Southern Charm Prep: The Wedding

The Venue

Growing up in Central Kentucky, some landmarks just mean something to you…Keeneland is one of those special places for me & my hubby, Kyle.

As a little girl, I always dreamed of my wedding…that it would be a magical, southern occasion and a night for everyone to remember.

After looking at nearly a dozen different venues, many of which were wonderful, but just too small for the size of our wedding. (We were expecting between 300 & 350 people.). Finally, we visited Keeneland. Morgan Whitney gave us a beautiful tour, and showed us how their team could make our day the best day ever.

It didn’t take much convincing…a trip to Keeneland was one of our first dates, it’s historic, picturesque and everything we could have ever dreamed of.

July 23, 2016: we had the date & the venue…now let the planning begin.

We used the facade of Keeneland’s picturesque Library as the backdrop of our ceremony. Sure, it was one of the hottest days of the year, but it was absolutely beautiful.

Kyle and I wanted a very traditional wedding, so we decided to not see each other before I walked down the aisle. Don’t get me wrong, I love seeing “first look” photos, but one of my favorite photos from the day we said “I do” is Kyle watching me walk down the aisle.

While we took photos after the ceremony, our guests enjoyed a cocktail hour in the Keene Barn. Cocktail hour was complete with an array of hors d'oeuvres including Country Ham Biscuits, Crudite Shooters and Mini Hot Browns.

Our reception was held in Keeneland’s spacious Entertainment Center. We had a long head table in the middle and round tables along the sides.

When we entered our reception, we were greeted with a standing ovation and music blaring. Our DJs, Kentucky Sounds, were fabulous! James & Ed teamed up with our “Day of Coordinator,” Stuart Hurt of House by JSD to cross every “t” and dot every “i.”

We kicked off our reception with what was probably our favorite part, our First Dance.

Kyle and I love to dance! We wanted to surprise everyone, so we made a mash-up of some of our favorite songs. It started with Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud,” followed by “Wop” by J. Dash featuring Flo Rida, Silentó’s “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae),” “Wobble Baby” by V.I.C. and finally, “From the Ground Up” by Dan & Shay.

It was so much fun & a great way to kick off a party!

After we danced, the Pastor blessed the food and everyone ate. To complement our wedding theme, “Southern Charm Prep,” we crafted a custom menu with Keeneland Hospitality highlighted by a mix of chic and southern selections.

Later in the evening, toasts were given by my Maid of Honor & Kyle’s Best Man & the cake was cut.

We ended the evening dancing with all of our friends & family, then were sent off by all of our loved ones under an arch of sparklers.

It was truly a magical night, and one we will never forget!