Michelle and Doug were married at The Barn at Cedar Grove on April 21, 2018. Read on to hear about their wedding day.
Photos by Ashlee Conner Tomes, London’s Bridge Photography
Ages: Michelle is 35. Doug is 39.
Occupations: Michelle is a senior technology implementation professional with Humana. Doug is a supervisor in administrative support at Humana.
How they met: “Doug and I met 12 years ago. We worked together at a local bar in Louisville. One day, at work, Doug asked if he could play me a song on the jukebox, and everything changed. Through multiple job changes, our beautiful nine-year-old son named Lincoln, several apartments, college degrees, our first home and several fur babies, we finally decided to get married.”
Engagement story: “Doug and I love to watch Top Chef, and 610 Magnolia chef Edward Lee had been a contestant on the show. Doug arranged for a romantic dinner there for us, with a custom vegetarian six-course tasting menu. Doug asked me to step outside, and under the beautiful magnolia tree, with previous lovers’ initials carved into its bark, he got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife.”
Number of wedding guests: 153
Ceremony and reception: The Barn at Cedar Grove
Wedding theme: “Doug and I are big bourbon people. We also really love color and while planning our spring wedding came across some beautiful vintage Liberty London floral fabric, which lead to our theme of whiskey and wildflowers.”
Entertainment: Bluegrass trio for the ceremony with the couple’s friend and local musician Cheyenne Mize, with two of her friends. The DJ — DJ John Q, Quinton Johnson — is also a family friend.
Personal touches: A friend officiated the wedding. “Doug and I collected mismatched china, vintage colored glass and bourbon bottles over our year-and-a-half engagement to decorate our tables. We hand-drew our chalk signs, custom-ordered and arranged our own floral, and handmade our bouquets and boutonnieres. In keeping with our theme, my mother made us a custom Liberty London floral quilt for all of our guests to sign, and Doug had handmade Liberty London bowties made for all of the groomsmen. The bridesmaids wore mismatched, some even vintage, colorful dresses of their choosing, and I made them each a necklace using pressed wildflowers and resin.”
First-dance song: The song that started it all: “The Blower’s Daughter,” Damien Rice
The day in three words: “Colorful, fun, emotional.”
One disagreement: What songs to play and when.
Really glad they: “I came across a Southern wedding tradition that involved burying a bourbon bottle upside down 30 days before the wedding to prevent rain on your big day. After our beautiful outdoor ceremony, under a blue and cloudless sky, Doug and I dug that bottle back up and had the bartenders make us a cocktail with it. We saved the rest and plan to share a drink each year on our anniversary.”
Wish they would have: Hired a videographer.
Advice: “Don’t worry about tradition, external pressures, or societal norms. Do what feels right for you and your fiancé.”
Photo by Ashelle Conner Tomes
DETAILS
Photographer: Ashlee Conner Tomes, London’s Bridge Photography
Flowers: Blooms by the Box, arranged by the wedding party
Invitations: AdorePaperCo. on Etsy.com
Rehearsal dinner: Longhunters Coffee & Tea Co., a cafe in Greensburg, Kentucky
Caterer and bar: Eiderdown
Decor: The Barn at Cedar Grove includes the use of several vintage tables, accent pieces, runners, vases and signs. “We had to bring very few decorations outside from our table toppers, florals and signs.”
Rings: Custom-made on Etsy. Michelle: a vintage-style, 17-stone opal and diamond ring set in gold. Doug’s: A black zirconium ring lined with whiskey barrel white oak
Attire: Bride’s dress was a vintage lace robe from the ’70s, bought on Etsy. Seamstress Rachel Hedden lined it and added lace-covered buttons.
Transportation: A local medical transportation crew shuttled guests from the hotels and cabins to and from the wedding.
Registry: Zola
Welcome party: Garrison Farmstead at Cedar Grove
Honeymoon: Key West, Florida
This originally appeared in the Spring/Summer 2019 issue of Louisville Bride. To subscribe to Louisville Magazine, click here. To find us on newsstands, click here.
If you are interested in submitting your wedding to Louisville Bride, please email editor Mary Chellis Nelson at mcnelson@loumag.com.
