From the Bride: Our rehearsal dinner was at the Keeneland Room at Keeneland which had a balcony and windows that overlooked the track. Most of our guests were from out of town so we really wanted to go all out on the Kentucky theme, and Keeneland was the perfect spot to kick off the weekend. The menu included Burgoo and the signature drinks served included Keeneland Breeze. Guests were encouraged to wear festive attire which included fascinators and hats. The tables were named after famous racehorses.

Our wedding day started out with the girls getting ready at a Marriott hotel suite with a view looking over Lexington. The groom and groomsmen had a private lunch at Malone's event center, where they received gifts of monogrammed cufflinks to wear for the day. The ceremony was held at Second Presbyterian Church in downtown Lexington. After the ceremony guests were shuttled to the reception at the Woodford Reserve room at Kroger Field. The shuttles took the guests through Kentucky's campus on the way which many of the guests enjoyed! The venue at Kroger field included a large balcony that overlooked the football stadium and field. Me and my husband were UK graduates so this venue was special to us. We had a slideshow of pictures playing on the video board in the stadium. We used a bourbon barrel top for our guest book. When my husband and I first arrived we had a private dinner for just the two of us in the press box before we were introduced.

We had a live wedding band perform at our reception which was a hit. We bought light up glow sticks and other party gear for the guests. The very last song of the night we incorporated a New Orlean's tradition to honor the Bride's Louisiana roots. The Bride and Groom led the guests in a Second-Line across the venue with parasols and the guests following in line waving handkerchiefs while the band played traditional New Orleans brass music. This was the highlight of the night. We ended the reception with a sparkler send off.

We asked Natalie about advice she would give a future bride. She said, “It is so easy to get caught up with the stress of planning and forget the real reason for the day. All the details will come together in the end, just try to enjoy the engagement period as much as you can.”

Natalie + John Michael's Lexington Wedding