REAL WEDDING:: Mallory + Stephanie Whitley Tapley {A Spark, Ignited}

whitley + tapley wedding

::AS SEEN IN THE SPRING+SUMMER 2024 PRINT ISSUE OF NOW WEDDINGS MAGAZINE::

Photography by Amber Fletcher Photography

mallory + stephanie’s story

Stephanie and Mallory’s story began when they were both bridesmaids in a mutual best friend’s wedding.

“The spark that would define our journey ignited during a casual evening at our friend’s house,” shares Mallory. “We both knew then we were meant for each other.”

Five years later, Stephanie enlisted Mallory’s mother’s help to find the perfect ring and asked her father’s blessing to propose. Stephanie was so excited to propose that she couldn’t wait until the following week for their vacation to Mexico. “On that quiet Tuesday night, she popped the question,” shares Mallory.

But Stephanie wasn’t the only one with plans to propose. “Little did she know, I had a proposal of my own in mind for our upcoming trip,” says Mallory. “I waited until the final night of our vacation to ask her the same question she asked me just the week before.”

about the wedding

“Our day was a tapestry woven with meaningful details and cherished traditions,” shares Mallory. “Among them, my role as a Big Sister with Big Brothers and Big Sisters for over 10 years had a special place—my Little [Sister], Shantia, stood by me as one of my bridesmaids.”

The couple chose the “Sacred Third Saturday” of October 2023 for their wedding day. “Stephanie and I celebrated with a cigar and bourbon bar, especially sweet after an Alabama victory – Roll Tide,” says Mallory.

“Amidst both loss and love, my Grandaddy, who passed away the Wednesday before our wedding, surely watched from heaven alongside my late grandmother (nanny),” Mallory shares. “Their presence lingered in my wedding bands, adorned with diamonds from my nanny’s ring. Stephanie, too, bore the weight of recent loss, honoring her late mother and best friend in a poignant bouquet adorned with their photo.”

“In a touching tribute, dogwoods — her mom’s favorite — graced the aisle, carried by her brother, finding a place next to her father,” says Mallory. “These details, a symphony of love and remembrance, made our day truly precious.”

“Our wedding day was filled with countless little moments that made it perfect,” Mallory says. The evening ended with a sparkler send-off led by a Second Line Brass Band that paraded the couple and their guests through the streets of the city they love so much, Mobile.