From the bride: There are so many details that I feel made our wedding day stand out. Our invitations were custom watercolor maps, I wore the same veil that my mother wore on her wedding day that was handmade by my great grandmother, and my husband surprised his mom with their first dance song, which was a recording of his late grandmother singing. We melded together both Jewish and Catholic traditions so that both of our families would feel included and comfortable. I gave my groom and all of my family members handwritten letters on stationary that I made myself. The majority of our guests were from out of town so we had a very Southern-themed weekend to give all of our guests a taste of Louisville and Kentucky's culture. Each guest received my mom's homemade bourbon balls, an Ale-8-One, and a mini bottle of Willett Bourbon, and a Please & Thank You cookie. Our dinner was southern-inspired with chicken and grits, benedictine stuffed tomatoes, and of course a Kentucky Hot Brown crostini. Our signature drinks were a Mint Julep and a Lily (also the name of our dog). Jake also lived in New Orleans for a while so instead of giving our guests cake for dessert, we had beignets.

The bride's favorite wedding day moment: The best moment for me, which was ronically the moment I was most nervous about, was walking down the aisle and finally getting to see and touch my groom! We didn’t do a first look (which I am so glad about) so walking down the aisle was so surreal. I remember staring at Jake’s face the entire trip down the aisle and thinking how I was so excited to finally see him! He looked so nervous at first and then the closer I got to him, the more comfortable he started to look. When we were finally together and holding hands, he told me that he had missed me all day. I will never forget that special moment and the feeling of unreal, pure joy.

The groom's favorite wedding day moment: My favorite memory, and the only one I have any clear recollection of in the whirlwind of the day, is Whitney’s smile. When the doors opened (and I was as cool as a cucumber), I will always remember how beautiful she looked and how I couldn’t believe she’d agreed to marry me. So much of the day happened so quickly but that single moment still remains frozen in my memory.

My number one piece of advice would be to MOST DEFINITELY try to enjoy every single bit of planning and have fun with it! Try to savor every minute of the big day because it truly is the most magical, special day ever. If your budget allows, I would highly recommend getting a coordinator for day of. Lorrie truly was a life saver with last minute organization and because we had her, I felt so relaxed on our wedding day and felt like a guest at my own wedding which was amazing. Try to remember the way you feel throughout the day; I specifically remember standing on the altar and looking out at the congregation and thinking to myself, “I want to remember this forever.”

Whitney and Jake's Beautiful Kentucky Wedding