Tacos where she encouraged him to pay the extra dollar for the puffy style tacos and he knew there was a chance for true love. Several hikes and long walks followed and one kayak trip where MG forgot to bring her car keys to the take-out point and they waited over an hour for an uber. Blake fell for MG pretty quickly, but it took MG many months to decide that he had anything to offer, or would even admit they were dating despite hanging out every weekend and talking most days. She briefly considered moving to NYC, but Blake said she could simply tell him that she wasn't interested this time instead of leaving the state again. Fortunately, she changed her mind about moving and allowed him to continue seeing her. Sometime between Christmas and New Years something finally clicked for her, or maybe she just lowered her standards, time will tell. By March, Blake realized he had finally won her over and he proposed while they were visiting her grandparents in Hilton Head, which she has always described as the happiest place in the world. They are very excited to have you join them for their wedding celebration this summer and they look forward to meeting each other's friends and family that have shown up in all the stories they have told each other.&nbsp; P.S. from MG:For those who don't know Blake yet, his stories are told more for comedic effect than for accuracy - your first clue should have been his claim that he "would have" beat me in the game Settlers of Catan. I have always thought really highly of Blake, but it did take me a bit to figure it out. Once I did though, I haven't had a doubt. I'm head over heels for Blake and I can promise you it's not because I lowered my standards at all! I can't wait to marry him and spend the rest of my life with him and his sarcastic sense of humor. I also look forward to meeting Blake's friends so they can see that I'm not as mean as his story makes me sound, geesh.

Our Story

Photos

Annie Elizabeth Bender-Shaw

Caroline Joy Bender

Gemma Bender

Elise Christine Bender

Jillian Faith Bender

Blair Bender

Joy Elise Mote

Kathleen Larson

SarahBeth Summers

Carissa Hope

Brandt Waggoner

Kyle Findlay

Kyle Medlen

John Cabal

John Moody

Paul Michael

Sam Bender

Jackson Blake Waggoner

Louisa Faye Constance Bender

Wedding Party

Q + A

Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Nashville Near Vanderbilt

Hampton Inn & Suites Franklin Berry Farms

Residence Inn by Marriott Franklin Cool Springs

The Union Station Nashville Yards, Autograph Collection

Omni Nashville Hotel

Travel

Mojo’s Tacos

Edley's Bar-B-Que

Ladybird Taco

The Pancake Pantry - Hillsboro Village

Hawkers Asian Street Food

Hattie B's Hot Chicken

Honest Coffee Roasters

Crema Coffee Roasters

Frothy Monkey

Arrington Vineyards

Radnor Lake State natural area

Percy Warner Park

The Parthenon

National Museum of African American Music

Cheekwood

Ryman Auditorium

Nashville Zoo at Grassmere

Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park

Things to Do

Registry

MaryGrace & Blake

MaryGrace & Blake

Registry