Bonner Carpenter and Clayton Acker’s Crisp White Wedding at Marie Gabrielle

By Lauren Kazemba

Childhood friends of Bonner Carpenter and Clayton Acker brought the two together for a Memorial Day bash at Bonner’s lake house. As the celebratory sparklers were lit, sparks flew between the two. After three and a half years of dating, Clayton knew that Bonner was the one.

During spring break, Bonner headed west to California for a horseback riding competition along with one of her best friends. While out on the town, the girls were interrupted by a phone call from Bonner’s horse trainer. Her horse was injured. When Bonner got to the stables, she saw her beloved and uninjured horse standing beside a man she could not make out. “Then it hit me—it was Clayton,” Bonner says. Clayton, who Bonner thought was back home in Texas at the time, led his confused girlfriend to a gazebo adorned with candles and flowers and got down on one knee. This time, there was not confusion—Bonner said “yes.”

For their nuptials on April 7, 2018, Bonner and Clayton maintained a crisp and classic feel thanks to wedding designer Jackson Durham and planner Caroline Fair. “Since we did not have a wedding party, I didn’t feel like I had to choose any particular color,” Bonner says. A lace Reem Acra gown from Warren Barron completed the white wedding aesthetic. “My dress made and still makes me so happy—I didn’t know a dress could make you feel that way,” Bonner says.

Once the big day came, the weather turned unexpectedly cold—and their outdoor ceremony at Marie Gabrielle was moved into a clear tent. Bonner had previously gone back and forth on decor, but the last-minute change settled it: a floral arch, perfectly balanced between greenery and flowers, kept the natural feel and acted as a showpiece for the wedding, achieving the perfect, fairytale spot for Bonner and Clayton’s “I dos.”