A Flower-Lined Aisle and Floor-to-Ceiling Floral Installation Transformed This Couple's Rustic Missouri Venue Into Their Dream Garden Wedding

Mallory Mercer and Corbin Whitman have their younger brothers to thank for their introduction in 2012, when they were just middle schoolers. As best friends on the same football team, their brothers spent a lot of time together, which meant that Mallory and Corbin's paths eventually crossed. “Corbin was helping his dad coach their practice and I got out of the car after a horseback riding lesson to get Cameron,” Mallory remembers. “We were introduced then and shortly after that became best friends.” By July of 2014, the two were officially dating.

Over the years, Mallory and Corbin's families would embark on an annual trip to Turks and Caicos, so Corbin took advantage of their July 2021 getaway to plan a meaningful beach proposal. After a family photo session and a dinner that Mallory thought was in honor of her dad’s birthday, she was led down a candlelit path lined with rose petals to find Corbin surrounded by a heart-shaped arrangement of candles. “He proposed and I couldn’t say yes fast enough. The moment I said yes a firework show went off that lit up the whole beach,” she remembers.

On May 14, 2022, the couple celebrated their wedding weekend at Big Cedar Lodge in Ridgedale, Missouri, with 200 guests in attendance. They planned an intimate ceremony in the venue's Integrity Hills Chapel, where sweeping views over Table Rock Lake were on full display. After, everyone moved to the property's Integrity Hills Stables for a reception that melded rustic charm with a garden-inspired aesthetic, all brought to life by Tanarah Luxe Floral, who handled event and floral design. “Tanarah, Steven, and their team take creativity to the next level, and we knew that would be how they approached our wedding,” Mallory says. “I wanted to use local, family owned businesses as much as I could, and this team was wonderful at pointing me in all the right directions based off their experiences.”

From flower-lined garden paths to a floor-to-ceiling floral installation on the reception's fireplace, you won't want to miss a single detail of this couple's wedding, as captured by Erin Wilson Photography and Films.

Mallory and Corbin worked with The Social Type to create their wedding invitation suite and day-of-paper products. Knowing that invites are one of the first wedding elements guests see, the couple wanted to ensure that their timeless garden-inspired aesthetic was highlighted through their paper goods. To that end, they chose a classic navy and white color palette with gold scripted text and incorporated a custom illustration of the venue's chapel and surrounding landscape.

The suite was finished with a belly band featuring a custom logo and personalized gold wax seals featuring the couple’s name, wedding date, and three trees. The same seals reappeared on the wedding day, this time to attach name tags to the menus at each place setting. 

The bride wanted a timeless wedding dress that wouldn't get in the way of dancing during the reception. To find her perfect look, she leaned on a trusted advisor: Her close friend and bridesmaid, Emma Grace, is a bridal consultant at Unveiled Bridal, a locally-owned boutique in Little Rock, and she helped Mallory source her dream gown. “Every moment was so special and everyone from the owner to the receptionist was so invested in making my experience a positive one,” the bride remembers.

In the end, Mallory chose a silk mikado gown by Amsale with a train and accessorized with silk strap Bella Belle shoes, a cathedral-length veil from Freedom Society Collective, and Corbin's mother's diamond necklace. "I also got to wear Corbin's grandmother's ring, who was unable to attend the wedding due to progressed Alzheimer's," Mallory says. “The fact that she was able to be there with me through her ring was beyond special to me."

Mallory's hairstyle was intentionally selected to allow for versatility on the big day. “For my bridal portraits I did a sleek middle part with waves for a clean look,” she says. “I changed to my everyday part for the ceremony because I wanted to be simple and have a hairstyle that looked best with my veil on.”

Mallory’s bridesmaids wore matching silk dresses by Amsale in jade colorway to complement the scenery. "I knew I wanted to do a unique color for my bridesmaid dresses, but it was important for me to choose a color that would flatter all of my bridesmaids skin tones and hair colors,” Mallory says.

Each bridesmaid held a smaller version of Mallory’s bare-stem bridal bouquet, which consisted of white and blush roses, tulips, and scabiosa with pops of greenery finished with a blush silk ribbon.

Corbin worked with Bell and Sward to source and tailor his custom slim fit Paul Betenly tuxedo. The jacket featured a shawl lapel with black satin trim and the couple’s wedding date monogrammed inside. He accessorized with black onyx studs and cuff links and a black silk bow tie from Geoff Nicholson.

Mallory knew she wanted to have a first look as soon as she started wedding planning. “Corbin and I have been together for so long, and I knew that seeing him would calm any nerves I had about the day,” she says. "I also knew I wanted to try to get as many pictures out of the way as possible before the ceremony so that we could enjoy time with our guests once they arrived.”

Guests were welcomed to the property's on-site chapel for Mallory and Corbin's ceremony with refreshing drinks. They also picked up custom ceremony programs that featured the illustration of the venue seen on the invitation suite.

The chapel featured stone floors, iron chandeliers, and floor-to-ceiling windows. Mallory and Corbin worked with their florist to create a garden-inspired aisle, including groupings of roses and agapanthus, to evoke a path seen in nature. “Since Integrity Hills was a beautiful, rustic lodge we wanted to juxtapose that design style with soft soapy blooms,” Mallory says.

The floor-length windows gave guests a first look at Table Rock Lake and the Ozark Mountains beyond.

A family friend, Terry Jones, performed during the processional. The couple selected “You Are The Reason” by Calum Scott for the the wedding party's entrance. After, Arkansas String Quartet took over and performed an acoustic rendition of Katy Perry’s “Unconditional” for Mallory’s walk down the aisle with her father.

Mallory and Corbin exchanged vows they wrote for each other, reminiscing about their relationship and focusing on their high school days. “It was truly a time of reflection and happy memories for me recalling how far we had come,” the bride says. The couple celebrated back up the aisle to a live rendition of “I’ll Be” by Edwin McCain.

At the couple’s outdoor cocktail hour, guests got to take a closer look at the views of Table Rock Lake and the Ozarks. An arched garden trellis covered in greenery doubled as an escort card display. Name tags were attached to white ribbons and displayed alphabetically. Guets were then given brass scissors to cut their table assignment free.

Lounge areas and tables were set up throughout the space, giving guests somewhere to perch and take in the view. Cushioned benches were paired with wooden side tables, round tables were topped with textured linens, and existing garden rocks were transformed into extra seats with the additional or custom pillows.

Mallory and Corbin served two signature cocktails: a raspberry Moscow Mule and a whisky soda. “Every napkin had our crest or a saying on it," the bride says of personalizations she and Corbin made for the day. "We had signature drinks named after our Chocolate Lab, Oakley, and my horse, Tailor Made."

The couple selected a variety of different passed appetizers, including boursin and prosciutto arancini, grilled shrimp cocktail served in a mini cup of cocktail sauce, and pimento cheese crostinis with bacon jam. While guests were enjoying bites and drinks, Mallory and Corbin snuck away for a private dinner and golden hour photos. “Since we did this, we were able to go around to each table while guests were eating and see everyone before the dancing began,” Mallory says. “This was something everyone said was special and meaningful to them.”

Mallory and Corbin rejoined the party at the end of cocktail hour. Before moving everyone inside for the reception, they shared their first dance on the patio overlooking Table Rock Lake. As the song wound down, fireworks went off in the distance. “Fireworks are significant to us because we spent every Fourth of July growing up at the lake watching firework shows and Corbin proposed to me with fireworks,” Mallory says of the couple's decision to include them in this moment. “Our guests were so excited and it got the night started on a fun start.”

Inside the stable, a mix of round and long dinner tables were topped with custom velvet linens and arranged around a large, continuous oval-shaped table that was set up in the center of the room. The team at Tanarah Luxe Floral created two statement-making flower arrangements in vintage cast iron urns that were displayed on acrylic columns in the center of the oval; on other tables, a mix of high and low centerpieces of hydrangeas, roses, tulips, and more were paired with candelabras and tea lights.

The Tanarah Luxe Floral also created a floor-to-ceiling display of white flowers on the venue’s two-story fireplace, creating a unique backdrop for the party. 

Each place setting included a clear charger, white linen napkin, and custom menu featuring the couple’s custom wax seal. For dinner, guests enjoyed their choice of beef tenderloin with shrimp, lemon herb rotisserie chicken, or seafood grits with au gratin potatoes and steamed greens on the side. “We wanted the menu to have a variety of options but also be a reflection of our personal favorite foods,” Mallory says.

The couple's towering wedding cake was made of six square tiers of white cake with lemon, raspberry, and orange zest filling and chocolate cake with chocolate ganache filling. Five tiers featured sculptural garden-inspired designs while the last one was decorated with the couple’s custom monogram.

Mallory and Corbin visited Arizona's Sonoran Desert for their honeymoon, where they went off-grid and enjoyed some much-needed alone time. They highly recommend soaking up the engagement before the wedding. “Soak up every moment of planning and include your partner as much as they want to be included,” Mallory says. “Don’t sweat the small stuff because at the end of the day, you will never get this special time back and you will ultimately get to marry the love of your life.”