The guest list for the October wedding of singer/songwriter Emily Weisband and medical sales rep Dylan Toscano read like a who's who in country music, as everyone from Little Big Town's Karen Fairchild to Lady A's Hillary Scott was in attendance to support a collaborator that has turned into a treasured friend.
"I really wanted to share the day with people who have poured into me in more ways than just music," Weisband, 29, tells PEOPLE of the precious day that also included bridesmaids RaeLynn and Lauren Daigle and over 220 invited guests.
Planned with the help of Grey Boroff from House of Grey Events, the star-studded wedding took place on Oct. 1 at Southern Trace Farms in Franklin, Tennessee, and shined the spotlight on the couple, who had dated for over two and a half years leading up to their big day.
"We knew we wanted our wedding to feel like a celebration," explains Weisband, who originally made a name for herself as a Grammy-winning songwriter for powerhouse artists such as Camila Cabello, Dan + Shay and Keith Urban. "We didn't want to just plug our story into the wedding formula everyone uses, so we leaned into who we are."
Certainly, this intention made the day unique in a multitude of ways.
"We love food and if we are fighting, we make a delicious meal and sit down at the table and push our differences aside," explains Weisband with a chuckle, adding that Juniper Green catered the food, which includes a wide selection of dishes inspired by fall and Mediterranean/Italian flavors. "So, we got married at the table! Our guests were seated at their reception tables, and we got married there. After we said, 'I Do' and kissed, we walked to our seats and sat down to eat."
Of course, that walk allowed for the Virginia native to show off her stunning Galia Lahav gown captured beautifully in photos. Also on display were Weisband and Toscano's sparkly new wedding rings.
"We decided to buy our wedding bands in each other's hometowns," says Weisband, whose wedding was officiated by Ryan Lampa, who serves as the founder and CEO of the Nashville non-profit organization People Loving Nashville. "We bought his at Ulman's — a mom-and-pop jewelry store in my hometown of Fredericksburg, Virginia — and we bought mine at American Jewelry in Brentwood."
In the tradition of "something old," Weisband also chose to wear her mother's wedding shoes from 1992. She also wore an opal necklace given to her by Toscano as her "something new" just before she walked down the aisle, and her grandmother wore a blue dress for the "something blue." But "something borrowed?"
Well, that turned into a last-minute add to Weisband's day.
"I didn't have a something borrowed," she remembers. "Then one of our guests walked up to me during dinner and asked if I had a something borrowed. When I said no, she took her diamond bracelet off and told me she wanted me to wear it for the rest of the night. It was so sweet!"
From the woman who has written countless songs in her lifetime, it wasn't surprising that Weisband and Toscano decided to write their own vows, but it did come as a surprise to her that they were going to recite them for the first time in front of all their guests.
"The original plan was to share them in private during our first look, but the morning of the wedding Dylan texted me and asked if I would be OK with doing them in front of everyone," Weisband remembers. "He had a feeling in his gut that we were supposed to and it's a good thing we did because it made the whole night!"
As the afterparty began, Weisband was swept away to change into a custom Olia Zavozina dress, perfect for an evening of dancing and fun. And at the end of the night, each guest went home with a handwritten letter from the bride, who spent a total of three months writing a custom note to each one of her guests.
"I was most excited to give our guests a unique experience and show them who we are through that experience," says Weisband, who also served guests late-night snacks such as donuts, Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream, and pizza from DeSano Pizza Bakery.
"It was exciting for everyone to arrive and realize this was going to be a little different than other weddings they'd been to. The energy was electric. When I walked down the aisle, everyone stood and cheered — clapping and whooping and hollering. It felt so joyful from the start!"
And it's this joy that Weisband now looks forward to taking into their collective futures, which has already included a honeymoon spent in both New York City and Ireland.
"We are really excited to grow in our partnership," says Weisband, whose new single "Deathbed" touches on the idea of what is going to matter the most when one comes to the end of their days. "It's so relieving to face the daunting thing that is the future and realize that you have a teammate who is genuinely as invested in what you're building as you are. You're not alone."
