The Gould-Ishee Wedding
By Morgan Winter
Photography by Jessica Riley Warren and videographer Elinor Westbrook
On June 6th, 2020 Shea Gould, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Sevens (Paula) Gould of Somerville, Tennessee, and Zach Ishee, son of Mr. and Mrs. Sid (Allyson) Ishee of West Point, Mississippi, were joined in holy matrimony by Pastor Wes Schrickel of The Orchard Church at The Old Waverly Golf Club in West Point.
2020 necessitated changes to the couple’s wedding plans. Their beautifully planned outdoor ceremony in June was only attended by 20 guests, the best man, and maid of honor. Shea and Zach held their elegant reception on November 28th, 2020 with their entire wedding party, family, and friends present.
Sierra Gould was Shea’s maid of honor. Sydney Moore, Casey Boothe, Kayleigh Loftis, Margy Glass, Tess Glover, and Elizabeth Kimbrell comprised the bridesmaids. The ladies wore floor-length gowns in various styles from Show Me Your Mumu. The soft, muted grey tones were perfect with the bright colors of the summer ceremony and the white roses of the reception. The bride had five junior bridesmaids: Kate and Ella Roseberry, Kalen and Marin Copeland, and Sammi Jo Ishee. The young ladies wore navy blue dresses from JJ’s House. The flower girls, Larsen Copeland and Sadie Ishee were adorable in their white rose flower crowns and pink rose printed ivory satin dresses.
Beside Zach at the ceremony was his best man, Sidney Ishee. Joining him at the reception in November were his groomsmen: John Micheal Atkeison, Tillman White, Penn Kennedy, Cole Gordon, and Vincenzo Cuffaro. They cut fine figures in their suits with silver sage ties and white rose and magnolia leaf boutonnieres. Zach wore a navy suit from MLM Clothiers in Tupelo. For the ceremony, a pink satin tie was worn to complement his bride’s bouquet and floral arrangements; for the reception, he chose a silver sage tie.
Shea stunned her groom and guests in an elegant off-the-shoulder Rebecca Ingram dress. The trumpet skirt added modernity to the bodice’s allusion to vintage. A rhinestone belt accentuated her waist. For the bridal quartet, Shea’s mother lent her vintage sapphire ring for the big days and new opal earrings finished the tradition. A cathedral-length veil edged in white horsehair completed the ensemble.
For the ceremony and reception, Madlen Frans of Hair Haven in Millington, Tennessee styled Shea’s hair into soft curls and pulled it to one side. For the ceremony, Katie Sasser of Hattiesburg, Mississippi lent her talents, creating a subtle smokey eye for the bride with mauve lipstick. For the reception, Katie Boland of Nettleton applied the bridal party’s make-up.
The bride glided down the aisle to Elvis’ ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love’ performed by violinist Diane Ford. Shea met her groom before a circular archway filled with orange, pink, and peach roses, eucalyptus, and pink poppies. The arch framed the bride’s favorite part of the Old Waverly Golf Club: the driveway. Bordered by old magnolia and pine trees, it created a striking backdrop to Zach and Shea’s ceremony. Photographer Jessica Riley Warren and videographer Elinor Westbrook memorialized the sweet ceremony.
In November, the entire wedding party and guests were invited back to the golf club for their reception. The couple’s favorite menu, the Friday buffet, made its way onto the menu: fried chicken, creamed corn, barbeque with all the fixings, and a pasta station. The Old Waverly Golf Club catered the reception.
When It Really Matters in Louisville, Mississippi crafted gorgeous cakes for both the ceremony and reception. Guests were offered different flavors from the various layers of the cakes: lemon with blueberry filling, strawberry cake with strawberry filling, red velvet cake with white chocolate, and vanilla with lemon cream cheese filling.
The groom’s cake was a two-tiered cake in the shape of a golf club bag with the Saint Louis Cardinal and the Mississippi State logo. Zach had another request for dessert as well: multiple pecan pies made by his grandmother.
For entertainment, Even Odds, a band based out of Memphis, Tennessee, performed. The couple shared their first dance to Ray Charles’ ‘Come Rain, Come Shine’. Zach and his mother danced to Louis Armstrong’s ‘What a Wonderful World’. Tim McGraw’s ‘My Little Girl’ was a song that Shea and her father shared.
Ferrane Wilson was the creative genius at Twigs and Things of Oakland who designed the romantic floral arrangements for both of the events. Genuinely, G provided the invitations.
Unfortunately, the couple wasn’t able to have the traditional showers and parties to celebrate their engagement due to the pandemic; however, it made the moments Shea and Zach shared with their friends and families when they could come together all the more special.
The couple decided to hold their rehearsal dinner the night before the reception in November. The real showstoppers of the night were the desserts. All the sweets meant something special to the couple. Key lime pie was memorable for Zach, who grew up in Tampa, Florida. Bread pudding with a Tennessee Whiskey sauce was perfect for Shea, who was born in Somerville, Tennessee. They also had Mississippi Mud pie, for the place where Zach and Shea met, fell in love, and wed.
A bridesmaids luncheon was also held the day before the reception, complete with a mimosa bar. On the menu was a creamy parmesan risotto, chicken crepes, and a refreshing watermelon salad.
The couple had all of the wonderful events that you normally have around a wedding, just not necessarily in a ‘normal’ order! It will make for an interesting story to tell their children someday, about the wedding they had in 2020.
Zach and Shea had a standing Friday date at Old Waverly for their weekly buffet. Zach’s parents had been in town that week, a visit that had been planned for months. Zach and Shea both had assignments due that Friday morning. Zach finished his before Shea and by the time 10:30 rolled around, Shea was still typing away. Zach reminded Shea that they had plans for 11:30. She quickly finished and submitted her assignment and ran home to get ready for their lunch. Normally, Shea wouldn’t put much effort into getting ready, but since Zach’s family was going to be there she took a couple of extra minutes for some make-up.
The couple arrived at Old Waverly right on time. As they went to greet Zach’s parents, he stopped in the middle of the walkway and knelt. Shea was so shocked that she couldn’t get the all-important yes out; she cried and grabbed the ring from Zach. To Shea’s further surprise, her parents were also hiding and spying on their proposal. During their lunch, Shea asked Zach where his other relatives were who were supposed to be there… It was a little white lie to get her to dress up a bit.
Zach is currently a student at the University of Mississippi’s School of Law and Shea is employed at American Cotton Shippers Association in Memphis, Tennessee.
