From the Bride: It was really important to Shea and I to have a wedding that was romantic and elegant while also being a reflection of us and showing our guests a great time. Before we even got engaged we had talked about wanting our wedding to be at Wildwood Country Club. The ballroom where our reception was held is named after his grandfather and his family is longtime members of the club. My parents became members before we got engaged and have also started making memories there, so it is very important to both of us. When we met to discuss our wedding, there was no where else we had any desire to look at, and we booked our venue right away.

We are lucky to have personal ties to quite a few of our vendors, which I think added a special personal note to our day. Since we know so many people personally, our wedding felt even more "us". Jacob, Shea’s brother, was our Officiant. He was able to make our ceremony personal and a great reflection of our journey and love. Jessica, our photographer, went to middle school with Shea, so when we met I immediately felt at ease. Jack Gill, our entertainer, was the DJ at both of our Senior Proms and continues to work with me for homecoming and proms (I work at the high school where Shea and I graduated from). Finally, everyone at Wildwood knows us and our families so well, so they were constantly checking up on us and making sure every detail was perfect.

Both of us had guests travel from out of town, so it was important to them to share some of their Kentucky roots. When our guests arrived they were greeted with a KFC bucket full of Cousin Willy’s popcorn, Bourbon, Ale 8 and a horseshoe from one of my bridesmaid's farm. The bourbon theme carried through to our ceremony where we had a unity ceremony through blending our favorite bourbons to create our own unique blend that we will enjoy every year on our anniversary. Guests were then greeted going into the reception with a mini-bourbon bottle of Jim Beam that doubled as their table assignment (names and table numbers were listed on a tag attached to each bottle).

Shea and I were blessed to be surrounded by love and positive energy on our wedding day. It was supposed to monsoon all day, but our friends and family literally wished and prayed the rain away. The skies cleared and we had an absolutely breathtaking evening ceremony on the golf course where Shea asked my dad if he could marry me. Jack kept the party going all night long while we danced the night away on the light up dance floor (that added a serious party element!) As I’m sure every bride is, I was so sad at the end of the night because our special day was over, but then Shea reminded me that now the real fun begins as we share the rest of our lives together. I can't pick one favorite moment because our day was absolutely perfect.

Ashley + Shea's Classic Southern Wedding