From the Bride: It might (definitely) be cliche, but our wedding day was truly the most joyous day of our lives. After a 19 month long engagement, Eric and I were so ready to tie the knot in front of our family and friends! Because we had so many out of town guests, Eric and I wanted to highlight some things we love about Lexington, while staying true to our roots (Chicago for me, Louisville for Eric). Our guests were welcomed with gift bags that combined Garrett’s Chicago popcorn mix with Maker’s Mark Kentucky bourbon, two of our favorites.

Our passed appetizers featured a Kentucky Hot Brown Biscuit, and we finished the meal with fresh donuts from our favorite Lexington spot, Magee’s Bakery. As an added personal touch, we just had to feature our favorite signature cocktail that Apiary does so well—the margarita. The Apiary as a venue shines on its own, so we wanted our floral and decor to complement the warm brick, beautiful tent, and blooming gardens that make this place so special. Our vendors brought our garden party vision to life with fresh greenery complemented by the blues of ginger jars and whites of our flowers. I absolutely loved my bouquet, but my favorite flower would have to be the white Duchess peonies that my florist, Jessica, surprised me with on my wedding day! The natural wood head table made a statement in the center of the room and looked absolutely beautiful with the lit candles of all shapes and sizes. We wanted to add our personal touches to the space, including the wooden name tags, acrylic hand-painted calligraphy signs made by a sorority sister of mine (Emily Brown), and a Kentucky coffee table photo book from a local photographer (Jeff Rogers) that doubled as our guestbook. While everything about our wedding day was truly perfect, both Eric’s and my favorite part was our ceremony.

Prior to the ceremony, I had such a special moment standing with my dad as our family and wedding party made their entrance into the tent, walking down the aisle as our string duo played “The Bones” by Maren Morris. I couldn’t help but smile as I heard it—telling my dad that I chose that song because as the lyrics say, “when the bones are good, the rest don’t matter,” and as long as we have our people, we can handle anything life may throw our way. During the ceremony, the Apiary tent truly felt like a secluded sanctuary. As I stood at the altar with Eric reciting our vows, it began to rain. I had been so worried about the weather—warding off the Kentucky spring storms with umbrella purchases and obsessively checking the forecast. However in that moment, the rain felt so magical and peaceful and perfect. And, it stopped raining right after dinner, so our guests were able to enjoy the cool, May night as an escape from the dance floor! We danced our first dance to “Joy Of My Life” by Chris Stapleton.

Bride’s Advice: I wish someone had told me that despite the long and at times stressful wedding planning process, somehow everything falls into place perfectly (with the help of so many people and vendors, of course). And I don't mean to imply that it's just the decor, flowers, and details that matter. What was truly so perfect about our wedding day was that we were surrounded by all of our favorite people, who have shown us nothing but genuine support and love not only on our wedding day, but every day surrounding it. With that being said, I wish that I had stressed a little less about wedding planning, knowing now how special, loved, and happy we felt just celebrating with our people.

Claire + Eric's Lexington Wedding