Award-winning country singer-songwriter Jamey Johnson married attorney Brittney Eakins on Tuesday, May 20, before 350 friends and family at the lush 160-acre Graystone Quarry in Williamson County. Read the PEOPLE feature here.
“Life has come full circle,” Brittney says. “Jamey has a sentimental attachment to the quarry. I let him decide the location of our wedding and that’s where he wanted to go.”
The Graystone Quarry was originally used as the limestone source for Interstate 65 from Columbia, Tenn. to Nashville, Tenn., which is the same road Jamey followed from Alabama to Nashville to pursue his dreams of a career in country music.
About a year after Jamey moved to Nashville, he worked for a company that pumped out rock quarries and mines so workers could return to work after a rain. “Around 2000-02, I took a pump out to that quarry one day,” he says.
In 2016, the quarry reopened as an entertainment venue that featured the FirstBank Amphitheater, where Jamey has performed several times.
Jamey thanked Nancy Jones, the widow of late country legend George Jones, for suggesting the quarry as a wedding venue. “Before I talked to her, I didn't even know they did weddings there. It didn’t cross my mind as a wedding venue.”
The wedding was officiated by country singer-songwriter Randy Houser, who is a member of the Traler Park, a group of friends that also includes Jamey, Lee Brice, Dallas Davidson, Rob Hatch and Jerrod Niemann. They have remained friends since their early days of performing on Nashville’s famed Lower Broadway, driven by their shared dreams of a career in music. In addition to the Traler Park members, Blake “Wally” Harris, a friend since college, was also a groomsman.
Perhaps ironically, Jamey determined that a rock singer would be the best behaved at the wedding. “For best man, I went with Jeremy Popoff (of the rock band Lit), but only because I figured he would be the least one likely to do something purposely to disrupt the ceremony.”
Brittney’s maid-of-honor was her youngest sister, Whittney Eakins, and her matron of honor was her middle sister, Tiffany Arcement, who is nine months pregnant. Brittney says, “That just goes to show you how my family is truly the best. My sisters have shown up for me in a huge way. She is due any day and still came to Nashville to stand by my side. We had to find her an emergency delivery doctor in Nashville just in case she went into labor.”
Brittney found her wedding dress at Natasha Marie Bridal in Baton Rouge, La., and had custom work, including a detachable skirt, completed in Nashville by Nina E Designs, who also works with country singer Megan Moroney.
The dress code was “cowboy black tie. “It’s a nod to our Nashville friends and to let them know they could wear their hats and boots,” Brittney says.
Jamey says, “It was a way to tell all of my friends who can’t be told what to do or when to do it, ‘This is an idea of what you could wear. Put on the stuff you wear when you want to wear something nice.’” Jamey himself wore Tecovas Boots.
The first dance was to “Look at You Girl,” which was recorded by late country singer Chris LeDoux and performed by ERNEST at the wedding. “That is what I sang at Ira Dean’s wedding,” says Jamey. “Anytime I sing at a wedding, I ask if I can sing that song, and it is always the one the brides land on.” The band Party on the Moon also performed.
Wedding guests included Oliver Anthony, award-winning songwriter Dean Dillon, Colt Ford, Lee Brice, Jerrod Niemann, Kassi Ashton, Zac Brown and jewelry designer Kendra Scott, members of the band Chapel Hart, ERNEST, Randy Houser, Larry Fleet, Gary Allan, Nancy Jones, window of the late George Jones, Marcus King, Multi-ACM Award winner Ella Langley, songwriter and producer Mac McAnally, Grammy Award winner Lukas Nelson, James Otto, Jeremy Popoff, multi-genre artist Kid Rock, Country Music Hall of Fame member Randy and Mary Travis, comedian Ron White and Luke Grimes of Yellowstone.
The wedding was planned and catered by The Cutting Board of Milton, Fla. There was a heavy seafood presence, including a recipe called the Seafood Sensation, which is a Cajun cream-style sauce with six different types of seafood sautéed in a pan. (The seasoning recipe is patented by the caterer.)
The cocktail hour featured a station called Johnson Sliders with three different types of sliders, including a bacon/swiss with maple onion jam, Nashville hot chicken (in honor of Jamey’s city of residence) and a muffaletta (in honor of Brittney’s home state). The couple featured John Schneider’s Revenuer’s Reserve moonshine in a blackberry moonshine margarita and a blackberry Tennessee burnt-end skewer. Jamey’s signature cocktail was a non-alcoholic margarita and Brittney’s signature cocktail was a Hand Grenade, which pays homage to New Orleans and includes vodka, rum, gin and a melon liqueur. The bar service was courtesy The Thirsty Ranch of Milton, Fla.
The traditional wedding cake was an almond flavor with a raspberry filling and showcased the same lace pattern that was on the bride’s dress. “The groom’s cake is his favorite cake flavor, carrot cake,” Brittney says. “I was more excited about the groom’s cake than the bridal cake.”
The groom's cake was a surprise for Jamey – a full-scale replica of his beloved guitar, Ole Maple, with every detail, including the autographs from other artists on the front.
The cakes were made by Iris Smith of Cakes by Iris in Mississippi, who is a nationally known cake maker. “She has made us a few cakes already,” Jamey says.
Brittney says, “She was the first vendor we chose for this wedding two years ago. We ran into her at Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves’ second inauguration. Jamey asked her on the spot if she would do the wedding cake.”
The theme of the wedding was southern elegance with a white color palate. The florals and decor were by Fresh Cut of Flowood, Miss.
Guests had the option to sign a traditional guest book as well as a custom-made guitar. The guitar was an idea and a surprise from the wedding planner.
The bride was born in Slidell, La., and raised in nearby Kiln. She earned a law degree from the University of Mississippi and was a law clerk at the State Supreme Court in January 2019, when she met Jamey at Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves’ inauguration. Jamey was so smitten that he proposed the next day in front of Walker’s Restaurant. He said, “How about we skip the dating? Let’s go ahead and get married and have some kids and we’ll talk about a date after that.”
“I couldn’t tell if he was kidding or not,” shares Brittney. “He didn’t laugh. He looked at me and said, ‘You have no idea how long I have been looking for you.’”
She politely declined and said, “How about we go on a date first?”
For four years, they had a long-distance relationship, seeing each other as much as possible around her work schedule and his touring schedule. Jamey, a licensed pilot who lives in Nashville, made frequent flights to Jackson, Miss.
On March 1, 2023, Jamey proposed on the deck/patio of the Walter Sillers building in Jackson, where she was working for Attorney General Lynn Fitch. When she returned to her office, she was surprised to see him standing there. “He asked me to take a walk with him, so I did. I don’t remember our conversation, but I remember we were right across the street from where we met. He got down on one knee and proposed. I guess I said yes this time!”
Concerns about the weather grew as forecasts predicted severe thunderstorms on their wedding day. Indeed, moments after the couple were proclaimed husband and wife, the rain turned into a major storm, complete with baseball-sized hail. Fortunately, the heaviest part of the storm was short-lived and everyone was able to walk to the reception area and enjoy the rest of the evening.
"A lot of people say that a little rain on wedding day is good luck, but not many people can say that they got married during a tornado and hail storm," Brittney jokes.
The Johnsons depart for an island honeymoon on Thursday, where they will hopefully have nothing but sunny days ahead.
"The best thing about our wedding is that it has brought together so many people we love. Watching our friends meet and become friends has been the best experience for us," Brittney says.
