The Magnolia Springs town council hopes that the Tatum wedding could lead way to seeing even more weddings taking place on Oak Street, shown here, and possibly other locations in Magnolia Springs.

Photo by Jessica Vaughn

MAGNOLIA SPRINGS - A new type of request has been brought before the Magnolia Springs council. Troy and Scarlet Tatum of Magnolia Springs attended the July meeting to request permission to close Oak Street on November 11th to host their third son’s wedding on location with approximately 30 guests. If all requirements are met, then they plan to block off the street from Jessamine Street to Bay Street for approximately two hours. While originally the planned closure time was for a longer length, after discussions with Mayor Bob Holk they believe they will be able to leave one lane of traffic open while they set up the seats on the side of the street, allowing for a shorter timeframe of road closure. There would also be alternate routes for cars to take, but for those on Oak Street the roadway would be closed during the ceremony. The Tatums, at the council’s suggestion, are considering obtaining the services of the Magnolia Springs Volunteer Fire Department to assist in the street closure and the directing of traffic during the wedding.

While the council is not responsible for acquiring the means to block off the street or notifying surrounding locations, they have given their consent for the family to proceed with the arrangements, and if they succeed, then the Magnolia Springs council believes that this could become something that the community could be seeing more of in the future.

“This is a new thing for us,” Holk said. “We’ve talked about it before, and we think it would be an asset to the town, the community, and the surrounding businesses. So, I think it’s something that we want to look at doing more in the future.”

But what are the steps for arranging a wedding located on a local street?

Aside from visiting the local Town Hall to acquire all the procedures that need to be followed and what insurances they need, the Tatums are also responsible for notifying everyone within a 300 feet radius from where the ceremony will be occurring, especially everyone who lives on Oak Street. In the past, others have dreamed of a wedding on Oak Street, only to discover some of the local businesses in that vicinity did not like the idea of it happening. They are currently in the process of notifying all Oak Street households and businesses, and any citizens who would like to come before the council to either voice their support or concerns is able to check the Magnolia Springs website for the town council meeting schedule.

The Tatums are more than happy to comply with the council’s requests, and are willing to continue following each step in order to bring the wedding to Oak Street.

“We think it’s the prettiest place in Baldwin County,” Troy Tatum said. “We would just like to have it there as quickly as we can and where we’re not invading anyone else’s privacy. We love to live here and we felt like there couldn’t be a prettier place to do this.”

They are not the only family who believe that Magnolia Springs is the best location for a wedding in Baldwin County, but as councilman Nick Shields stated, there have been times in the past where families did not make their plans known to the town, and thus problems arose from the stopped traffic. If others continue to comply with the rules of the ordinance and the town, then the council hopes to be seeing more events such as this in the future.

“I think this is a real opportunity for us to do something unique that would be a benefit to everyone,” Holk said.

“As much publicity as we get, a small town of the universe, this is something we should promote,” Shields agreed.

To check to see when the next Magnolia Springs town work session will be, where citizens will have the opportunity to show their support or concerns, check their website at www.TownOfMagnoliaSprings.org.