Redneck Love
Blair and Sabrena MillerBy LAUREN VOKISH lvokish@timesobserver.com
Article Photos
The bride said, I do."
The groom said, "I do."
It was Blair and Sabrena Miller's big day ... shotguns and all.
Referring to themselves as "professional rednecks", Blair and Sabrena wanted to celebrate their love and special day with the ultimate redneck fantasy wedding on Saturday, July 5, with just a touch of tradition.
So they planned a wedding in their backyard that merged the Wild West with a Dukes of Hazzard car, monster trucks and southern belles. They invited more than 700 people to put on their Daisy Duke shorts and favorite cowboy boots and head on down to their residence along Route 6 in Columbus Township to attend the redneck wedding hosted by Country Music Television (CMT).
"We wanted to tie in everything that we love into the wedding and really make it not only fun for us, but for the entire community," said Sabrena, who is a mix of West Coast charm and East Coast hospitality. "We love monster trucks and the Dukes of Hazzard, and Blair always enjoyed dressing up in cowboy gear so we kinda just mixed everything together. We just didn't realize that CMT would want to be a part of it."
Sabrena applied to the show a few months ago and within days CMT personnel called to say they wanted the Millers to be on their new season of "My Big Redneck Wedding Season 2."
"After we got the call we were chosen for the show, everything started falling into place," said Sabrena.
Blair, whose image emulates a cross between country music singer Chris Cagle and the rebel personality of actor Burt Reynolds, believes they were selected because they are the ultimate rednecks.
"We are hard-working, blue collar, wheelin' riding, hunters and fishers," said Blair of his family which includes Sabrena, Samantha, 16 and Cassandra 10. "We work hard so we can play harder."
The couple met five years ago while hunting on Nickerson's family farm and have been together ever since.
"You know what the attraction was to Sabrena? Hip boots, standing there with a .30-.30 and 40Ds," laughed Blair as Sabrena lovingly slapped him, then said, "You know it's the truth."
"We've been married since the day we met," said Blair, who owns Baker Hill Motor Sports and Miller Salt Brine and Septic. "Everything from our relationship to the things we enjoy doing is part of us; we're best friends."
"We make each other honest, no more living in sin," said Sabrena, who works for Tuna Sales and Marketing out of Buffalo, N.Y., for Maplevale.
Planning the wedding was an adventure they said, just like their every day lives.
"We have done more than most people do in an entire lifetime," said Blair, noting that he and his wife are both certified scuba divers and co-owners of the Cornfield 500. "One thing for sure is that we have had a lot of positive thinking and making sure that God is number one in our lives. We are getting the negative out and moving forward."
Their positive and innovative thinking definitely caused them to come up with creative ideas for the wedding.
They called on their good friend Doug Stiffler, a professional race announcer from Pittsburgh, to emcee the wedding and 24-year-old Joe Sylvester, celebrity monster truck driver of Bad Habit sponsored by Baker Hill Motorsports, to do celebratory 'donuts' in their yard after the ceremony.
To dress the wedding party, Sabrena asked her friend and next door neighbor, Linda McGurk, who owns Sewn from the Heart to design the authentic 'Wild West' attire ... right down to the petticoats, parasols and bandanas.
Finger Lakes Torrey Ridge Winery near Niagara, N.Y., donated a case of its Redneck white and red wines for the occasion.
"We loved the wine so much and told them that we were going to be using it for the wedding; so the sent us a free case," said Sabrena.
For the finishing touches, the couple called up Yankee Lake Truck Night, which supplied a monster truck limo and Ray Cohn from Northeast Ohio Dukes gave them an authentic General Lee and sheriff's car to use in a chase.
"My mother told me I was going to be marrying someone in the food industry; I just never knew it was going to be the other end," laughed Sabrena about Blair's occupation, which they incorporated into the wedding by making invitational 'poopons' or coupons that announced their wedding as well as a discount for septic service.
Another aspect of their wedding was to make sure that it was on their property. Not only is it their home and business, but it has ancestral value.
"A psychic once told us that grandparent spirits brought us together and I truly believe it," said Sabrena. "The land belonged to his grandparents and I grew up in this area, so we have history here."
"We definitely kicked butt on this wedding," said Blair.
When it came to the special day, the word 'nervous' was not in their vocabulary.
Standing on the hill above their home, Blair told CMT that he wasn't nervous at all for the wedding and he couldn't wait for it to get started, as rifles shot by a few of his groomsmen reverberated in the background.
"Scared is for chickens. I'm a cowboy, on a steel horse I ride," said Blair as he drank beer and water, and talked about his real 'shotgun wedding'.
His ten groomsmen the 'best men' all dressed from the chaps to huge silver belt buckles were anxious to get the party started as they had to get on and off Blair's Bear Lake fire truck three times before they could head down to the wedding because the women were running 20 minutes late and, the men were in a hurry to see the monster trucks.
As soon as the cue came for the men to come down the hill, Blair hopped in the camera-ready Dazed and Confuzed monster truck that he borrowed from Tim Howard and headed down to 'tear it up' one last time before he said "I do."
District Magisterial Justice Brenda Nichols of Corry presided at the ceremony where the bride and groom recited their own vows.
Blair laid his heart on the line for his southern belle dressed in ruby rose red. "You see these trees, rocks and grass around you, they are all dust, but it is our love that continues to grow and fill this backyard that will last forever. You are the most beautiful girl and I am happy to be here," he said.
Sabrena returned the sentiments saying that he is the most amazing, strong-willed person that she had ever met and she prayed that everything works right for them.
After the ceremony, the party got started and the Dukes of Hazzard vehicles came out of the barn to race around in neighboring fields.
"For the entertainment, we hired Rick and the Roadhouse Rockers to play until three in the morning and people were dancing in the barn all night," said Sabrena. "We also had fireworks going off until around 4 (a.m.) and people would come off the road just to see what was going on. It was a blast."
The happy couple said that they were blessed to have such an opportunity and glad they could share it with everyone.
"This was the most unique wedding anyone will ever attend in their lives," said Blair. "This was the one of the greatest things I will ever do in my life."
"There is never gonna be another one like it," said Sabrena. "It was the best wedding I have ever been to. People will be talking about it for years."
Sabrena and Blair said they look forward to an exciting future building their Baker Hill Motorsport business and Cornfield 500 track and amphitheater on their property.
"We are in the process of preparing for the Cornfield 500 on Aug. 30 as well as trying to complete a track and amphitheater that will hold larger concerts," said Sabrena.
"We can't wait and we know this entire journey together was meant to be. This is just the beginning," said Blair. "Someone said in my past that I wouldn't be able to do what I do now. I proved them wrong. My advice to people that want to make a difference and really do something with their lives is to look above the pitcher (of beer) and quit sitting at the bar waiting for their life to happen. Go out there and get what you want."
"My Big Redneck Wedding Season 2" will air on CMT this fall with Sabrena and Blair's wedding airing in late October.
