Samantha + Chester's Newport Wedding

From the Bride: Chester and I met in college and bonded over a shared love of sports. Almost six years later and we still share a love of baseball, music, tex-mex, and spending Friday night curled up on the couch with the dog. After a long engagement due to career changes, finishing grad school, and COVID, we finally got the chance to celebrate a long-awaited wedding with our closest friends and family in a beautiful little venue in his hometown of northern Kentucky. We created a custom candle at Maddox & Rose for our wedding day that encapsulated our favorite winter smells in Kentucky - Brown sugar & bourbon. Now whenever we light this candle at home we're immediately transported back to that day!

With a guest list under 100 and the best hype-man for a DJ, we spent most of our night dancing with our loved ones and just having a party! Even the hiccups became some of our favorite memories.

One of the things I will always remember was looking out over all the guests and seeing all of our friends and family that came to share our day with us. As a bride, this was such an impactful moment to not only see a room full of all of the most important people in our lives, but to see all of our months of wedding planning finally coming to life. Chester loved helping his dad and grandfather get dressed that morning. It was one of the biggest moments you think about as a groom leading up to your wedding, and having that father & son moment on that day was really special.

Two songs come to mind when I think of our wedding day. The first is hearing Black & White by Niall Horan, an artist that I've loved for years and Chester has recently found a fondness for as well. We requested this song during our cake cutting (funfetti cake) and it was one of the moments that made our wedding feel so tailored to us. The second song that comes to mind is Callin’ Baton Rouge by Garth Brooks. One of mine and Chester's first dates was a Garth Brooks concert in Louisville. Ever since then this song makes me think of him, and I knew we had to play it on our wedding day.

After our bartender called out sick at the last second, a rotating cast of friends hopped behind he bar and had an absolute blast serving drinks throughout the night - In hindsight the heavy pours probably contributed to the dancing.

As a kid I always dreamed of what my wedding day would look like - Even spending the last of my allowance money on bridal magazines from the grocery store. When we decided on a winter wedding, I knew right away that I wanted our night to feel warm, intimate, and inviting. I wanted to give our friends and family a place to come together after a difficult two years and celebrate a future full of love and a return to in-person hugs. While some things looked a little different than I had imagined, at the end of the night when I looked across the room and saw Chester, I knew that I was lucky enough to have everything I could ever want in a wedding day and in a husband.

Photography: Kaycee Perez of Kultured Photography (Second Shooter) Cheyenne Bayne | Location: Newport | Venue: Headquarters Historic Event Center | Florals: Something Borrowed Blooms | Wedding Planner: Brandi Burcham | Caterer: Cincinnati Catering | Cake: Buttercup Cake House | Music: Tony Pompilio | Stationery + Paper Goods: Zola | Hair: Jordan Hull | Makeup: AKA Esthetics | Bride’s Attire: Vow'd Weddings | Groom’s Attire: Generation Tux | Jewelry: | Credits: (Donuts) Holtman’s Donut Shop (Bridesmaids’ Dresses) David’s Bridal (Alterations) The Bridal Alteration Studio (Hotel) Hotel Covington