Logan + Gina's Beautiful Lexington Wedding

From the Bride: Our wedding day was the BEST. DAY. EVER. If you saw me on my wedding day, there was a very good chance I was crying, tears are filling my eyes even as I type this. You can see from many photos the tears and smiles so big your face hurts. When I think of how our wedding stands out from the rest, I think of the day as "untraditionally traditional". We had the Catholic Mass, the cocktail hour, and dinner and dancing but we cut out the things that we personally did not want. We didn't get announced to a song, but to the "Call to Post" via trumpet. We didn't have our bridal party get announced at all. We only had my father give a speech at dinner, the best man and maid of honor did theirs at the rehearsal dinner. There was no cutting of the cake, bouquet toss or garter toss. At the end of the night, we left on the bus with our guests. We wanted to cut out everything that took away time from celebrating with our family and friends. We knew going into our wedding that we were the center of attention, but we wanted our guests to be the center of OUR attention. But, we made sure to put our own flavor into everything we did.

We had a Catholic ceremony with a full mass, both sides of our families have a very strong faith. To add our own flare, we had a bluegrass band at the mass, The Grass Cats. They put a bluegrass feel into traditional Catholic wedding songs. We brought the Kentucky vibe to the whole day. Shades of Grass, an awesome bluegrass band, played at cocktail hour, alongside the bourbon and cigar bar. Logan is in the horse business and the Belmont Stakes was that day. We made it a priority to show the races, and make sure dinner did not start before it. For dinner, we chose family style. We wanted it to be like the dinner table at home, passing around and sharing food just as we do regularly. To Kentucky it up, we had fried chicken, as well as pork tenderloin, for the main courses. If only there was a picture of me with chicken legs in hand. We made our dessert family style as well, having cheesecake, chocolate molten cake, and of course, bourbon balls. It wouldn't be complete if we didn't pass around biscuits at the end of the night. We also made sure to have party buses for our guests, so all they had to worry about was having a good time. The band made sure that happened as well. We didn't want any new stuff, we requested older songs that we could ALL boogie down to. We knew we would have the time of our lives regardless, but our goal was for our guests to have the best time too.

I'm not sure how to put into words the literal overwhelming feeling of love that carried throughout the whole day. It was present at the mass, it was present at cocktail hour, and it was present at the reception and on the dance floor. It was a day filled with joy and was noticed not just by us, but by everyone. Two months later and people still comment of the presence of love that filled the day. I think what made that presence so pronounced, was the fact that we were able to invite our entire families and friends. We didn't have to choose. Over half of the guests were family. We saw family we hadn't seen in years. As soon as I asked Logan what his favorite moment was, he immediately answered that it was when his entire side of the family got together for a group photo. They can't even remember the last time they were all together, the look of joy on Logan's face was truly priceless. As far as my favorite wedding moment, it would have to be the speech given by my dad. My dad is my best friend. I think the photos from our wedding day show the special bond that we share. I was being given from one best friend to another. His speech wasn't mushy, it didn't reminisce on the past, and there were no stories told. It was a three part toast, with three drinks to pair. First was a toast with champagne for celebration of today and tomorrow. Second, a toast with wine since we chose the Gospel reading of the wedding of Cana and to always have the "Good Wine" of God's blessings. And finally, a toast with bourbon because of Kentucky, but also to always have fun in our lives. His speech captured us perfectly. Our photographer captured US, perfectly. Our wedding planner captured us perfectly. It was truly the BEST. DAY. EVER.

Photography: Bradley Quinn Photography (Second Shooter) Emily Giancarlo | Videography: Richie Quick | Location: Lexington | Venue: (Ceremony) Saint Paul the Apostle Catholic Church (Reception) Entertainment Center & Keene Barn at Keeneland | Florals: Refined Social Events | Wedding Planner: Jen Guiler, Refined Social Events | Event Designer: Melody Rogers, Refined Social Events | Caterer + Cake: Chef Marc Therrien of Keeneland | Rentals: Canvas Event Furniture | Music: For A Good Time, Call | Transportation: Gold Shield, Thoroughbred Limousine | Stationery + Paper Goods: Poeme | Hair: Hair by Maddie Woff | Makeup: English Rose | Bride’s Attire: White Wisteria Bridal Boutique | Groom’s Attire: Men's Wearhouse