Jessica & Jordan

Love Story:
It was the night before Thanksgiving a few years ago – my sister, her now husband, and I had all come back home to Lexington for the holiday and decided to celebrate while everyone was in town. My brother-in-law suggested he invite along a family friend who was home on post-deployment leave from the Marine Corps. We had a blast and wished each other a happy holiday. I went back to living my life in Louisville, he went back to base and it wasn’t till about a year later that I was back in Lexington to visit friends that we went on our actual first date to Evan’s Orchard to pick pumpkins, and the rest is history!

Proposal:
Jordan and I were living on a small island in North Carolina and I was planning a BIG weekend. It was Thanksgiving, the anniversary of when Jordan first met, Jordan’s birthday, plus my mom was coming to visit us in North Carolina for the first time! So while I was distracted with birthday plans and prepping to cook my first Thanksgiving Dinner, he was planning an even bigger surprise – and I was absolutely clue- less! I picked my mom up from the airport, and on the drive home she was adamant about putting her feet in the sand before we went to dinner. I said “mother, you will have sand for days!” But we when we got home we headed down the beach. Me thinking to myself, “I don’t have time for a beach walk right now, I’ve got to get these birthday plans rolling”! When I got to the end of our boardwalk, I was gobs- smacked. It was a day with a brilliant blue sky, calm waters. The beach was completely empty aside from Jordan who had champagne, beautiful red roses, and a little box. He got down on one knee, and in front of God, my mother and my father up in heaven, asked me to marry him. I couldn’t have asked for any- thing better, Thanksgiving will forever be a super special time in our home!

How did you choose your venue?
Jordan and I moved back from Charleston, SC earlier in 2018 when we stared renovating a nearly 100 year-old church we’d purchased in Downtown Versailles. There was absolutely no question in our minds we would be get married in our building [which is now The Galerie] whether construction was complete or not!

What elements were most important for your wedding day to you?
The most important part of our wedding was to get married surrounded by the people we love. Friends and family traveled from all over the US – from the Big Apple to the Lowcountry, Montana to DC. Those months leading up to the wedding were challenging. Renovating a building, planning a wedding, and moving across the country – we couldn’t have done it without the love and support of our wonderful family and friends!

What advice would you give other couples?
Plan what you can, and then just enjoy the day to the fullest. Something will inevitably not go as planned – just laugh at it, and move on! Be grateful you found your person and soak up the day!