Southern Weddings

Josh of {Bella Grace Studios} was wonderful to share this wedding with us. He also was kind enough to share that Elizabeth was an avid reader of the SW blog while planning her wedding. From Josh: “I just notified Elizabeth and Ryan and they are so excited as they were avid readers of the blog through their planning process and still read it regularly!” More details include: paper goods by {Pem Pfisterer Clark Gallery Gifts and Bridal}, catering by Averice Watson and Stephanie Nichols, bride’s hair by Keith’s Style Shop and music by {The Maxx}.

The weather on our wedding day was: The weather was absolutely perfect for an outside Kentucky wedding in November. We were pleasantly surprised with a seventy-degree temperature and clear skies, especially considering that three days prior to and three days after the wedding, the temperature dropped thirty degrees.
What was the design inspiration for your wedding? It has always been my dream to get married at my parent’s home in my quaint and simple hometown in Western Kentucky. Sebree has a unique one block Main Street with a population of around fifteen hundred people. The design elements were inspired by the location and kept our focus on simple elegance. The time of year and fall foliage was also a big part of the planning. Artistic attention to small details helped us pull off an intimate wedding ceremony and large vibrant reception.
Favorite design element of your big day: Our favorite design element of the day had to be the overall look and feel of the reception tent. To see everyone’s vision and hard work come together at once, truly made for a magical setting.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: Ryan and I got engaged on June 6th and decided on the fall wedding date of November 1st. The few short months we had to prepare meant I had very little time to find the perfect gown every girl dreams of. I went to several boutiques and quickly became overwhelmed with such a vast selection of gowns to choose from. The dress I had pictured in my head, and the way I actually looked when I tried on dresses of similar origin, definitely left something to be desired. So, I adopted the attitude that any dress could be the one for me. I met a great family friend one afternoon at a boutique in Lexington. Walking in, I remember scanning the walls of the store, looking at all of these beautiful shades of cream, ivory and white only to notice a dress that looked brown compared to the rest. I thought to myself, “Who in the world would buy a brown wedding dress?” On November 1st, I got married to my best friend in that spectacular, breath taking, perfect for me, “brown” gown.
Describe your wedding cake: Our cake was absolutely perfect. Very simple and sitting on top of a beautiful custom made tier of green moss.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: Our favorite thing was the natural setting and backdrop of where the ceremony took place. We simply allowed the layout of the land to decide how the ceremony would unfold.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? The logistics of planning an outdoor wedding meant we had to decide on a secondary ceremony location. We found it very difficult to plan our ideal ceremony and then have a second plan put in place in the event of inclement weather.
Where there any special family traditions you included in the wedding? While touring Europe during college my mother brought home a beautiful handmade linen tablecloth she fell in love with. That cloth is the one she and my grandmother decided to use for her cake table when my mother and father got married. Since then, my mother’s nieces, cousins and other relatives have used that same beautiful linen cloth and I chose to carry on that tradition.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? We secretly took dance lessons for several months before our big day. When we took the floor to dance the fox trot it was so invigorating to hear the crowd slowly cheer louder and louder as they recognized we actually had moves to show off.
Funniest moment? My father looking quite dapper in his tux, only to realize he had on his black converse Chuck Taylor tennis shoes with his staple red bandana handkerchief hanging out of his pocket. It was hilarious and so was my father.
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Graceful. Timeless. Gratifying.
What advice would you give to someone planning their wedding? Have fun!!! No matter how much or how little time you take to plan your special day it goes by too quickly. Every moment should create a fond memory.
Other details you want us to know about your wedding: Most of my girlfriends are already married. I thought it would be fun to have them bring their wedding gowns so we could take some unusual photos together. It was amusing to see the look on people’s faces when all of these brides were wondering around Oak Tree Farm. We also had the words to “My Old Kentucky Home” printed on cards and placed in front of every seat. During the bands intermission our lifelong family friend, Suzie Smith, lead everyone in the singing of this very special song.

Congratulations to Elizabeth + Ryan! We wish you all the best in the Kentucky Bluegrass!