Intimate Wedding in Historic Old Louisville

Hallie & Shawn’s wedding is very similar to what I would choose if I was getting married now. Don’t get me wrong— I absolutely loved our wedding and it was a perfect fit for us at the time, but their day really delivered the best parts of an intimate elopement as well as a big reception. On Friday night, they kicked things off with their first look and some beers at Old Louisville Brewery, then they moved next door, where forty of their closest friends and family joined them for their ceremony, dinner, and toasts at 610 Magnolia. It was relaxed, joyful, and full of happy tears. On Saturday, they had a bigger reception full of amazing food, delicious cake, and loads of dancing at the Filson Historical. I asked them about their plans for the wedding and Hallie said, “We tried to represent ourselves through food and music that we love. We wanted our ceremony to be small and then be able to celebrate with everyone on the following day. We both love Old Louisville and we are so happy to have found two venues there. We also tried to incorporate some of the traditions & style from Shawn’s Indian side of the family— lots of bright colors, marigolds, and some other Indian touches.”

Once the day was done, I asked each of them their favorite moments. Shawn said, “I loved getting to spend so much time with our family on the wedding day. The small group was just what we wanted and it felt extra special.” And Hallie said, “I loved getting to see Shawn before the ceremony and spend some time together. It made the day feel like any other even though it wasn’t! It was so great getting to hang out with all of our friends and relax before we made it official.”

On the significance of attire Shawn said, “My one really important piece was my boutonniere, which had some lace from my mother’s wedding dress wrapped around it. Hallie surprised me with that and it meant a lot.” Hallie also incorporated a lot of elements from family in her outfit. “My dress has some of Shawn’s mother’s wedding dress sewn into it. I also wore a ring of hers that Shawn’s Dad had given me. It meant so much to be wearing pieces of hers on such a big day. I never got to meet her but have heard what an amazing woman she was. It made the day that much more sentimental. I also wore a pin from my grandmother that my sister wore on her wedding day. I pinned it onto my flowers along with some of the same lace from Shawn’s mom’s dress.”

A lot of their vendors are also friends which made the day feel even more special. Shawn grew up with Sayward from Hazelfield Farms and is close friends with their band, The Downtown Country Band—their first dance was to a wonderful cover of In Spite of Ourselves. I included a lot of images of their guests here, especially from the first day, because family is obviously very important to them, but also because with such a small group I was able to really focus on that. I feel like because I’m blogging this wedding during the pandemic, I’m also really missing those types of connections with my own family at the moment, so those images seemed extra significant at this time. 

Florals: Hazelfield Farms // Friday night venue & catering: 610 Magnolia // Saturday night catering: Amber McCool with Rooted Red Clover // Band: The Downtown County Band // DJ: Jesse Penn // Coordinator: Maggie Heely with Weekend Wedding Warrior // Gown: Theia from Carrie Karibo Bridal // Hair: Hair by Maddie Woff // Makeup: Bailey Carter Beauty // Cake: Sweet Surrender // Saturday venue: The Filson

Costa Rica Trip // Exploring the Cloud Forests of Monteverde and La Fortuna

Thinking about travel right now amid the pandemic is a strange bittersweet thing. I am thankful to be safe at home. I’m thankful that our home has a backyard where I can sit in the sun. I’m thankful for all the opportunities I’ve had to travel up until now. But I’m also deeply missing exploring new places— both close to home and far away. My spouse and I had a trip scheduled for this April to Zion National Park and the Grand Canyon, which, as everyone had to do, we canceled. Exploring new places has always been a way for us to bond with each other, but I haven’t always prioritized traveling with my friends in the same way that I do my spouse. After this Costa Rica trip, it’s safe to say I am going to start traveling with friends more often— once it's safe and responsible to do so.

I took this adventure with three amazing women— we all met in the art department at U of L a decade ago. Crys Ludwick is an exceptional photographer— she documents weddings, families, and almost everything else. She is a powerhouse, the most supportive friend, a huge nerd, and a very adaptable driver. Any photo you see of me in this post was taken by her and I'm hugely thankful to have some images of me running around with a camera in hand. KTB is the art handler and maintenance woman for KMAC and is possibly the most capable person I know. She is the first person you would want to pick for your apocalypse team, looks tough but has the biggest heart, and is my go-to hiking companion. Sara Pitt is an amazing developer at Mightily. Under normal circumstances, she is at my house for dinner or drinks at least once a week. She is incredibly open, loves very deeply, is notably goofy, and is obsessed with her dog Lucy who is a very good girl. Pitt & I traveled to Peru together two years ago and it was such an amazing time.

I didn't know how much this trip would mean to me beforehand, but it deepened our friendships in a way I can't really describe. When you travel together, you get to see all the sides of someone. It's a really special thing to be open and vulnerable and silly and still be accepted and loved. I’m really thankful to have friends in my life who challenge me, support me, love me, and make me laugh so hard I can’t swim. 

On this trip, we hiked 28 miles, climbed up 4,260 steps, & saw more than a dozen waterfalls. I tried canyoning, zip-lining, and surfing for the first time. We made it through random injuries, cold showers, and bird attacks. We got to go on a night hike, walked on the hanging bridges, and went horseback riding along the beach. As a plant lover, getting to hike through the rainforest was one of my favorite experiences....seeing my houseplants out in the wild felt like a celebrity spotting every time. I also loved the feeling of swimming in a cool waterfall after a long hike. I could go on and on, but I think I should get to the photos before I ramble too much more.

Stylish and Unique Fall Wedding at The Refinery and Courthouse Elopement with Tattoos

Three days before their official wedding I joined Allison & Joseph as they eloped at the courthouse, got wedding bands tattooed on with Kelli Grey, and played with their puppers. It was such fun & intimate way to start a marriage! Their original wedding venue randomly shut down two weeks before their wedding— which could have made the day feel really stressful, but honestly thanks to all the amazing vendors (links at the end of post!) and the couple’s super laid-back vibes it went off without a hitch! They had all kinds of amazing details including glam-goth black candles and chargers that made their reception space feel even more moody and romantic, custom leather jackets for all of Allison's side of the wedding party, and the biggest bridal bouquet I have ever seen. When I asked each of them their favorite parts of the day Allison said, "Probably the greatest moment was how personalized my brother made our ceremony. It was so extremely us (bold, unconventional and full of love and laughter) and it was everything we could have wanted in a ceremony." and Joseph said, "My favorite moment was when we got to sneak away during cocktail hour! We snagged a bottle of champagne and a plate of appetizers from the caterers and just got to enjoy some alone time for a while before the reception began. It was the perfect way to start the night." I ALWAYS recommend trying to plan for some alone time on the wedding day to take it all in and I am so glad they got the chance to! 

As a fellow travel lover, I really loved another detail they described, "We also had an atlas as a guest book and asked for our guests to choose somewhere in the world that we should go. We plan on traveling all over the world and each time we go somewhere new we are going to look at the guest book, see if anyone recommended it, and send them a note about that place once we have returned." I absolutely love this idea and hope they make it to Iceland one day so I can get a letter about it. A few more awesome reception details were signature cocktails inspired by their dogs (Lexi’s Lemon Drop, Ford’s Puppy Paloma, Frankie’s Fizz), a caricature artist that created custom portraits for guests, two chocolate fountains, and of course late-night Taco Bell delivery. 

One of the funniest moments of the day for me was when we went into Please & Thank You and everyone there was obviously paying quite a bit of attention to them...I kept saying "nothing to see here!" until people pretended to ignore us so we could get some portraits. Honestly, I wouldn't usually show up to such a busy spot for wedding photos, but after seeing their outfits we knew we HAD to get some photos in front of the jukebox. The Refinery has a million amazing spots for photos, but since Allison's best friend is getting married there later this year (remember, the random venue change two weeks before the wedding?) we thought having some images around Nulu would make sure they had plenty of photos that looked very different from each other's. Side note: while we were running around the neighborhood another photographer saw us and assumed I had planned a styled shoot because of how AMAZING and fashionable both of them looked. That's a big compliment because I don't think I could even plan a styled shoot as unique and stylish as their wedding day was.

I'll leave you with some advice from the couple, "The only advice we can give to future couples is to remember that at the end of the day it is only about the two of you. Do WHATEVER YOU want to do and do NOT let others influence you in any direction or any way you do not feel that is true to yourself.”

If you're looking for more intimate wedding goodness this Nashville treehouse elopement was so much fun and if you are looking for more ultra-cool couples to crush on then Felicia & Brennan's greenhouse wedding will do the trick.

Venue: The Refinery // Coordinator: Marcie Hancock with A Thorough Fare // Florals: Jeanie Gorrell Floral Design // Custom Leather Jacket Designs: The Bash Box // Groomsmen: J. Alan Formalwear // Officiant: Allison's older brother, Shane Henshaw // Gown: Badgley Mischka Bride via Relix Bridal // Groom's Custom Tuxedo: Hellman Clothiers // Groom's Shoes: Christian Louboutin // Groom's Tie: Brackish //  Catering: Masteron's // DJ: Masters of Music // Videography: By Design Films // Hair Stylist: Hair by Maddie Woff // Makeup Artist: Dawn Phillips // Wedding Band Tattoo Artist: Kelly Grey // Wedding Nails: Varnish Nail Shoppe // Wedding Band: Consider The Wldflwer // Cake: Nothing Bundt Cakes // Chocolate Fountain: Louisville Chocolate Fountain