Southern Weddings

Talk about Old Southern Elegance!  With its impressive marble columns and perfectly-manicured lawn, the Spindletop Hall where the new Mr. and Mrs. Durtschi celebrated their marriage with friends and family is reminiscent of a sprawling Kentucky estate – and I love it!  Photographer Laura Negri did a fabulous job capturing the classic elegance and Southern sophistication of the couple’s wedding without losing sight of their fun, easy-going personalities.  Seriously: how much fun does it look like they’re having?!  (We think the red accents really help bring out Brittany + Patrick’s fun side!)  Since I’m a bit of a sugar addict, I hope you’ll indulge me as I marvel over the delicate four-tiered confection from Martine’s Bakery… amazing.

Tell us about finding your wedding dress: My mom and I went to try on dresses the day after the 4^th of July.  There weren’t a lot of people in the salon because of the holiday weekend, so I pretty much tried on dresses for hours.  When I tried on the lace Lazaro gown and looked in the mirror, I was shining!  I felt different in this dress and knew I looked different because of the way my mother was looking at me.  I wanted to make sure this was “the dress,” so we visited some more salons in Florida and Kentucky.  Eventually, we were back in Florida and I was purchasing my Lazaro gown.  It really was the perfect gown for me.
Describe your wedding flowers: The flowers were simple and elegant.  For our centerpieces we used oversized mint julep cups filled with bright, beautiful flowers.  Roses and hydrangea’s are my two favorite flowers so we made sure to have plenty of those in each piece.  Nancy Potter, a family friend, made all of the gorgeous floral arrangements as a wedding gift for the two of us.
Describe your wedding cake: We wanted our cake to look like a traditional wedding cake; white, classic and elegant.  Two of the tiers were red velvet, since that is our favorite flavor, and the other two were vanilla with butter cream.  The topper was a gift we received from one of my grandmothers.  The groom’s cake was a complete surprise for Patrick!  He loves Makers Mark bourbon and I wanted to surprise him with a Maker’s Mark-inspired cake at our reception.  It turned out to be a huge hit with all the guests, and it was definitely delicious.
Were there any wedding traditions or new ideas you included?  We included several family traditions in the wedding.  The flower girl baskets we used were over thirty years old and already have been used in three other family weddings.  Another family tradition is for the Groom to change his jacket, so, after our ceremony and formal photos, Patrick changed in to a white dinner jacket.  The look was very Gatsby and he loved it.  All of our rings (including my engagement ring) were made by a jewelr in eastern Kentucky and he happens to be the same jeweler who made some of my aunts’ and uncles’ rings.  It felt great to know he made ours, too.  We started a new tradition by having the wedding party ride in the back of my dad’s 1936 Ford Truck. 
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day?  We both agree that the most memorable moment was when I was waking down the aisle to meet Pat.  It was a feeling we will never forget.  It was finally our wedding day and now the two of us are a family. 
What’s next for you as a couple?  What are you looking forward to in the future?  Enjoying one and other, traveling, moving in to our first home and having fun every day. 

Congratulations, Brittany + Patrick!

Written with love by Lara Casey