Happily Ever After

A fairy-tale wedding unites a small town princess with her charming prince.

Amy Leigh Mareske & Jordan Matthew Bryant
Logan | 6.26.21

Photographed by Lauren Love Photography

Written by Julie Perine

Walking down the aisle of the candle-lit church—the very one in which her parents and grandparents had wed—Amy Mareske had so many thoughts swirling through her head. She was in awe of the very large crowd that stood before her. She was concerned about the emotional state of her dad as he escorted his only daughter, his princess, to her husband-to-be. Then, there was the fairy-tale decor, each and every gold, sparkling detail just as she had imagined. But when her eyes met those of Jordan Bryant, awaiting his bride at the altar, her mind quickly reset. “I looked up at Jordan and thought, ‘That’s my groom, and this is me. This is really us, and we are really getting married,’” Amy says.

That wasn’t the only “wow” moment the two had shared throughout their six-year courtship. A collection of realizations tell their story, one which neither Amy nor Jordan dreamed would play out the way it did.

The Early Years

Amy and Jordan knew of each other in their neighboring Logan County small towns, but that was the extent of it. After obtaining degrees at Marshall University and West Virginia University, respectively, a Twitter message came out of the blue and changed their fates. On a whim and at the nudging of buddies, Jordan sent Amy a message, expressing interest in her. “I was tired of the college bachelor life. I wanted to find a girlfriend. Given her reputation and good name, I knew she was a really good girl,” Jordan says. “This was a big swing for me.”

Amy didn’t take the message seriously. In fact, she didn’t reply. But after a couple months had passed, she decided she had nothing to lose and, while celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in Morgantown, where Jordan lived, she finally answered that message. A series of texts followed and, eventually, so did a few dates. Amy discovered that Jordan was quite the charmer.

They discovered shared interests: The movies, eating at hole-in-the-wall restaurants, and, as it turned out, Kenny Chesney concerts. At their first show together, under the stars at Heinz Field, Jordan professed that he was falling in love.

Amy says she knew she was committed, but she wanted to continue her education and wasn’t ready to get too serious. Her true moment of realization came much later, after Jordan’s mom passed away. “That’s when I knew I couldn’t live without him—that I didn’t want to go through anything serious, good or bad, without him.”

The Proposal

Three months later, in December of 2019 at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, Jordan popped the question. The couple walked outside to see the resort’s iconic Christmas tree. “I truly had no clue. I thought we were there for dinner and to see the lights, and the next thing I know he’s on one knee with this ginormous ring,” Amy says.

The following six months was filled with planning their wedding, an occasion that would celebrate not only their love but the love of family and would serve as a remembrance of loved ones who had passed on. One of the first decisions was to book Nighbert Memorial United Methodist Church in Logan, where Amy’s parents and grandparents were married in 1951 and 1987, respectively.

Amy chose a gown that made her feel like the small-town princess she was known to be. When she tried on the elegant, off-the-shoulder Morilee Signature Collection tulle ball gown embellished with crystallized embroidery, Chantilly lace, sequins, pearls, and beading and featuring a sweetheart neckline and layered bouffant skirt, she knew it was the one.

The Wedding

Amy’s royal look was completed with an appliqued, fitted headband and two-tiered organza veil—one layer hanging just below her waist and the other flowing to the floor. Her white satin heels sparkled with rhinestones. She wore a bracelet custom-made of her grandmothers’ engagement rings, and she carried a handkerchief made by her maternal great-grandmother as well as a bouquet of peonies, hydrangeas, and roses.

The memory of Jordan’s mother was acknowledged by a white candelabra at the end of the pew where his father sat and a long-stemmed pink rose on the seat next to him. Adorned in gold-sequined gowns, Amy’s attendants preceded her, as did the flower girls, wearing white tulle ball gowns and rhinestone tiaras.

As “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” played, Amy tucked her arm into her dad’s and proceeded down that aisle toward Jordan, dressed in a black tuxedo with satin trim. They exchanged vows and, as “From this Moment” played, the couple lit the unity candle. That was Jordan’s most memorable moment. “Amy almost fell,” he says. “She missed the step.”

Immediately before, Amy had trouble lighting the candle. Again, thoughts filled her head. It was, after all, the unity candle, symbolizing the beginning of their life together. As she feared, the candle didn’t stay lit. But the fact that Jordan had literally swept her off her feet during her misstep was validation that they would always be there for one another.

The evening was sealed with a reception at the Chief Logan Conference Center and Lodge as the couple danced to a Kenny Chesney medley of “Me and You” and “Don’t Happen Twice.” They then loaned one of their favorite Chesney songs to Amy’s brother and his bride, who had been married in a small, simple ceremony in the early days of the pandemic and didn’t get to experience their own first dance.

The celebration continued in the picturesque lodge draped in a palette of fuchsia, soft pink, white, and gold, with gold glitter, twinkling white lights, candles, and lavish greenery. “It was such a perfect June day,” Amy says. “There’s no other way to describe it than a fairy-tale wedding.”

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