Katie + Jacob's Louisville Wedding

From the Bride: This day was a LONG time coming. We started dating in 2012 after meeting at a party in Louisville - I was about to start my senior year of high school, and he was about to start at WKU. Fast forward 10 years: we both finished our degrees, Jake moved back to Louisville, we lived together in an apartment (and then his parent's pool house for a year), started our careers, got engaged, I got my Masters, we bought a house... so many of life's biggest events we got to share together so we were absolutely ready to call each other husband and wife.

Our wedding day was PERFECT! Not because it was without flaws, but because it was the culmination of years together and finally getting to celebrate it with the people we love most - which to us, was perfect. And one of the "flaws" actually turned out to be our biggest blessing for our wedding day. The day before, our officiant called and told us he had COVID, which seemed like a nightmare come true. Jake smiled and said, "it's okay, we know who we need to call." So we FaceTimed our good friend and absolute boss of a lawyer, Aubrey (she introduced us all those years ago), and asked her if she could get to Louisville early and do it. She and my matron of honor Megan sat down in the reception area two hours before the ceremony and rewrote the whole thing, tailoring it specifically to us. It honestly could not have been more perfect because it was this beautiful full-circle moment that truly highlighted our love over the last 10 years and ushered us into our lifetime together.

The food was amazing - beef tenderloin was SO yummy. We did mini bundt cakes in chocolate chocolate chip (groom's fave), strawberries and cream (bride's fave), lemon, and vanilla. We wanted to make sure we had variety for our guests to enjoy!

The string quartet during the prelude, ceremony, and cocktail hour was one of our favorite things - and walking down the aisle to "Can't Help Falling in Love" left no dry eyes. The backdrop of the Waterfront Botanical Gardens felt so unique (it's still so new and we hadn't known anyone who was married there) and gave us the most stunning photos and videos that make us gush anytime we talk about it - spoiler alert: it's a lot. My favorite flower was the pink dahlias! I am definitely a peony girl, but they were out of season. Our florist helped me find another alternative and the dahlia was the perfect spunky stand-in for my favorite flower. They may even be my new favorite flower.

We danced our fist dance to "Overwhelmed" by Tim McMorris. Back in 2012 when we started dating and doing "long distance" (Jake was at WKU and I was finishing my senior year of high school), he sent me this song after hearing it in a commercial. I melted like a puddle in the library at school because of how sweet the lyrics were. Our cocktails were a Kentucky Lily (vodka), an Old Fashion (bourbon), and a Bahama Mama (rum). We wanted the Lily and Old Fashioned because they are staples of Churchill Downs and Kentucky as a whole. Since it was late August, we also wanted a fun summery drink to close out the season so the Bahama Mama was included.

Talking with our guests after our big day has been almost as fun as the wedding itself - they all talk about how beautiful and fun it was, but more importantly, they talk about how happy we both looked. People said it looked like we were walking on air all day - and we absolutely felt like we were. The best part of it all? Thinking back to the way we looked at each other the entire day - it was so special to see this glow about each other that we hadn't experienced before. Everyone's perfect day looks so different and that's one of the greatest things about weddings - it's not about one standard. It's a reflection of the love the couple shares, and our day captured the love we have for each other perfectly for us.

Bride’s Advice: Don't be afraid to ask for help! It's okay to not know what you're doing. I'm a type-A personality and I always dreamed of planning this perfect day on my own. In reality, I was overwhelmed by the process so much that I shut down. I finally decided to hire a planner and she was the greatest investment for us. Even if a planner isn't in the budget, the vendors you bring in have so much knowledge and experience that they can (and likely WANT to) help you along the way.