Ashley + Thomas' Kentucky Castle Wedding
From the Bride: Our wedding day had many parts of it that stood out to us! First, the ceremony and reception at The Kentucky Castle was magical! The ceremony on the front lawn was breathtaking! We had a fantastic rooftop cocktail hour after the ceremony before the reception that let the guests mingle and look out at a spectacular view from the castle rooftop.The rehearsal dinner was held at the castle the night before the wedding and it was beautiful! All of the bridesmaids stayed in the cabin on the castle property the night before the wedding and the morning of the wedding we had an amazing brunch while we were getting our makeup and hair done. I also loved what I got to wear for my wedding weekend. Monique Lhuillier was the designer of my wedding gown, rehearsal dinner dress and bridal luncheon dress. I love her as a designer! We had a sparkler send off with all of the guests on the front lawn at the end of the reception. My husband and I walked under the sparklers to the front turret of the castle where we stayed for our wedding night. All of these details made me feel like a princess!
One of our best decisions was Top Tier Band from Nashville! We had so many guests tell us how much they loved the music. The dance floor was completely full the entire night until the last song and the staff at the castle said they had not seen a reception where the dance floor was constantly filled with people for the entire reception. The flowers were one of our favorite things of beauty at our wedding, especially the gorgeous arch filled in every space with pink and white roses, white hydrangeas, blush and white ranunculus and greenery. It was the focal point of our ceremony and was magnificent! Flower petals of blush and white covered the aisle for the wedding party and bride. Stems was our florist and they were perfection! I highly recommend you have a wedding planner and we had the best! Ginny Adkins had top recommendations of vendors to use and guided us through the process with items to check off each month. It let us enjoy the planning without worry. She kept us on track and made everything flow easily at our rehearsal, wedding and reception.
We modeled our signature cocktails after our two dogs. "The Riley" which is our mini golden doodle was a margarita and "The Tucker" our golden retriever was an Old Fashioned. We had a unique sign customized from Etsy to display at our cocktail hour and reception along with their pictures and the cocktail ingredients.
Our cake was almost too beautiful to eat. It was a masterpiece by Cakes by BeBe. We loved all the special details of the cake including the monogrammed F for our last name on the top layer. Our dear friend Kristen from Kristen's Kreations created a dessert station for us of the brides favorite childhood treats including chocolate covered marshmallows and different flavors of cakesicles that were delicious! Our photographer, Sara Cooley is the person you want by your side on your wedding day capturing every detail. Sara's photographs are elegant, exquisite and stunning. We have gorgeous photos to treasure and relive our special day again because of Sara's beautiful work. Our videographer, Luke Woodward is a cinematic genius that brought the wedding to life on film. Luke went above and beyond to make the video extraordinary for us!
One of my favorite moments of the night was the granddaughter and grandfather dance to “What A Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong. It meant so much to me to have this special time with my Paw Paw. I will always cherish this dance and how much he means to me. I felt very blessed to have my grandparents there on my wedding day to celebrate with us. It was wonderful to see all of the different generations sharing our joy and happiness. We danced our first dance to "Kiss Me" by Sixpence None The Richer. It is a special song to us and we love the memory it brings when we hear it.
Bride’s Advice: Start early and celebrate the small accomplishments! I was engaged in July 2021 and didn't get married until August 2022. With that being said, I had my major vendors booked by December. When you book the band or secure the venue, go out to dinner with your fiancé for a glass of champagne to celebrate! Wedding planning is a marathon, not a sprint so make sure you celebrate the milestones and give yourself plenty of time to craft your special day.
Photography: Sara Cooley Photography | Videography: LW Films Cinematic Wedding Films | Location: Versailles | Venue + Event Designer + Caterer + Transportation: The Kentucky Castle | Florals: Bonnie Dowler Stems LLC | Wedding Planner: Ginny Adkins of Sharing Special Moments | Event Designer: | Caterer: | Cake: Pam Hillard of Cakes by Bebe, Kristen’s Kreations | Rentals: Bryant’s Rent-All | Music: (Ceremony) The Carnegie Quartet (Reception) Top Tier Band | Transportation: | Stationery + Paper Goods: Cardinal and Straw, Shutterfly | Hair: Chelsea Hartley | Makeup: Makeup by Sarah Lynn | Bride’s Attire: Monique Lhuillier from Bridal and Formal | Groom’s Attire: JoS.A. Bank | Jewelry: Swarovski Bracelet (Earrings) Olive and Piper (Necklace) Macy’s | Credits: (Rehearsal Dinner Dress/Bridal Luncheon Dress) Monique Lhuillier from Bridal and Formal (Bridal Shoes) Jimmy Choo (Rehearsal Dinner Shoes) Manolo Blahnik