In Kennedy’s words, “Jesse and I met in high school and have been through many seasons of life together. When he proposed while we were kayaking at Bluegrass Wildlife Area this past February, I was shocked and not ready at all… I had on a sweatshirt and rain boots with chickens on them! Regardless, we were so excited and knew we wanted to get married by the end of the year. Enter COVID-19. We’re not big worriers, so we tried to just go with the flow and see how things would play out, but this meant changing a few plans. We decided to switch venues and go with an outdoor space because we both loved the outdoors and wanted everyone to feel safe. Neither of us had ever been to a wedding in a park, but we knew we could make it work! Other than that, we tried to just make our invites humorous and let everyone know it was a no pressure situation.”
“For the wedding, we wanted it to be as ‘us’ as possible. I have never really been one to dream of my wedding since I was little, but I knew a couple of things were a priority- great food and a great time. I run Small City, Big Eats, a local food showcase page, and knew I wanted to highlight local vendors for as many things as possible. We went with a crowd favorite- barbecue and macaroni and cheese, and my mother-in-law and sister-in-law are starting up a cake business, so I knew they’d nail whatever ideas we gave them. I’m pretty crafty, so I knew I wanted to DIY as much as possible to keep costs low and to make sure it was personalized to us. Our wedding was exactly what we wanted with lots of unique touches. Where else can you find reggae music during a ceremony, margaritas, and bonfire with s’mores at night?! We wouldn’t change a thing.”
Making Magic:
Photography: Haley Raven Photography
Venue: Friedman Park West Pavilion
Dress: BHLDN
Menswear: Men’s Wearhouse
Rings: Camelot Jewelers and My Roots Jewelry
Makeup: Alanis Skye
Hair: Dana Hajek and Heike Byers
Cake and Desserts: Casa de Cano’s Cakes
Food: Miller’s Barbecue and Catering, Vegan Eats and Treats
Drinks: Margaritas on the Move
Videography: 109 Productions
Music: Zion Albert and Theophilus Akai (ceremony), DJ Elo (reception)
