Nashville fans have waited four long seasons for Rayna Jaymes (Connie Britton) and Deacon Claybourne (Charles Esten) to tie the knot, and during the Wednesday, March 16, episode — entitled “Forever and for Always” — they finally got their wish. But with every great love story comes equally great drama, so it should come as no surprise that it wasn’t all smooth sailing before these country superstars said “I do.” Let’s talk about it! (Warning: Vast amounts of swooning may occur.)
Secrets and Lies
While Rayna and Deacon were on their way toward wedded bliss, poor Avery (Jonathan Jackson) was once again struggling to come to terms with his own marital demons. As part of his agreement with Juliette (Hayden Panettiere), he promised not to divulge her whereabouts or their failed marriage to the press, which meant that he spent the majority of Rayna and Deacon’s wedding reception lying to everyone and acting as though he couldn’t be happier.
In fact, the stress of it all eventually led him to have a panic attack, so odds are it’s only a matter of time before Juliette’s trip to rehab becomes public knowledge.
Colt’s Confession
Speaking of things becoming public knowledge, Colt (Keean Johnson) decided that a wedding reception would be a great time to tell Layla (Aubrey Peeples) the truth behind the death of Jeff Fordham (Oliver Hudson) and how he fell from a building while saving Juliette’s life. So, yeah, that’s *definitely* not going to backfire on anyone in the future, especially considering that Layla intends to make Avery her new music producer.
Family Feud
Not everyone was initially excited to see Rayna walk down the aisle, particularly Daphne (Maisy Stella), who has been feeling more and more like an outsider, since Deacon isn’t her biological father. But even Maddie (Lennon Stella) started having doubts of her own after she witnessed Deacon lose his temper with a press photographer after the rehearsal dinner. She was scared that Deacon’s troubles would never fully go away for good, and worried that her mother was too blinded by her love for him to see his faults.
Thankfully, Mama Rayna was able to talk through their concerns and work it all out in the end. However, it left Deacon wondering if the wedding wasn’t meant to be. He even took off for a little while to visit his sister’s grave, and after a little heart-to-heart with his sponsor, he smartened up and returned to do the thing he should’ve done 20 years ago: Marry the love of his life.
Love Conquers All
So what if the florist leaked the location of their wedding to the press? It was going to take more than some pushy paparazzi to stop these two lovebirds from tying the knot. After relocating to a beautiful (and private) barn event space, Rayna and Deacon finally had the dream wedding they both deserved and officially became husband and wife. Between the heartwarming vows and father-daughter dance, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. (We’re not crying. You’re crying!)
Tell Us: Did Rayna and Deacon’s Nashville wedding live up to your expectations?
Nashville airs on ABC on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET.
