Photo: Amanda Joy Photography
The Seattle Seahawks tight end, 24, wed SEC Alabama golfer Melanie Bailes, 22, on March 10 at the historicGreenbrier Resort, a hotel nestled in the Allegheny Mountains in West Virginia.
Parkinson tells PEOPLE that his favorite part of their special day was seeing his bride walk down the aisle.
“I have never seen someone so beautiful in my entire life,” says the pro football star. “I may or may not have cried! But it was the moment that God had prepared for us.”
Ahead of the couple’s wedding day, Bailes says she had trouble finding the perfect dress, so she created her own custom gown. “I loved the style of a fitted top with a dramatic train,” she says. “I didn’t find anything I liked so I combined two dresses [a Stella York and Martina Liana] into one and it turned out amazing. It was my dream dress!”
Amanda Joy Photography
The day before the ceremony, Parkinson and Bailes privately read their own vows to each other near the chapel in a gazebo. The next day, they exchanged traditional Christian vows in front of their 120 guests.
“We love the mountains,” adds Bailes of the wedding venue. “We feel we can see God’s beauty in the mountains and forests, so we wanted to have a wedding theme of that.” Bailes' bridesmaids wore wearing different shades of green as a nod to the trees and greenery in the mountains and forests.
Guests dined on steak and salmon with roasted vegetables, before a red velvet and confetti wedding cake was served.
The couple, who got engaged on Oct. 24, 2022, first met on Instagram. “We talked for a few months, then we took a leap of faith and met in person on March 10, 2022,” says Bailes. “We had a long distance relationship and made our marriage even sweeter as we cherish every moment together!”
Now happily settling into being husband and wife, the newlyweds say they can’t image life without each other.
“Marriage is such a beautiful thing,” says Parkinson. “We followed God’s calling to get married and we cannot wait to do life together. Being husband and wife means we are operating as one for the rest of the lives. We are fully committed to each other and the Lord.”
source: people.com
