Cecilia + Zachary's Somerset Wedding

From the Bride: My sweet husband and I both had the privilege to grow up in Somerset, Kentucky where we attended the same middle and high schools, had some of the same friends, and even participated in some of the same clubs. Yet we hadn’t met until we were both living in other states (AL & KS) and just happened to be back in Somerset for Thanksgiving break. We swiped right on Tinder and the rest is history. Crazy thing is, our entire relationship had been long distance, as I was completing Vet School at Auburn and he was obtaining his master’s degree at Kansas State. We were eager to begin our lives together and our Wedding Day was a perfect opportunity to celebrate our love, the strength of our relationship, and the start of a life without distance. From beginning to end, our wedding was filled with details that share our story, capture our immense love for one another, and made our special day unforgettable. We started our morning with an intimate breakfast together, doing a Devotional and drinking coffee at our favorite local Coffee Shop, Baxter’s. This time provided us a chance to reflect on our journey, pray for our marriage, and spend time with one another before the wedding day excitement began.

After breakfast, we said our “see you soons” and headed to the bridal suite and groom room to get ready. The morning then consisted of matching pajamas, mimosas, jam sessions, hair and make up, and best of all, a book of heartfelt letters from the incredible people in my life (parents, grandparents, my groom, and friends) was gifted to me by my best friend, Reagan. I managed to keep my beautiful Dany Tabet wedding gown a surprise from everyone, aside from my mom and MOH, so I got to do dress reveal for my bridesmaids and their reactions are something I will never forget. I then had an emotional first look with my precious Dad, followed by a first look with my husband. After several hours of photographs, it was time for the ceremony to begin. Since we did a first look, I still wanted a unique way to surprise Zach before I walked down the aisle. As our bridal party made their way down the aisle, they handed photographs of milestones in our relationship (first date, engagement, graduations, etc.) with handwritten notes on the back to Zach. I watched from the bridal suite as his face filled with emotion as he read each piece, which made me even more eager to see my husband. Our ceremony was filled with sentimental touches – personalized vows, receiving our wedding bands from our grandparents instead of a traditional ring bearer, and a tree planting unity ceremony with dirt from the places who built us (our childhood homes in KY, the homes we lived in while doing long distance, and our first home that we had just purchased).

After an emotional ceremony, it was finally time for the reception! We worked extremely hard to incorporate several unique details into our day – my husband and I made all of the signage with a Cricut and thrifted mirrors, our bar had signature drinks named after our fur babies and were handed out with fun-fact napkins and personalized koozies, a live wedding painter captured our first kiss, and hand crafted cornhole boards (made by my dad, a family friend, and Zach) were out in the yard for guests to play. For dinner we served tacos and even had a queso fountain (because who doesn’t love queso?). Dessert was served and included 7 flavors of cupcakes, Crumbl cookies, and an appearance by our favorite local snow cone truck! Another unique detail that I LOVED was giving eight guests a disposable camera to use throughout the reception – the behind-the-scenes footage they captured was so much fun to look back on. Being a veterinarian and fur mom, I couldn’t leave the pets out of the celebration and had a fully stocked “biscuit bar” so guests could take treats home to their animals. We danced our first dance to “I do” by Alan Jackson (Zach is a HUGE Alan Jackson fan, and by HUGE I mean had a portrait of Alan Jackson hanging above his bed when we met). We danced the night away surrounded by our favorite people, some of whom traveled extreme distances to be there with us on our day, as we had guests from Australia, England, Serbia, and all over the U.S. celebrate with us! It was the most incredible day, and I am so grateful I get to share it with the KY bride family.

Bride’s Advice: Focus more on preparing for your marriage than preparing for your wedding. Although it may be the “biggest day” of your life, your marriage is for life. It is easy to get wrapped up in the planning process but remember to continue building and strengthening your relationship and enjoy the process with one another. Your wedding will be fun, but experiencing life with your soul mate is even better!

Photography: Juneberry Weddings | Videography: Whitaker Films | Location: Somerset | Venue: Suits-Us Farm | Florals: Pampas & Primrose | Caterer: Sassy Spoon Catering | Cake: Cakes by Jessica Ping (Cookies) Crumbl Cookies | Rentals: (Marquee Letters) Bravo Creative Co. (Photo Booth) The Pic Chicks | Music: Lt. Dan's DJ | Stationery + Paper Goods: Minted | Hair: Katie Carbajal | Makeup: Carly Short & Tanzi Rader | Bride’s Attire: Dany Tabet from The White Magnolia (Shoes) Golden Goose | Groom’s Attire: Men’s Wearhouse | Jewelry: The White Magnolia | Credits: (Snow Cone Truck) Snoasis (Mobile Bar) The Sassy Saddle (Day of Coordinator) Judith Dyehouse (Soloist) Abby Hammond (Officiant) Jonathan Logan (Live Wedding Painter) Sarah Roberts (Bridesmaids’ Dresses) Azazie