Ben and Erin Napier made their trip to Tennessee a family affair.
The HGTV stars spent the weekend in Memphis with their parents and daughters while they were honored as the 2023 Stars of Hope at The Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi’s 23rd Annual Crystal Ball Gala at Southaven Arena in nearby Southaven, Mississippi.
“We are also thrilled to honor such great champions for Mississippi with the Star of Hope Award,” Michael Bellipanni, the event’s volunteer co-chair, announced on their website in 2021. “Erin and Ben are so deserving of this award for their work in bringing out the beauty and positive light of our great state. The Crystal Ball is a tremendous undertaking, and it could not be done without the help of dozens of volunteers and the Foundation’s staff that care deeply about the communities that we serve.”
The Napiers rose to fame renovating houses around their community of Laurel, Mississippi on HGTV’s “Home Town.” They share two daughters – Helen, 5, and Mae, 1.
To commemorate the weekend, Erin shared a carousel of photos on Instagram from their black-tie affair and their family’s visit to Graceland, the famed home of Elvis Presley.
“A weekend in Memphis with our cute parents (Ben’s daddy was here too but opted to stay at the hotel with the babies), and we paid our respects at Graceland. #tcb” Erin captioned a carousel of photos.
To the soundtrack of Presley’s song “Trouble,” Ben shared a video on Instagram giving a closer look at his gala outfit. As he revealed in the caption, he donned Lucchese boots and TCB cufflinks from Lansky Bros. He wrote, “With @erinapier on my arm as always, I’ve never been more comfortable at a black tie affair.”
The 39-year-old added in the comments, “the moment I stood up with the boots and the tux, I knew I’d made the right decision. It might not meet traditional black tie rules, but I don’t care!”
Ben & Erin Napier Visited Graceland Ahead of Lisa Marie Presley’s Funeral
The family visited Graceland ahead of Lisa Marie Presley’s January 22, 2023 funeral.
The acclaimed singer’s only daughter died on January 12, 2023. She was briefly hospitalized after suffering a cardiac arrest, TMZ reports.
In addition to her mother Priscilla Presley and her daughter Riley Keough, the star-studded memorial included Axl Rose, Alanis Morissette and Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York.
When one of Ben’s followers commented about the service, he revealed “we wanted to attend, but we couldn’t swing it with the girls and travel.”
Ben & Erin Napier Consider Elvis Presley to Be a ‘Family Member’
The Napiers have been open about their lifelong love of Presley and the influence of his music in their lives. Inspired by the 2022 film, “Elvis,” the “Home Town Kickstart” hosts took to Instagram with their anecdotes.
“I grew up in a house where a photo of Elvis is on my parents’ fridge beside the ultrasound souvenirs of their grandkids,” Erin captioned an Instagram carousel in June 2022. “The Graceland Christmas village is the only inheritance I want someday.”
Both Ben and Erin – who took her mom, aunts, family and friends to a screening of “Elvis” – sang the praises of Austin Butler’s performance and Baz Luhrmann’s direction.
“On Sunday mornings, my daddy, a preacher, pregamed by playing Elvis gospel music loudly throughout our house,” Ben shared in his own Instagram post. “When he or any of us sang in church, we tried to sound like Elvis. My older brother and I tried to rock long sideburns in high school because of the king! For Erinapier and I, he is more than a performer, he is a family member.”
Next up, the couple will join Dave and Jenny Marrs in Fort Morgan, Colorado for season 2 of “Home Town Takeover.”
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