THE ROLLING HILLS AND HORSE FENCES PROVIDE A PERFECT BACKDROP FOR CLAIRE AND CLAY'S KENTUCKY WEDDING!

From the Bride: My husband and I are both passionate about our Kentucky heritage, so we knew we wanted to incorporate that when we were planning our wedding. I grew up in the heart of Kentucky horse farming, and after being turned down by my parents for a backyard wedding (parking and bathrooms), I was thrilled to find out that the Kentucky Horse Park hosted outdoor, tented receptions. I am in love with the rolling hills and horse fences of central Kentucky and was so glad we could have that as a background for one of the biggest days of our lives. Our ceremony was held at Broadway Christian Church, where we attend currently and where my parents grew up and were married. It held a lot of sentimental value, as well being a beautiful church to be married in.

My mom has always had the most beautiful, giant peonies in her garden, so I used those as a jumping off point for picking my color palette. Pale pink and a darker green combined beautifully with gray and navy. All of the tea cups and books for our reception were my grandparents. My grandparents, 90 years old, now live in assisted living, and made it to the ceremony, but not the reception. I loved being able to have a piece of them there with us when they couldn't be.

My dress was Maggie Sottero and I chose it because it fit our vintage theme and because I found it completely unique. I love the mismatched look of bridesmaid dresses, so my bridesmaids just ordered whatever grey J.Crew bridesmaid dress they wanted. I loved the way they looked together and, more importantly, I loved the ladies standing by my side.

I don't know if I could pinpoint a singular moment on our wedding day that was my favorite, maybe because it was just the very best day. I think ultimately, getting to marry the best man I know and being surrounded by our amazing family and friends was the greatest feeling in the world. I remember standing at our reception and looking at the tables and tables of people and just feeling so in love with my husband and so loved by the people in our presence. I was an older bride (29 whopping years old!) and part of me felt like we should elope, or keep things very low key, but I'm so glad we didn't. Weddings are celebrations of love, not only the love that my husband and I have for each other, but for the community that celebrates that love with us.

My advice to other brides is to be yourself through the process, even when it doesn't match tradition or norms. Clay and I are low key people in general, so our wedding was low key. We hate dancing at weddings, so we didn't have any. We had corn hole instead and it was a big hit! We even really broke tradition and met at Chick-Fil-A for breakfast that morning so we could exchange gifts and just be with each other before things turned into a whirlwind. I remember worrying to my mom at one point that my wedding was going to be too weird and everyone would think I was nuts. Of course they didn't (or maybe they did and I'll never know!). They recognized that it wasn't the perfect wedding for everyone, but it was the perfect wedding for Clay and I and that's what counted. I would also highly recommend surrounding yourself with good people. Our vendors were people we trusted and had a great rapport with. Our day was so smooth because everyone did their job beautifully and perfectly.

Kentucky Horse Park Wedding

THE ROLLING HILLS AND HORSE FENCES PROVIDE A PERFECT BACKDROP FOR CLAIRE AND CLAY'S KENTUCKY WEDDING!