Scotty McCreery and his high school sweetheart, Gabi Dugal, exchanged vows in the North Carolina mountains in front of a gathering of 200 family and friends on Saturday (June 16).
The ceremony, was which was officiated by McCreery’s childhood pastor, followed their week of activities, including a Cajun-style shrimp boil on Thursday night and a rehearsal dinner on Friday “up on the cliffs” of the couple’s wedding venue.
“We’ve been dating six years and have known each other our whole lives. That kind of story doesn’t happen too often nowadays,” McCreery told People before the wedding. “I support her dreams and she supports mine.”
The newlyweds, both 24, shared their first dance to Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” The guests enjoyed Cajun styled dishes (a nod to Dugal’s Louisiana heritage) along with steak and pasta and instead of a traditional wedding cake they served an assortment of pies.
McCreery had proposed to Dugal as they hiked in the same area in September and accidentally stumbled upon the spot where they were wed.
“I’ve been planning this moment for so long that it feels surreal for it to have finally happened,” McCreery said in a statement at the time. “Gabi is the perfect girl and my true love, and I cannot wait to begin building our life together as husband and wife.
On Tuesday, the duo will jet to Tahiti for a romantic honeymoon (“The one thing she really wanted was an over-water bungalow,” says McCreery) before heading back home to get settled into their new home.
One of the first photos of the newly wed couple at their ceremony in North Carolina from People Magazine.
