Molly Tuttle Marries Old Crow Medicine Show Frontman Ketch Secor in Whimsical California Forest Wedding

Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and guitarist Molly Tuttle has married Ketch Secor, the frontman of Old Crow Medicine Show, in a whimsical forest ceremony surrounded by towering redwoods in Northern California.

Tuttle, 33, and Secor, 48, exchanged vows on Saturday, Aug. 22, at a private park in Santa Cruz, California, celebrating their marriage with 122 family members and close friends.

The setting carried special meaning for the couple. They were married on the same rustic wooden bridge over the San Lorenzo River where Secor proposed on Thanksgiving last year, after the pair had been together for about five years.

Secor described the ceremony as an “enchanting” celebration that felt as though it had come “straight out of Alice in Wonderland,” with massive trees surrounding the guests, a clear blue river winding through the landscape and a light mist hanging in the air.

For the musicians, choosing Northern California was deeply personal.

Tuttle grew up in the region, and Secor said the landscape had played an important role in shaping both her life and her music.

“Northern California is Molly’s home,” he told PEOPLE, describing the redwood forests and coastal waters that surrounded her childhood.

Although Secor grew up in the South and the couple now shares a home in Nashville, he said California felt like the ideal place to begin their married life.

The ceremony was officiated by Secor’s father, Jay, adding another family connection to the day.

Standing on the bridge where they had become engaged, Tuttle and Secor exchanged handwritten vows and poetry.

Their wedding reflected their shared appreciation for nature and acoustic music. Earthy tones, wildflowers and locally sourced food were incorporated throughout the celebration, while their invitations were designed to resemble postcards from a state park.

Tuttle said the goal was to make the event feel “natural and elemental.”

The couple wanted the wedding to seem like an organic extension of the forest rather than an elaborate production placed inside it.

“[We wanted to] make the whole experience feel like an extension of the beautiful landscape where we are getting married,” Tuttle said.

The two-time Grammy winner also emphasized that the weekend was not simply about celebrating their relationship.

She and Secor were particularly excited to bring their families and closest friends together in the same place for the first time.

Tuttle said they wanted their guests to have fun, form new connections and create memories of their own.

Unsurprisingly, music played a central role throughout the wedding.

Secor joked that one of his essential wedding requirements was having “a fiddle within arm’s reach.”

During cocktail hour, guests were encouraged to participate in an informal jam session. Musical stations were arranged around the redwood forest, complete with instruments that attendees could pick up and play together.

The spontaneous performances reflected the musical community surrounding both Tuttle and Secor.

Throughout the evening, friends and relatives serenaded the newlyweds with songs that carried personal meaning for them.

For their first dance, Tuttle and Secor chose Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon.”

The song was performed live by AJ Lee, accompanied by Tuttle’s brother and father as well as several of Secor’s Old Crow Medicine Show bandmates.

The choice also had a local connection: “Harvest Moon” was originally recorded only a few miles from the wedding venue.

The reception continued with even more music.

Tuttle’s mother led a square dance, while The Hot Club of San Francisco performed for the guests.

Eventually, the bride and groom joined the band themselves and performed several love songs together.

For Secor, the relationship between their marriage and their music is especially meaningful.

He said the songs he and Tuttle create together reflect the strength of their partnership.

“Together, we’re an unstoppable team ready to roll up our sleeves and make a difference in the world,” he told PEOPLE.

Secor described music as “medicine,” saying he believes it can restore, heal and provide joy during difficult times.

He said he and Tuttle feel a responsibility to use their music to offer that sense of connection wherever they perform.

Food at the celebration was also inspired by Northern California.

Guests shared a family-style dinner built around fresh seasonal produce selected by John Silva of Culinary Eye Events.

The menu included grilled summer vegetables, gnocchi, farro salad, California-style tri-tip and freshly grilled chicken.

Dessert featured blackberry cobbler à la mode and grilled peaches served with mascarpone.

Family remained central throughout the ceremony and reception.

Secor’s two children from a previous relationship participated in the wedding party. His daughter served as a bridesmaid, while his son was his best man.

Tuttle’s father walked her down the aisle while a piece of music he had composed specifically for the occasion was performed by Tuttle’s brother and AJ Lee.

Tuttle’s niece served as flower girl.

The couple also reserved an empty seat in honor of Tuttle’s late grandmother, whom the singer said she believed was “there in spirit.”

Tuttle and Secor’s relationship began through music.

They first met at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville in 2019, when Tuttle opened a show for Secor’s band, Old Crow Medicine Show.

They soon began collaborating frequently.

Their professional friendship gradually became more personal, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, their relationship developed into a romance.

Secor now describes Tuttle as unquestionably his person.

“Molly is so undeniably my person, every bone in my body says so,” he told PEOPLE.

He praised her kindness, talent, beauty, relaxed nature and dedication to their relationship.

Secor said he feels particularly grateful to have found such a meaningful partnership later in life, at a point when he has enough self-awareness to fully appreciate it.

He described imagining a future in which they travel the world together, explore new places and continue building a life centered around music.

Tuttle expressed similar feelings.

She said Secor is the kind of lifelong partner she had always hoped to find.

“For me, marriage means being there for each other through life’s ups and downs,” she said.

Tuttle explained that although they were already fully committed emotionally, becoming legally married made their bond feel even stronger.

She described Secor as generous, caring and someone who consistently prioritizes other people.

“Ketch makes me feel so loved and cared for,” she said.

Tuttle added that their friendship is one of the foundations of the relationship.

“We’re best friends and I cherish every day we spend together,” she said.

Wedding planning began in February, with assistance from planners and event designers Lally Clark and Peyton House of Lally Events.

Because both musicians maintain busy touring schedules, much of the planning happened while they were traveling.

Secor recalled taking wedding-related calls from tour buses moving through distant cities and from backstage dressing rooms across the country.

Sometimes the couple was together during those conversations, while at other times they were separated by hundreds or even thousands of miles.

Despite the physical distance, Secor said planning the celebration strengthened their relationship.

The process required them to listen to one another, compromise and understand each other’s expectations more deeply.

Rather than becoming a source of conflict, he said wedding planning ultimately drew them closer together.

The celebration actually began the evening before the ceremony.

Secor’s parents hosted a welcome dinner at The View Restaurant & Bar at Chaminade Resort & Spa in Santa Cruz.

Guests enjoyed pasta, wine and spritzes while local musicians Paul Rangell and Emily Abbink performed Italian folk music.

Following the wedding, Tuttle and Secor decided not to immediately take a lengthy honeymoon.

Instead, they planned a three-day “mini-moon” to Carmel-by-the-Sea and Big Sur.

A larger trip may come later when their schedules allow them more uninterrupted time together.

For now, they are focused on settling into married life in Nashville alongside Secor’s two children.

Tuttle said she is excited about becoming an even closer blended family.

“The four of us have so much fun when we’re all together,” she said, adding that she believes marriage will create a wonderful new chapter for them.

She is also looking forward to continuing her creative partnership with Secor.

“I’m excited to make more music with Ketch in the years to come and weave our lives together more and more,” Tuttle said.

While Nashville remains their home base, Tuttle added that both she and Secor hope to eventually spend more time on the West Coast.

The wedding itself brought together many of the themes that have defined their relationship: family, nature, collaboration and music.

From the bridge where Secor proposed to the instruments scattered through the redwood forest, nearly every detail connected back to their shared history.

Tuttle wore a ceremony gown by Maggie Sottero, later changing into designs by Tess Mann Atelier and other designers for different portions of the celebration. Her wedding ring was vintage, while jewelry came from David Yurman.

Secor wore a Billy Reid suit for the wedding ceremony after wearing Todd Snyder at the welcome dinner.

The floral and decorative elements were created with help from Jacqueline Ching and Wildcraft Floral, while additional event design, rentals, transportation and other services were provided by several vendors.

But despite the extensive planning behind the wedding, Tuttle and Secor wanted the final result to feel uncomplicated and authentic.

Their celebration was built around acoustic music, natural surroundings and people they love — the same elements that have shaped much of their lives as musicians.

After meeting on a Nashville stage in 2019, becoming collaborators, falling in love and getting engaged above the San Lorenzo River, Tuttle and Secor returned to that same bridge to begin their next chapter.

Now, as husband and wife, they say they are looking forward to building a blended family, continuing to travel, making more music together and creating a life that brings their separate histories even more closely together.