Inside Lainey Wilson And Devlin “Duck” Hodges’s Waterfall Wedding In Tennessee
Country music singer-songwriter and Yellowstone star Lainey Wilson and NFL quarterback-turned-entrepreneur Devlin “Duck” Hodges’s meet-cute could have been a scene from the hit Taylor Sheridan show that she appears in. The two were set up on a blind date in 2021, and after dinner and signs of mutual chemistry, they ended up at a honkytonk. “We went to a spot on the water in Nashville called Moby Dicky’s, and then we went to Silverado’s,” remembers Lainey, who won the Grammy Award for best country album in 2024 and whose Netflix documentary, Lainey Wilson: Keepin’ Country Cool, dropped last month. “We’ve been pretty inseparable since,” she adds.
After four years of dating, Duck took Lainey to iconic country singer and songwriter George Jones’s renowned estate in Franklin, Tennessee, and asked her to marry him on the doorstep in February of 2025. “He had it set up with rose petals and pictures of the two of us from the last five years,” Lainey recalls. “We love George Jones, and he knew it would mean a lot to me to do it right there on George’s front porch.”
The wedding was held just over a year later in May 2026, at the Ruskin Cave in Dickson, Tennessee. “Duck and I were driving backroads in Tennessee and saw a billboard for The Ruskin Cave,” Lainey explains. “Duck said, ‘You wanna get married there?’ I said, ‘Done deal.’ We dropped by, saw the venue, and fell in love with the natural beauty of the cave and the simplicity of the property.”
Lainey knew from the start of the planning process that she wanted the wedding to represent her and Duck’s warmth as a couple. The couple worked with Hugh Howser and Kate Steele with H Three Events to execute their vision. “We wanted it to be special and beautiful, but really welcoming and comfortable for our guests,” she says. “We tried not to take ourselves too seriously. Being from Louisiana, I wanted to bring in a little bit of Cajun flair, so naturally we hired a 12-piece jazz band called Rebirth and had a Cajun meal from the chefs at my bar, Bell Bottoms Up.”
Considering the bride – who is famous for her denim bell bottoms – has almost never worn a dress, she knew her wedding look would have to be something special. Enter her stylist, Alexandra Mandelkorn, and the Oscar de la Renta team. They all worked together to create a custom look that was entirely Lainey, featuring tiny Japanese cherry blossoms around the neckline and scattered throughout. “The cherry blossom represents living in the moment, and that’s exactly what we did,” Lainey explains.
Duck wore a bespoke suit by D. Lacquaniti; a custom bolo, cufflinks and a hat pin created in collaboration with Mud Lowery; custom boots by Golden West Boots; and a cowboy hat by Charlie 1 Horse – all styled by close friend Raina Gir.
The ceremony took place on Sunday 10 May on a cobblestone ledge at the foot of a waterfall. “You could hear the water trickling down and birds singing, and we had a nice spring breeze,” Lainey remembers. “I arrived in a white horse-drawn carriage and walked down the aisle with my Daddy to join Duck at the altar.” The couple was married by Lainey’s friend and mentor, Wes Williams, and took communion together during the ceremony in front of their family and friends.
“I have never seen Duck smile as big as he did then,” Lainey admits. “It made me feel giddy about turning the page into this next chapter of marriage. We were both anxious to say ‘I do!’”
After the ceremony, Raye’s song “Where Is My Husband!” played as the newlyweds walked hand-in-hand down the aisle – and then, the legendary New Orleans group Rebirth Brass Band led everyone in a second line march to cocktail hour. “It was so lovely to have that touch of my home in Louisiana up here in Tennessee,” Lainey remembers.
After cocktail hour, they did another march to the cave where the reception was hosted. “My mama led the dinner prayer for all of our guests, and we settled in for a night of good food, good company and good music,” Lainey recalls. “Our family and friends know how to have a good time, and the dancefloor was packed all night. To close out a perfect evening, Duck and I followed the band through a send-off line of sparklers and cheering loved ones, climbed into an old white Ford truck, and drove off!”
Photo: Corbin Gurkin1/80Feeling royal and confident in my dream dress and veil, made by the incredible Oscar de la Renta team. Afton Williams and Mylan Medrano complemented the look perfectly with natural, timeless glam and hair.
Photo: Corbin Gurkin2/80Our wedding jewellery, displayed on a hand-painted Bible that was gifted by my friend Jordan Wilson on my bachelorette trip.
Photo: Corbin Gurkin3/80Me and my horse Cash dreaming about riding off into the sunset with the love of my life.
Photo: Corbin Gurkin4/80A moment for these handcrafted boots featuring Swarovski crystals, custom-made by Golden West Boots.
Photo: Corbin Gurkin6/80First time wearing a dress and I caught the perfect breeze to show it off! Shout out to my amazing stylist Ali Mandelkorn for bringing this vision to life with Oscar de la Renta.
Photo: Corbin Gurkin8/80My husband is named Duck, so it’s fitting he decided to wear mallard green. He knew he was looking good on his wedding day in his custom suit and gold duck bolo tie from Mud Lowery.
Photo: Corbin Gurkin9/80I’ve never seen Duck so giddy! He could not stop smiling! It made my heart so full.
Photo: Corbin Gurkin10/80We each wrote our vows in a little notebook and decided to read them to one another before the actual ceremony to keep it intimate and personal.
Photo: Corbin Gurkin12/80The white house where we hosted the rehearsal dinner on Saturday night and took photos with the wedding party before the ceremony.
Photo: Corbin Gurkin13/80Duck held me steady while walking through the lawn in my 130mm Louboutin heels.
Photo: Corbin Gurkin16/80My gorgeous mama and sister fawning over the dress and helping with final touches before the ceremony began.
Photo: Corbin Gurkin17/80Over 1,500 faille flowers adorning the style and over 20,000 bugle bead and crystal embellishments, but who’s counting? I was mesmerised by the intricate hand-sewn floral details on my train and veil.
Photo: Corbin Gurkin18/80How cute is she?! Charlotte is the daughter of our friends Fred and Morgan Hill, and she was the sweetest flower girl!
Photo: Corbin Gurkin19/80A few of my closest friends – Kasey Tyndall, Faren Rachels, Jenna Lamaster, and Mandelyn Monchick.
Photo: Corbin Gurkin21/80You better believe this sweet girl was double-fisting a pretzel on the dance floor after the ceremony!
Photo: Corbin Gurkin23/80Gotta have my wildflower bouquet. They represent love that can grow anywhere. They look so beautiful against the cherry blossoms featured throughout my dress, veil and halter-neck straps.
Photo: Corbin Gurkin24/80Wynonna and Cactus, hand in hand, ready for the official ceremony to begin!
Photo: Corbin Gurkin25/80Mylan Medrano putting on my veil on my tour bus before getting in the horse-drawn carriage that took me to the top of aisle. I said, “They’re gonna have to lift me up by the arms to get me into this carriage!”
Photo: Corbin Gurkin28/80Caroline and Ian Munsick keepin’ it Western. Love seeing Caroline in her Golden West boots!
Photo: Corbin Gurkin29/80Living out the lyrics to my song “Those Boots (Deddy’s Song)”: “Those boots will never go out of style, one day they’ll walk me down the aisle…”
Photo: Corbin Gurkin30/80Seeing the two most important men in my life smile this way makes my day over and over again.
Photo: Corbin Gurkin31/80Here we go! My absolute dream ceremony. I can’t believe the rain held off for us. It’s hard to see in this photo, but there’s a small waterfall flowing down the hill behind the altar and windows. The waterfall is what convinced us to do the ceremony in this spot.
Photo: Corbin Gurkin33/80Introducing Mr and Mrs Hodges! Walking back down the aisle with Duck to a live version of “Where Is My Husband!” really got the party started.
Photo: Corbin Gurkin34/80My nephew Knox got a little bashful around all this love talk, but Duck didn’t give him a choice to smile as we started the second line march from the ceremony to cocktail hour!
Photo: Corbin Gurkin36/80We had a wall of little cowboy hats on display at the cocktail hour for guests to find their table for the reception. Guest names were spelled out on the hat’s feather.
Photo: Corbin Gurkin45/80Old southern habits die hard, I reckon. As long as they look good doin’ it.
Photo: Corbin Gurkin50/80Off to dinner! Umbrellas just in case, but don’t worry, it didn’t rain on our parade.
Photo: Corbin Gurkin52/80Hugh and Kate, my wedding planners from H Three Events, came to my house to get inspo! These are some of the main colors in our house, so we felt right at home.
Photo: Corbin Gurkin53/80Peonies stand for romance that deepens over time and a life full of beauty and abundance. That’s the prayer for this marriage.
Photo: Corbin Gurkin54/80I love how green velvet chairs bring in that earthy tone we love. The mirror topped tables were a must have because it picked up the ceiling of the cave.
Photo: Corbin Gurkin57/80I will never get over the ambiance of this reception. Shout out to House of Clrk for unbelievable execution.
Photo: Corbin Gurkin62/80Ain’t gonna lie, I didn’t want to cut it because it was beautiful, but dang it tasted good. Dessert Designs did an incredible job!
Photo: Corbin Gurkin66/80“You walk in a room / And I lose my breath / Coming my way / Counting your steps / My heart starts to beat / Out of my chest / Harder and harder / The closer you get.” We had our first dance to Muscadine Bloodline’s “10-90 (The Sound of Roses).”
Photo: Corbin Gurkin69/80You best believe our friends and family get down with it too! Caught up in the moment and lovin’ every minute.
Photo: Corbin Gurkin73/80A hat tip either means you’re saying “goodbye” or just reallyyy feelin’ yourself.
Photo: Corbin Gurkin74/80Me obsessing over my wedding band, Got Groove! I love seeing Duck look at me that way.
Photo: Corbin Gurkin77/80Everyone was feelin’ the love by the end of the night. Smooches on the way to the sparkler send-off!
Photo: Corbin Gurkin78/80We did it! The most special night of our lives. The date 5.10.26 is burned into the brim of our cowboy hats.
