One Baton Rouge bride found her happily ever after this winter in the heart of a storybook setting. Surrounded by family and close friends, Caroline Hebert walked down the aisle—the book aisle, to be precise—to say ‘I do’ to Tam Nguyen at Red Stick Reads in a ceremony officiated by bookstore co-owner James Hyfield. 

The heartfelt ceremony took place on December 8, 2024—the 33rd anniversary of Tam’s parents, who attended via FaceTime. 

Tam, a native of Hanoi, Vietnam, came to the United States to attend Ole Miss. Shortly after moving to Baton Rouge to work for a local startup several years ago, he met Louisiana native Caroline Hebert. “We knew the moment we met that this was something special,” Caroline recalls. 

The two met in March of 2020, and coronavirus lockdown restrictions delayed their first date to late May, shortly after Caroline graduated from LSU. Then, Caroline was off to Orlando, Florida, to work for Disney for two years.

“I don’t want to say that long-distance was hard,” she says. “But it definitely made us grow stronger as a couple, especially with communication being that far apart.”

In 2022, Caroline returned to Baton Rouge and they began planting roots in the Capital City. One of their favorite hangouts quickly became Red Stick Reads. Initially, the couple was planning a courthouse wedding, but she learned that store co-owner James is an ordained wedding officiant during a visit to the local bookstore. He agreed to marry the couple under one condition—the ceremony take place in Red Stick Reads. Just as the couple instantly knew their connection was something extraordinary, Caroline recognized that this idea was just as remarkable.

“I knew we would love to look back and know that he was the person who officiated our wedding,” Caroline says. After about 10 days of planning, the first wedding at Red Stick Reads came together. 

“Tere and James have created such an incredible community,” Caroline says. “I have met the broadest range of readers that go into that store, and it’s just a testament to what Tere and James have made. They’re just such sweet, honest and genuine people that even if people aren’t shopping, they just want to stop in and talk like there will always be someone there to talk to them. So, we spent a lot of hours there.”

The timing felt perfect, she adds, as Red Stick Reads will move into a new location this year. Now, planning is underway for Caroline and Tam to host a wedding celebration in Vietnam in 2026. In the meantime, the couple is enjoying wedded bliss in Baton Rouge.