Tell us your love story.
Chris and I have been together for 6 years, but have known each other for MUCH longer. We have actually been friends for 14 years! As a Senior, he was the pianist for the Freshman choir when I began at Tates Creek High School. Both of us were a little shy, so we spent months exchanging glances from across the choir room before having an actual conversation. On the last day of his Senior year, Chris approached me and said “You’re the cutest girl I’ve ever seen, can I have your phone number?” Years went by and we became best friends, but the timing never seemed to work in our favor. He went to college in Pennsylvania while I stayed in Lexington to attend the University of Kentucky. Six years ago, Chris moved back to Lexington. At the urging of my friends, I decided to give him a call. He answered right away and invited me and my friends over for a movie night. My friends gave their blessing and sent me to his house by myself. We’ve been together ever since!
How did he propose?
On December 31, 2016, I had a hunch that Chris was going to propose. Throughout the day I noticed that Chris kept smiling to himself and acting jittery. After dinner and a night out with friends, we headed to the Clarion Hotel to ring in 2017.It is worth noting, that due to the design of the dress I was wearing, I had on a pair of SPANX. In the hotel room Chris could tell that something was bothering me and asked if I was okay. “My SPANX are KILLING ME!!!” I blurted out! He busted out laughing and told me to go rearrange myself in the bathroom. When I came out, Chris smiled at me and reached for my hand, saying “Abbie, we’ve been together for a long time and known each other for even longer. From the first moment that I saw you, I knew there was something special about you.” I somehow managed to ask, “Special? In what way?” “Special in that I’ve always known that I would spend my life with you. What I wanted to ask you tonight, was if you’d spend the rest of your life, growing old with me?” I tried to stammer a yes, but failed miserably! He asked, “Is that a yes? Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?” I managed to get a “yes” out and then he kissed me, and opened up the case to the most beautiful ring I’d ever seen.
How did you choose your venue?
We knew that we wanted to get married sometime in winter and that meant an indoor wedding venue was a must! A colleague of mine mentioned Simply Love Studio, and that it was a free wedding planning service in Lexington that promoted local vendors. My mom and I decided to give it a shot and called Sarah Burton. Sarah worked with our budget and named a few places, one being The Signature Club of Lansdowne. We made an appointment to view the space, and we immediately knew it was the space for us. It had plenty of room for our guests, beautiful furnishings, and a dance floor to die for. When we found The Signature Club, I knew it was the perfect place to celebrate the start of our marriage with our closest friends and family!
How long were you engaged?
After being together for 6 years, we were ready to get this shindig on the road. We were engaged for 1 year.
What elements were most important for your wedding day to you?
In terms of our ceremony, it was important to both of us that we be married in a Christian church. Our ceremony was at Central Christian Church and reflected of the two of us as a couple. For our reception, we really wanted to allow people to cut loose on the dance floor, and KY Sounds created a playlist that got most of our guests out on the dance floor. Chris has a sweet tooth, so Type A Catering helped to create a s’mores bar for our guests. Art House Photo Booth also created a scrapbook of our guests having fun in the photo booth that we will cherish for years to come. Lastly, I am very sentimental regarding photographs and videos. It was very important that we have a photographer and videographer who wanted to spend the day with us and capture the memories that we were making with the people who we love the most.
What advice would you give to other brides?
- Take the time to invest in pre-marital counseling. This was one of our favorite parts of our engagement season. Our pre-marital sessions allowed us to connect as a couple when our time was limited due to wedding planning and the ins and outs of daily life.
- Utilize Sarah at Simply Love Studio! We would’ve been so lost without her recommendations. She did a wonderful job helping us to find local vendors who made our day special and it’s FREE! Just do it!
Photographer: Rainwater Photography
Ceremony Venue: Central Christian Church
Reception Venue: The Signature Club of Lansdowne
Tuxedos: Geno’s Formal Affair
Month Of Coordinator: The Bride’s Assistant
Wedding Resource Center: Simply Love Studio
Caterer: Type A Catering
Cake: Tinker’s Cake Shop
DJ: KY Sounds
Stationery: The Bride’s Assistant
Florals: The Bride’s Assistant and J. Lynn Designs
Rentals: Purdon’s Rental & Sales
Hair & Makeup: Something Blu
Transportation: Gold Shield Transportation
Videographer: Colin Merritt Wedding Films
Hotel Room Block: Hilton Lexington/Downtown
Bridesmaid Gifts: Belles of the Bluegrass and Things Remembered
Reception Favors: Donation to Boyle County Animal Shelter
Photo Booth: Art House Photo Booth
Rehearsal Dinner Location: Nick Ryan’s
Bridal Show Attended: Bridal Bliss Winter Classic and Bridal Bliss Evening Classic
Registry: Bed Bath & Beyond
Wedding Rings: Shelia Bayes Fine Jewelers
Lighting: KY Sounds