A love for music provided the backdrop to Beth's childhood, and brought she and Justin together -- of course their wedding would prove to be a hit!
The Bride Elizabeth Young (known by all as Beth), 24, a cosmetologist
The Groom Samuel Justin Rhodes (he goes by Justin), 26, a pharmacist
The Date October 4
Justin's band, Max Cherry, provided him with a bit of spending money and a fun diversion while he finished up pharmacy school at Ole Miss, and it just so happened that they were quite popular in Monroe, Louisiana, where Beth was an undergrad at the university. The two flirted from afar for months, until Justin finally formally introduced himself to Beth. Soon after, she and her friends headed into Mississippi to see Max Cherry. "Justin was telling me all about how awesome it was opening up for [soul singer] Percy Sledge the day before, but what he didn't know was that my father played drums for Percy Sledge before I was born!" Beth says. The coincidence deepened her attraction to him, and the two soon began dating. The more they learned they had in common, the closer they became. "And if both Justin and my dad being musicians wasn't enough, both he and my mother are pharmacists!" Beth laughs. "I never really set out to marry someone just like my parents, but I did!"
After two years of long-distance dating, Beth thought Justin was picking her up for another fun weekend away together in Dallas, one of their favorite getaways. She was right about the fun, but wrong about the destination. The couple headed east to Vicksburg, where Justin had made dinner reservation at Cedar Grove, a Civil War-era plantation home that now operates as a bed and breakfast. After dinner, the couple walked around the gardens, then Justin led Beth up to the balcony on the third floor to take in the view-and ask her to be his wife. The couple decided then and there that Cedar Grove would be the perfect place to hold their fall wedding a year later.
-- Kate Wood