Mara + Daniel's Frankfort Wedding!

Bride’s Advice: We started our wedding day early at Buffalo Trace. As my home state and destination for our shared holiday journeys, Kentucky was a natural choice to continue our story. The distillery was both a picturesque setting and a venue of past shared memories of many bourbon tours. On the day of the wedding I had such a great time hanging out with my bridesmaids, flower girls, mom, and mother-in-law while we got our hair and makeup done. Everyone helped me get into my beautiful dress that I had fallen in love with instantly. It was the first dress I had tried on and it felt surreal to be finally wearing it on my wedding day.

Danny and I did a first look and exchanged private vows. It was such a special moment and we both cried. We were both so glad that we had an opportunity to see each other before the ceremony, since it made us both less nervous. We also signed the Ketubah which is the traditional Jewish marriage contract. Ours is a beautiful work of art that we will hang in our home to remind us of our vows. We had a traditional Jewish ceremony led by Rabbi LeighAnn (yourohiorabbi) and Danny's priest from childhood, who is like a grandmother to him, officiated our vows in English. One thing we loved about the ceremony was that our parents and sisters were really involved and led many of the blessings.

After the ceremony, our guests took a tour of Buffalo Trace and had a bourbon tasting. We heard from many guests that it was one of the highlights of their night. Because many of our guests had never been to Kentucky, our hors d’oeuvres included mini hot browns. For the reception we wanted a fun, party atmosphere and our DJ absolutely delivered. We danced our first dance to “Invisible String” by Taylor Swift. We had so much fun dancing the night away with our loved ones. We had a photo booth with cardboard cut outs of our pet rabbit Knish, whom we love very much, but could not make it to the ceremony. We also had a signature drink, the “tequila BUNrise” named in her honor. One of the highlights of the night was when we did the hora and our guests lifted us up on chairs! We had such a great time at our wedding and we felt so lucky to be surrounded by the love of our friends and family to celebrate our love.

Bride’s Advice: My biggest piece of advice about wedding planning is that there are no rules! Think about guest enjoyment and comfort, but other than that, you are free to do what you like. Take what you like and leave the rest. The day should be about you and your partner!

Photography: Kristen Ellis (Second Photographer) Veronica Sparrow | Location: Frankfort | Venue: Buffalo Trace Distillery | Florals: In Bloom Flower Farm | Wedding Planner: Alainna Brown of Planned to Perfection of the Bluegrass | Caterer: Bayou Bluegrass Catering | Cake: Martine’s Pastries | Rentals: Bryant’s Rent-All, Events by Design | Music: Drew Charon, Riptide Productions | Transportation: Miller Transportation | Stationery + Paper Goods: The Knot | Hair: Autumn of Beheld | Makeup: Ariana, The Stylist Abroad | Bride’s Attire: Grace Loves Lace | Groom’s Attire:Suit Supply | Jewelry: Family Heirlooms | Credits: (Officiant) Rabbi LeighAnn Kopans (Photo Booth) Commonwealth Photo Booth