Country Star Josh Abbott Marries Taylor Parnell

Country music star Josh Abbott married longtime love Taylor Parnell in Austin, Texas Sunday with more than 250 friends at the beautiful ceremony.

The Josh Abbott Band frontman, 37, and Parnell, 26, tied the knot at Brazos Hall in Austin. Their 14-month-old daughter, Emery Farryn, walked down the aisle, too, sitting on her father’s arm.

The couple could have gone with a destination wedding, but chose to stay in Austin so Parnell’s grandparents could conveniently attend the ceremony, Abbott told PEOPLE Magazine.

“The greenery and lighting was a really important part of the theme,” the couple told the magazine. “We wanted everyone to forget they were indoors for the night, but in the middle of a Texas summer, air conditioning is a must. The wedding colors were neutral and soothing … green from the arrangements and the champagne from the girls’ dresses.”

Parnell wore a mermaid-style gown from Milla Nova, while Abbott and his groomsmen rented their tuxes from The Black Tux. Abbott’s brother Chance and his bandmates, Austin Davis and Preston Wait, served as Abbott’s groomesmen.

Emery served as one of the flower girls. “She is a huge part of our life, so it was only fitting to have her about on the big day,” Abbott told PEOPLE.

Abbott and Parnell did not write their own vows for the wedding since Parnell jokingly did not want to compete with a professional songwriter, Abbott said.

“I wanted to but Taylor said she didn’t want to compete with a professional songwriter, so we let our officiant choose the way they’ll be presented,” he said.

The reception included barbecue food from Mac’s Bar-B-Q, which has locations in Lubbock, Midland and Brady.

Parnell and Abbott picked a date in July for their wedding since they fell in love in July 2016 in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. He also proposed in July 2017. The two plan to return to the vacation hot spot for their honeymoon, reports Entertainment Tonight.

This is Abbott’s second marriage. He was previously married to Amanda Abbott from 2010 to 2014. In 2014, Abbott published a series of tweets in which he admitted to struggling with alcohol abuse and cheating on Amanda.

As for how he keeps his relationship with Parnell strong, he said they still go on dates every week.

“We’ve been together for a couple years now, have a child together — we’re very much in love,” he told PEOPLE.

His struggles inspired the 2015 album Front Row Seat. The Josh Abbott Band’s most recent album is Until My Voice Goes Out, which was released in August 2017.

Photo credit: Instagram/Josh Abbott