Happy Days: Hannah + John’s Lexington Wedding Brings the Cheer
Hannah & John / June 25th / Lexington
Featured in Vol.15.1.
Hannah says, “Our wedding was the most magical, joyful day. Our vision was a classic Kentucky wedding with lots of cheerful colors and nods to my husband’s Indian culture. John and I did not have an easy wedding planning experience. John is from India, and his parents’ visitor’s visa expired during the pandemic, right before we got engaged. We planned our wedding for a year and a half after our engagement, thinking his parents would get a visa by then - a ton of effort and several applications later, we were unable to get them here for the wedding. Knowing John’s parents would not be with us on our wedding day was devastating for us and especially hard on John. Preparing for marriage is hard and even harder when your parents can’t be there. Despite the hardships leading up to our wedding, we both felt so grateful to be marrying one another. We wanted our day to reflect the joy and peace we felt, knowing the rest of our days would be experienced together as a married couple.”
The wedding was full of magical details, and Hannah especially loved the bright flowers. “I think our florals were the best visual representation of our day - bright and colorful! I asked our florist for ‘happy’ flowers that looked like they came from my gan’s (my grandmother’s) summer garden. As a nod to India, John and his groomsmen wore marigolds, and we had Indian-inspired flower garlands hanging on our chairs and the light fixtures. I carried a colorful bouquet with little photos of special family members (including John’s parents) tied with blue ribbons, which my mom gifted me as my ‘something blue.’ Our friend, Mark, played ‘Canon in D’ as I walked down the aisle, and our other dear friends sang ‘Till There Was You’ and ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ for us during the ceremony. My grandad officiated my parents’ wedding thirty years ago, so we had our officiant (a friend of my grandad) use a portion of his sermon for the ceremony, and it felt like he was there with us. John and I wrote our vows, and I surprised John by saying, ‘I love you’ in his native language, Malayalam. We truly felt so much love from our family and friends, both near and far.”
Reception details included a guest book table with photos of loved ones on their wedding days, a Polaroid guest book, and the bride and groom’s favorite foods (samosas, fruits and cheeses, crab cakes, and steak for the main course). “I also loved our cake toppers, which I ordered to look like our cats, Macaroni and Bean. Truthfully, each special wedding detail was icing on the cake. The best part of our day was the magic of our first look and the peace I felt walking down the aisle to my best friend. I will never ever forget how grateful and happy I felt to marry John.”
Photography The Malicotes Videography Love the Renauds Venue Saxony Farm – The Polo Barn Florals Blooms ‘n Blossoms Wedding Planner Shelly Fortune Event Design Caterer Selma’s Catering and Events Cake Martine’s Pastries Rentals Bryant’s Rent-All Music (Ceremony) Volare String Quartet (Reception) 2Ten Entertainment Hair + Makeup Blush + Glow Bride’s Attire Stella York from Twirl Boutique Groom’s Attire Vera Wang from Men’s Wearhouse.
