Karly + Fuad's Traditional Cultural Wedding

From the Bride: With all the words readily available within the dictionary, I still struggle with selecting one to accurately describe how magical our wedding day was. Our wedding was real, traditional, loving, and is something that we will remember for the rest of our lives. Coming from a large Palestinian family, I knew how important it was to Freddy to incorporate specific cultural aspects into the ceremony and reception. We began our day apart while we got ready with our bridesmaids and groomsmen. Prior to the big day, we discussed having a "first look" to get out any pre-ceremony jitters - and because we both love surprises so much that any minute longer we had to wait to see each other would feel like an eternity. Freddy's reaction when he saw me still makes me tear up and is one of my favorite parts of the day. I knew in that moment how blessed I was to soon be able to call this wonderful man my husband. The ceremony was held at St. Andrew Orthodox Church and was absolutely breathtaking. From the icons surrounding us on the wall to seeing the church filled with our friends and family, I simply could not imagine any other way to begin our lives together as Mr. and Mrs. Shadeh.

Now, on to the best part: our reception. In a nutshell, the reception is equivalent to that shown in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" - nonstop dancing and clapping, kissing both cheeks when greeting people, tight hugging, being lifted up in chairs while surrounded by an ocean of people cheering for you, and celebrating until they kicked us out of the venue - literally. Arabs know how to party and know how to celebrate those closest to them. I was prepared for this so much that I and even switched out my handpicked navy blue shoes from Sarah Jessica Parker (yes - you heard that right) for some Old Navy flip flops to keep up with the dancing. That's when you know the dedication is there! Above all, our favorite part from the wedding is what we get to do now: spend our lives with one another, create new memories, and continuously love one another forever.

Photography: Kat Wagers Studios | Videography: Emily Guzman | Location: Lexington | Venue: (Ceremony) St. Andrew Orthodox Church (Reception) Hilton Lexington Downtown | Florals: Stems, LLC. | Caterer: Hilton Lexington Downtown | Cake: Tinker’s Cake Shop | Music: DJ Eli Masharbash | Stationery + Paper Goods: Minted, Shutterfly | Hair: Brittany Franklin | Makeup: Brooke Selvage | Bride’s Attire: Hayley Paige from Twirl Boutique (Veil) Sara Gabriel (Shoes) SJP Collection by Sarah Jessica Parker | Groom’s Attire: Men’s Wearhouse | Credits: (Bridesmaids’ Dresses) David’s Bridal (Cake Topper) Amanda Kuhn of The Crazy Bunny Lady