A 21st Century Candlelight
Remember sorority candlelights?
You'd get all the girls in the chapter together to stand around in a circle, sing sorority songs, and pass a candle. Then, after the candle had been passed around the appropriate number of times, one of your sisters blew it out, signifying the big news in her love life. She'd been lavaliered, pinned, or gotten engaged. It was one of those quintessential college moments. And, for those of us who were single, or not serious about our boyfriend, or whatever the situation may have been, it was more than a little alienating. Most of the time, we were happy for the sister who had the good news. Many of us, and I certainly counted myself among these ranks, had no interest in settling down in our early twenties. Still, for all of us who weren't blowing out the candle, there was a moment of feeling left out.
A few weeks ago, my sorority sister Shannon had some really big news to share with us all. Shannon, an Owensboro native, lives in Minneapolis with her partner, Ruanita, and their three adorable children. After fifteen years together, Shannon and Ruanita can legally be married in their state. Even as a mother of three, Shannon has promised us, she's going to be a full-on bridezilla. She's certainly earned that right.
As Shannon kept us all updated on the status of the Minnesota same-sex marriage bill via Facebook last month, I joked that I would find a way to throw her a candlelight if the bill passed. I was thrilled when the Minnesota legislature upheld their end of that bargain, and some of us immediately began brainstorming a way to make a candlelight happen. We settled on one of those invitation-only Facebook groups, to which several of our sorority sisters were invited.
Now, you can't have a candlelight without songs. We "sang" our old familiar songs by typing them out, verse by verse. It was a beautiful juxtaposition -- a group of retired Southern sorority girls upholding our oldest traditions, but with a decidedly 21st century twist.
As the words of a traditional candlelight song came back to me -- "Phi Mu in a word is love" -- I realized that it didn't matter that the flicker of a candle had been replaced by the backlight of computer screens across the country. And, while it was monumental that we were celebrating our friend's long-overdue right to marry the woman she loves, we weren't really even taking a political stance. We were just telling our smart, funny, awesome friend that we're happy for her.
For once, it felt like a candlelight where nobody was left out.
{You can read more about Shannon's adventures in parenting on her blog, Chronicles of a Clueless Mom.}
The HerKentucky Louisville List: Gilt.com Pop-Up Shop
So, we have some rather big news at my house. We're moving back to Louisville this summer!
There is so much to love about the Commonwealth's biggest city. Over the next couple of months, I'll be packing up our stuff and the dogs and making plans to join my beau, who's already there. Here on HerKentucky, I'll be compiling The Louisville List, a series of posts that highlight my very favorite things about the Derby City: things like the food, the parks, the volunteer opportunities, and the awesome neighborhoods. Oh, and did I mention the shopping?
Well, the shopping is pretty great. Louisville is home to some amazing boutiques. The malls are, hands down, the best in Kentucky. (Don't get me started on how, in high school, I seized every opportunity to travel the four hours from my hometown to Oxmoor Center, then boasted of my haul to my Benetton-deprived friends.) There's even the promise of a fancy new outlet mall. And, starting next week, Gilt.com will bring a unique pop-up shop to the East End.
Y'all know Gilt.com, right? It's a flash-sale site for high-end clothing and home furnishings. You can find unique, luxurious items at a steal. Brands like Missoni, Vera Wang, Zac Posen, and my imaginary BFFs Badgley Mischka. And now, for one month, they'll have their very first brick and mortar store. The fun starts next Friday, June 28, at The Shelbyville Road Plaza (4600 Shelbyville Road). I hope y'all can make it out to the Gilt Designer Outlet. In the meantime, here's your invitation to shop around on Gilt.com.
I can't wait to re-discover one of my favorite cities, and I'm excited to do some shopping!
{No member of the HerKentucky writing staff was compensated for this post.}
Kentucky Winery Wedding
If you're like me and got married in the pre-Pinterest age, you probably wish you had it back then. Just think of all those awesome projects you could do!
In reality though, so many of those projects are super stressful, and if I were getting married again, I'd probably take on way too many things and then get frustrated or disappointed when I couldn't do ALL THE THINGS!
I had a small wedding at Chrisman Mill Winery in Nicholasville back in October 2007. Other Lexington-area wineries that have weddings are Talon Winery in Lexington, Equus Run in Midway, and Acres of Land in Richmond. At the time, Jean Farris was offering weddings but I don't think they do them anymore.
To push the fall theme, we used oranges and browns as primary colors to compliment the turning colors of the leaves. Part of the appeal of having an outdoor wedding was the colors and decorations that Mother nature provided. This meant we could use fewer flowers and save some money. Instead of fresh cut flowers along the grass aisle or under the gazebo, we opted for large potted mums, which were really inexpensive and in-season. Some of our guests took them home and planted them, which was awesome because they didn't go to waste.
Since we had a small wedding (less than 80 people), that meant I could do some things like make some of the favors. To continue the wine theme, I wanted to give away wine glasses, but with a personal touch. I found someone on the local message board for The Knot (great resource) who had extra wine glasses left over from her wedding. I purchased all that I needed for about half the price if I would have gone to a restaurant supply shop, and she was happy to get them off her hands.
I bought beads and wire to make wine stem wraps, and my friends and I made all the bead strands in one night. We added a printed tag to the stem wrap that was a note of thanks for attending. That was probably the most DIY project I did, and it was enough for me!
We kept things simple but added some Kentucky flair and personal touches. My husband's aunt made our cake, which we decorated with live flowers. The guestbook was a photo book of our engagement photos that people signed over. It's now a permanent fixture on our coffee table. We had Lexington's famous Spalding's Donuts as our grooms cake. For the ring bearer that was too young to walk, we had our bridesmaid pull him in my old Radio Flyer wagon down the aisle. The day before the wedding, we took some of our bridal party and guests out to Keeneland. We loved that our wine was local from the winery, and we had beer from Kentucky Ale (I worked for Alltech at the time - owners of Kentucky Ale.)
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| Caught in the act of donut eating prior to the ceremony. |
All of these things made the wedding more special than anywhere I might have relied solely on Pinterest project suggestions and becoming overwhelmed about not having things perfect enough.
Some considerations when looking at having a Kentucky winery wedding:
- Most wineries have restrictions on serving alcohol, so if you're determined to have bourbon or other spirits at your wedding, check the restrictions of the venue before booking.
- Check that the area is handicap accessible if you have elderly or disabled guests. To get to the area for our ceremony, there was a large hill with steps. We rented a golf cart and had an enthusiastic usher drive those who wanted up and down the hill.
- Have a backup plan. All outdoor weddings are a gamble. Make sure to have a backup plan in case of rain or cold. This means having tents with walls and heaters (or fans in spring or summer) on standby. We had our wedding and reception outdoors, and the threat of inclement weather was probably the most stressful thing about the entire wedding (thankfully it was perfect.)
- Guest safety: Many wineries are located in the countryside where narrow back roads have to be taken. Consider your guests and their alcohol consumption and plan for ways to get them home from your reception safely. We had designated drivers that stayed until the end of the event to drive people home if that was needed. You could also hire a car service to handle this.
What did you do for your Kentucky-themed wedding?
Wendell Berry on Gardening
Although I haven't found the time to plant my own garden, this year I signed up for a small share of a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) through Elmwood Stock Farm (Georgetown, Kentucky). It is so nice to experience the natural rhythms of the season through the food we eat; it makes you feel more connected to both time and place.
I love this Wendell Berry quotation about gardening and look forward to the day when I can grow my own food for our family to enjoy. In the meantime, I love supporting local agriculture. What's growing in your garden?
Weddings with a Southern Touch
As a girl who counts the South as one of her great loves, I've always adored little southern touches in weddings. If you're looking for ideas for your wedding or know someone who is, here are few gorgeous ideas to inspire you!
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| photo credit: Landon Jacob, via iloveswmag.com |
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| photo credit: Tonya Joy |
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| photo credit: Robert Wojtowicz |
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| Photo credit: Krissy Allori Photography, Courtney Jade Photography, via stylemepretty.com |
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| by Fusion Photography, via kyweddingblog.com |
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| Cute Favor Idea from marthastewartweddings.com |
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| via weddingchicks.com |
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| by FiveDotDesign.com, via weddingrowkentucky.com |
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| photo credit: Vesic Photography, via iloveswmag.com |
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| photo credit: Josh Elliott, via greenweddingshoes.com |
My Renewal Ceremony
On July 5, my husband and I will celebrate our tenth wedding anniversary. On July 13, we will renew our vows to commemorate the event. Two weeks ago I shared some of the details of our original ceremony so this week I thought I'd share some of the inspiration and ideas behind our renewal.
First things first, this is NOT a wedding. This is not Sarah's chance for a do-over. I've looked at my fair share of renewal ceremonies online and so often it just seems like the bride is playing dress up. Now, don't get me wrong. I LOVE playing dress up but this isn't a costume party. It's a celebration of my marriage, my family, and the life my husband and I have built together.
So... there will be no long white wedding dress, no big fancy wedding cake, no seated dinner, no walk down the aisle.
Now, I DID get a new dress. Let's not go overboard here. I wanted something tea length with a 1950's silhouette. I loved this dress and used it as my inspiration. I ended up with something pretty similar to my original dress in that it's mostly lace but it's short and ivory and VERY comfortable to dance in. I'm going to add a colored ribbon around the waist and similarly hued ballerina flat to cut down on the bridal aspect even more.
I also happen to be very good friends with the best and most creative florist in the tri-state region who I have given complete and total creative control so there WILL be flowers.
The bouquet is the inspiration for the floral theme - lots of bright summery blooms and overflowing arrangements. It's going to be stunning I have no doubt and a complete surprise to me which is even more fun!
We're having the ceremony in our front yard at sunset. Our plan is to walk out together with the boys and then exchange a few words underneath the giant maple in front of our home. My three dear friends from college who performed at our original wedding will be reprising their roles at this ceremony, which means the absolute world to me.
Afterwards, we're going to go around back and eat dessert and drink and dance the night away. Several years ago I attended the wedding my dear friend (and herKentucky contributor!) Amy Hille Glasscock. It was a gorgeous and thoughtful wedding from top to bottom but one of my favorite touches was she had friends and family bring pies to fill up the dessert table. I absolutely loved the idea of all that food made with love by people who knew the couple best so we'll be stealing Amy's idea. No cake just long tables full of pie!
Otherwise, my only plan is to have lots of twinkly lights, a loud speaker for my friend Mike so he can keep us rocking and dancing all night long, and lots of gangsta rap for when Mike takes a break.
No stress. No drama. No notebooks or Pinterest boards filled with high expectations and higher budgets. I did that the first time. This time it's about me and my amazing man and celebrating the relationship that has defined my life for the better part of a decade.
Oh... and there might be some Dip 'N Dots.
~ Sarah Stewart Holland
First things first, this is NOT a wedding. This is not Sarah's chance for a do-over. I've looked at my fair share of renewal ceremonies online and so often it just seems like the bride is playing dress up. Now, don't get me wrong. I LOVE playing dress up but this isn't a costume party. It's a celebration of my marriage, my family, and the life my husband and I have built together.
So... there will be no long white wedding dress, no big fancy wedding cake, no seated dinner, no walk down the aisle.Now, I DID get a new dress. Let's not go overboard here. I wanted something tea length with a 1950's silhouette. I loved this dress and used it as my inspiration. I ended up with something pretty similar to my original dress in that it's mostly lace but it's short and ivory and VERY comfortable to dance in. I'm going to add a colored ribbon around the waist and similarly hued ballerina flat to cut down on the bridal aspect even more.
I also happen to be very good friends with the best and most creative florist in the tri-state region who I have given complete and total creative control so there WILL be flowers.
The bouquet is the inspiration for the floral theme - lots of bright summery blooms and overflowing arrangements. It's going to be stunning I have no doubt and a complete surprise to me which is even more fun!
We're having the ceremony in our front yard at sunset. Our plan is to walk out together with the boys and then exchange a few words underneath the giant maple in front of our home. My three dear friends from college who performed at our original wedding will be reprising their roles at this ceremony, which means the absolute world to me.
Afterwards, we're going to go around back and eat dessert and drink and dance the night away. Several years ago I attended the wedding my dear friend (and herKentucky contributor!) Amy Hille Glasscock. It was a gorgeous and thoughtful wedding from top to bottom but one of my favorite touches was she had friends and family bring pies to fill up the dessert table. I absolutely loved the idea of all that food made with love by people who knew the couple best so we'll be stealing Amy's idea. No cake just long tables full of pie!Otherwise, my only plan is to have lots of twinkly lights, a loud speaker for my friend Mike so he can keep us rocking and dancing all night long, and lots of gangsta rap for when Mike takes a break.
No stress. No drama. No notebooks or Pinterest boards filled with high expectations and higher budgets. I did that the first time. This time it's about me and my amazing man and celebrating the relationship that has defined my life for the better part of a decade.
Oh... and there might be some Dip 'N Dots.
~ Sarah Stewart Holland
Happy National Bourbon Day!
Today is officially National Bourbon Day! Sure, I'll celebrate!
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| Pappy Van Winkle (20 years old), The Village Idiot, Lexington |
Two other bourbons we recently purchased and recommend are Angel's Envy (my personal favorite) and Jefferson's Presidential Select (18 years old):
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| Angel's Envy |
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| Jefferson's Presidential Select (18 years old) |
What's your favorite bourbon?