Just over a week after wearing a dress for the first time at her wedding to Devlin 'Duck' Hodges on May 10, Lainey Wilson turned heads at the Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday night in a stunning full-length orange gown.
ACM Awards Appearance
The 33-year-old country star, who was nominated for seven ACM awards including Entertainer of the Year, opened the show at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas with her latest single, 'Can't Sit Still.' Sharing photos from her first awards show as a married woman on Instagram, Wilson wrote, 'Hey y’all. I’m Lainey. I’ll be taking your order tonight, cause I’m serving.'
Although Wilson did not win any awards this year, she was gracious in her praise for the night's biggest winner, Ella Langley, who took home seven trophies, including Song of the Year and Single of the Year for her hit 'Choosin’ Texas.' Wilson told Postmedia, 'I got to be nominated alongside a lot of my friends this year. The women are whooping butt, and I love to see it.' Langley, in turn, expressed gratitude to fans during her speeches, saying, 'Thank you to the fans. I don’t know why you latched on to this song but thank you for doing it.'
First Time Wearing a Dress
Typically seen on red carpets in bell-bottom pants and a cowboy hat, Wilson discussed her wedding-day look, noting it was the first time she had ever worn a dress. In an interview with Vogue, she described feeling 'royal and confident in my dream dress and veil, made by the incredible Oscar de la Renta team.' She added, 'First time wearing a dress and I caught the perfect breeze to show it off! Shout out to my amazing stylist Ali Mandelkorn for bringing this vision to life with Oscar de la Renta.'
Her wedding to the former NFL star took place earlier this month at the Ruskin Cave in Dickson, Tennessee. Wilson recounted how they discovered the venue: 'Duck and I were driving backroads in Tennessee and saw a billboard for The Ruskin Cave. Duck said, ‘You wanna get married there?’ I said, ‘Done deal.’ We dropped by, saw the venue, and fell in love with the natural beauty of the cave and the simplicity of the property.'
According to Vogue, her wedding dress featured tiny Japanese cherry blossoms around the neckline and scattered throughout the design. Wilson explained, 'The cherry blossom represents living in the moment, and that’s exactly what we did.' She described the ceremony, held by a waterfall, as her dream wedding, adding, 'I have never seen Duck smile as big as he did then. It made me feel giddy about turning the page into this next chapter of marriage. We were both anxious to say ‘I do!’’
Duck Hodges' Support
Speaking to Postmedia in April, Wilson highlighted Hodges' crucial support during her early career struggles in Nashville. 'Duck was the guy who was in the van and trailer with us. At times, he would even sell the merch,' she said. 'Duck has always been my cheerleader and my best friend … It’s nice to be able to share things with people that I love and that I care about … I want my fans to know that I have really important people in my life who help me stay focused and remember what matters.'
In her new Netflix documentary, 'Lainey Wilson: Keepin’ Country Cool,' the Grammy winner reveals that meeting Hodges sparked her desire to become a mother. She told Postmedia, 'People can make us feel like we have a short window to do things. Even when I got to Nashville, people said, ‘If you don’t make it in your 20s, you need to hang it up and move back home to Louisiana.’ I’m going to be 34 this year, and it is a dream of mine to be a mom and have a family. I just wanted other people to know that they can do it. There are ways that you can still pour your heart and soul into something and live your other dreams too.'
Wilson's journey from an unknown artist to a country music star continues to inspire fans, and her recent wedding and ACM appearance mark a new chapter in her life and career.
