From the bride: Our wedding color palette was coral with navy and white stripes and coral charm peonies to match. Since our ceremony was in June, and in a beautifully restored livery warehouse, we wanted to bring a bright, fresh color theme, with a touch of nautical prep, to this piece of Kentucky heritage. My bridesmaids wore navy silk dresses that were knee length with a bateau neckline, and carried peony bouquets. Mike’s groomsmen wore navy suits, with gingham shirts (in true Southern summer style) with coral ties, pocket squares, and coral boutonnieres.

Both Mike and I attended the University of Kentucky for graduate school, and love Lexington, but neither of us are originally from Kentucky. We wanted our many out-of-town guests to be able to experience the charm of Lexington, so the Livery was the perfect mix of historic horse country and the downtown life. We also included bourbon balls in our welcome bags to share an old, bluegrass favorite with our family and friends.

One of the most special aspects of our day was our family involvement. My cousin officiated the wedding. Mike’s father made the wedding arch for our ceremony. I wore pearls from both of my grandmothers, and last but not least, Mike proposed with a diamond that had been part of my mom’s wedding ring. We also included a photo display of the wedding photos of all of our grandparents and parents.

Our favorite moment of the day was during our wedding vows, when Mike was momentarily distracted during his recitation of the vows, and asked the one of our officiants to repeat himself. The officiant responded with “it will always buff out,” a long-standing joke between the two of us. All of our close family and friends who know this story busted out laughing, and “it will buff out” officially became part of the wedding vows. We took our pictures before the wedding ceremony, in the stunning historic Gratz Park, where our first look became another special memory of the day.

Tinker’s Bake Shop did an absolutely amazing job with our cake: a four-tier masterpiece with a different flavor for each tier (lemon cream cheese, chocolate champagne, red velvet, and white chocolate raspberry). The groom’s cake, a perfect replica of a bourbon barrel, stamped with a University of Kentucky logo, was carrot cake, which is his favorite. We wanted comfort food and Southern delicacies for the menu, and DaRae and Friends Catering did a wonderful job. The menu consisted of fried green tomato crostinis, Hot Brown bites, and both chicken and brisket.
Our invitations, menus, and programs were custom made by the younger sister of one of my best friends. She perfectly matched the coral charm peonies and navy/white stripes to tie the theme into our paper suite.

Speaking of our invitations, our save-the-dates were a picture of the two of us at Keeneland Race Track with our adored dogs, Nelli and Tucker. I worked periodically as a dog-walker during my first year of law school, and offered to walk Mike's beloved dog, Nelli. Once Nelli and I hit it off, Mike knew he wanted to pursue a relationship. We began dating shortly thereafter, and now have added a second dog, Tucker, to the family. Since Nelli was so instrumental in our relationship, Mike proposed by tying the ring to Nelli's collar.

Mike and I decided to have a unity candle, but wanted something different from the tradition. Inspired by the Iranian/Persian Sugar Ceremony, we had all our guests light a large candle at the entrance of our wedding ceremony. We then took the flame from that candle to light our unity candle.

Since my parents live in Washington, DC and all of my bridesmaids live in different states, it was very special to have a small group fly to Cincinnati to help me pick out my dress at Hyde Park Bridal. In a moment of unanimity, my parents and matron of honor knew the Anne Barge dress was “the one” the moment I put it on.

Southern Stripes and Gingham: A Real Kentucky Wedding