Sarah and James are two of the nicest people you will ever meet. Ole Miss sweethearts that share an affinity for good food and everything law. It was a chance decision (straying away from the Sexton tradition of attending Tennessee) that James decided to attend Ole Miss. One blind date, a Piglet and a Pooh Bear costume later, and Sarah found herself attending DJ Fat Cat shows and being his #1 fangirl. I am so thrilled to share this stunning wedding with you. Held at the Memphis Hunt and Polo Club, it was a day filled with so much love, beautiful things, and sweet moments.

“I honestly never dreamed of my wedding as a little girl, but I definitely dreamed of who I was going to marry. James came into my life, and he exceeded all my dreams of the man I hoped to be my husband.” – Sarah

“James and I are both from Memphis, and we went to brother-sister schools, MUS and Hutchison, without ever meeting each other. I look back and realize how many times James and I were in the same place at the same time but never met. It’s funny because we spent most of our lives in the exact same place without knowing our future husband/wife was right there in front of us.” – Sarah

“Family has always been very important to me. I carried a monogrammed handkerchief that was a family heirloom. My mother gave me a cross necklace to remind me where to keep my focus. I haven’t taken it off since, and I hope to one day continue this new tradition my mom created for me that day. I gave my sister some diamonds earrings as a way of honoring her as a beautiful sister and best friend who has always been a rock in my life and a light to everyone she meets.” – Sarah

“At Ole Miss where James and I both went to college, we were set up by my sister (Mary Elizabeth Hearn) to go to a Sigma Chi Halloween Date Party (James’s fraternity function) where we went costume shopping and dressed like Winnie the Pooh and Piglet. We had so much fun that we continued to go on dates, and the rest is history!” – Sarah

“James told me we were going to go to the Grizzlies Game, and before the game, he told me we should go to the rooftop of his apartment building (Metro 67 and where we live together now) to grab a drink and look out at the river. We walked out to the rooftop where he had a table set up with pictures, champagne, and a Bible that was engraved ‘Sarah Sexton.’ He led me to the table and got down on one knee.” – Sarah

“The vision was a traditional southern wedding with beautiful flowers, and the Memphis Hunt and Polo Club provided such a serene and breathtaking backdrop to make this vision come to life. There were even deer roaming the property, and we were blessed with incredible weather for July. It rained for weeks before the wedding and weeks after the wedding. We honestly lost all hope for a sunny wedding day, but the weather was one of the best surprises. I have always loved beautiful flowers, and I definitely envisioned flowers playing a significant role in my wedding. However, Deedra Stone Designs far surpassed any vision I had. She created a flower wall that led to the entrance of the tent, and it was so fun to see our friends and family taking pictures there all night!” – Sarah

“I really loved all the details personal to me and James that were incorporated into the wedding. For example, James always calls me ‘Bear’ instead of Sarah, and he is known as ‘Fat Cat’ since his DJ name at Ole Miss was ‘DJ Fat Cat.’ We had napkins at the wedding that said ‘Bear <3’s Fat Cat,’ and we also passed out Bear and Cat ears on the dance floor to allude to our nicknames.” – Sarah

“Because James and I met and fell in love while students at Ole Miss, it was important for us to put a little bit of our story in our wedding. We made a tribute to our time together at Ole Miss in two ways. While at Ole Miss, James was a DJ for fun, and his DJ name was DJ Fat Cat. I surprised him by making his groom’s cake a DJ stage with an LED wall. The other nod to our time at Ole Miss was one of our favorite speakeasys, Secret Grilled Cheese. We created our own little speakeasy called Fat Cat’s Secret Grilled Cheese with a neon sign, different kinds of grilled cheese sandwiches, and bourbon tastings.” -Sarah

“Our wedding hashtag was #bringingsextonback, which alludes to Justin Timberlake’s song ‘SexyBack.’ This turned out to be a huge theme for our wedding. James and I walked into the wedding reception with ‘SexyBack’ playing, which was one of my favorite memories from the night. We also passed out fedora hats and gold chains on the dance floor to go with this Justin Timberlake ‘SexyBack’ theme.” – Sarah

“James and his brothers are sneakerheads and love collecting shoes. At the reception, James, his brothers, and his dad all put on different editions of Jordan 1’s and Air Force Ones to celebrate in!” – Sarah

“I am not the type to typically focus too much on all the details, but people did tell me to really try to slow down and take it all in because it can get overwhelming. The best advice I could give any bride would be not to get caught up in the details but focus on the reason for the celebration. Having a great planner is a huge part of that. I do not know what we would have done without Mona Dunlap. She absolutely made that possible for us.” – Sarah

Second Shooter: Mackenzie Rue | Dress: Legends by Romona Keveza | Bridesmaids Dresses: Bella Bridesmaids | Tux: Oak Hall | Rehearsal Venue: Memphis Hunt & Polo Club | Ceremony Venue: Second Presbyterian Church | Reception Venue: Memphis Hunt & Polo Club | Coordinator: Mona Dunlap | Flowers: Deedra Stone Designs | Invitations: Ménage Stationary | Rentals: White Door Events | Band: Memphis Soul Revue | Videographer: Lynn Productions | Caterer: Memphis Hunt & Polo Club | Hair: Annie Coates; Courtney Kelly | Makeup: Kendrick Simpson; Matt Gossett | Preparation Accommodations: Memphis Hunt & Polo Club