Reba McEntire’s son, 31, and Branch, 29, a social media influencer and licensed esthetician, tied the knot on Saturday, Feb. 12 at a magical location — Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. McEntire, 66, andher boyfriendRex Linn, along with Blackstock’s brother Brandon, were in attendance.
The couple, who first met on the dating app Tinder in 2014, didn’t start dating until two years later — something they consider a bit of a “Tinderella story.”
“We made fast friends early on and have had a strong bond ever since. We are twin flames. There’s this indescribable feeling of déjà vu when we are together — as if life is reminding us that we’re following our destiny,” the couple tells PEOPLE. “In retrospect, our mutual friends could see how compatible we are. They would always recommend that we should date; I think we were the only ones who didn’t see it (at the time).”
They continued, “The love was always there; we just didn’t understand it until we were both in the right headspace and had the maturity to recognize it. We both agree that if we had dated immediately upon meeting, we likely would not be as prepared as we are now to deserve one another.”
The parks themselves also eventually became the site for many of the couple’s most memorable milestones.
Guests enjoyed cocktail hour and dinner at Rotunda Bistro at Epcot ahead of the ceremony, along with fireworks at Italy Isola, before moving to the Magic Kingdom for the exchange of vows after the park closed for the evening.
When it came to the ceremony, Blackstock and Branch say that despite the current state of COVID, they are still fortunate to have “avoided most of the nightmares” other couples have faced while getting married during the pandemic.
In the process, the pair adopted a “life waits for no one” approach.
Ahead of the wedding, Branch says she was most excited to walk down the aisle to a song that’s fitting in their relationship: “Tale as Old as Time” fromBeauty and the Beast.
“Though I’ve loved the tune long before I ever had any real ideas of marriage, its lyrics perfectly capture what any bride would be feeling,” she says. “I know once I reach the altar it will be a true fairytale moment, with my handsome (fortunately not beastly), almost-husband waiting for me.”
One of their close friends, Tom Ellis, who was also the best man, officiated the ceremony. The couple also shared that instead of exchanging their vows publicly, they exchanged “more personal thoughts and feelings” during their first look.
“It can be worn as a bonnet, or for a christening, then saved until your wedding day. With a simple clip of the stitch, poof, it’s something old and something new. I can’t wait to walk down the aisle with something that’s been with me since the day I came into this world. I will also be donning some beautiful jewelry from my mother and mother-in-law to be as my something borrowed/something blue,” Branch tells PEOPLE.
For now, the couple will hold off on any honeymoon plans to see how COVID restrictions pan out in the coming months — but definitely plan on “somewhere warm.” In the meantime, they’ll keep dating each other — it’s “the most important thing to remember,” Branch says.
Looking ahead to what the future holds, the couple looks forward to “attacking life together.”
“We’ve known each other for so long, from both a ‘just friends’ to a dating perspective,” they tell PEOPLE. “Tackling whatever life throws our way as husband and wife — creating a family and legacy, together — excites us more than anything.”
source: people.com
