Capturing Life's Little Moments: Mr. and Mrs. Travis Newman

Jennifer got married!

Saturday, October 2, 2010

One of my very best friends, Jennifer got married on Saturday and I was lucky enough to stand by her side. Her wedding was one of the prettiest weddings I have been to in a long time and I was somewhat jealous of all her little details. The ceremony and reception were both held outside at Locust Grove which is a National Historic Landmark on 55 acres of the original 694 acre farm established by William and Lucy Clark Croghan in 1790. William Croghan was the brother-in-law and surveying partner of George Rogers Clark, founder of Louisville and a Revolutionary War hero. George Rogers Clark spent the last nine years of his life at Locust Grove, from 1809 until his death in 1818.

The grounds are immaculate and the scenery is stunning. Louisville hasn't seen rain in months, however; on Saturday, the heavens decided to open in the afternoon. The rain didn't stop us from having pictures taken outside. The photographer (Kreich-Higdon Photography) took us to the front porch of the historic mansion and she captured the beauty of nature, along with all the bridesmaids and Jennifer so we were shielded from the rain. The photographer even braved the rain and snapped some photos of us on the porch from the grounds. Thankfully her husband was there to hold the umbrella!

About forty-five minutes before the ceremony, the rain stopped and the sun began to shine through the clouds. Jennifer planned her wedding at Locust Grove for a reason, and that reason was to be married outside. I felt so bad for her as the rain was pouring because she had to contemplate plan B, which was to move the ceremony inside. Luckily, the reception was shielded by a huge tent, so that could go on without a hitch if the rain did not let up.

Her wedding planner quickly wiped down all the chairs after the rain stopped and set all the finishing touches into place. The next thing we knew, guests arrived, music played and it was go time!

I can't even explain all the details Jennifer had because all were so creative and oh so beautiful.

Fun Facts:

Jennifer and Travis have known each other for ten years

They met through Jennifer's best friend Andrea (they've been friends since the age of 5), whose husband is married to one of Travis's very best friends, John

Jennifer had torn a picture of her wedding gown out of a magazine months before she found it at The Couture Closet. She bought the dress during a sample sale because the shop was no longer going to sell Melissa Sweet gowns. The price was right and her gown was absolutely beautiful. Matter of fact, when I went with her to try it on, I wanted it for my very own.

The reception was catered by Asiatique

The Rehearsal Dinner was held at Varenese on Frankfort Avenue. That is my new favorite restaurant. The food was amazing.

Photographers were Kreich-Higdon Photography. It is a husband and wife duo who were very fun to work with. They were genuinely excited about capturing all of Jennifer and Travis's sentimental moments.

Jennifer's wedding shoes were by far the cutest wedding shoes I have ever seen. She ordered the flower applique from Etsy (my favorite online "shop")

She rented leather couches and chairs for inside the reception tent. They were a huge hit.

She had an abundance of flowers (green orchids with a pink lip, green dianthus, white hydrangeas, white ranunculus, patience ivory cream garden roses, green mini button flowers, green hypericum berries and white peonies) that decorated the grounds, used throughout the ceremony and reception and used in our bouquets. Jennifer's bouquet was full of green orchids - so pretty!

The drink menu that was beside the bar was written in colorful chalk on a chalkboard. I never would have thought of that idea.

When guests arrived, Jennifer had a green curtain hung with small chalkboards for each guest to write a message to the bride and groom. Laying on the table in front of the backdrop was a camera for guests to take a picture of them holding the sign.

After Jennifer and Travis were pronounced husband and wife, each guest had a small stitched envelope that held confetti. As the new couple walked down the aisle, guests showered them with confetti. The pictures are going to be awesome!

Jennifer's friend Kate designed their wedding invitations and that theme was carried throughout the wedding details. The invitations were very modern but had an old school feel since they were letter-pressed.

Jennifer's sister, Kathleen designed her wedding programs. They matched the invitation to a "t".

Jennifer hung glass bird feeders that had candles inside on several of the tree branches. They were hung with green and gray ribbons. The finishing touch was beautiful especially once the sun went down.

Jennifer gave all the bridesmaids a serving tray that had our monogram in the middle. In addition, a kelly green pashmina was in our bags to wear with our dresses. The temperature on Saturday was a little on the cool side, so we wore our pashminas during all the pictures and throughout the ceremony and reception. The color went nicely with our dresses and spiced everything up a bit. I am wearing my pashmina today - I love the color and it is something we can use for years to come.

Every other row of chairs had a ball of green dianthus flowers that were hung by a gray ribbon.

The wedding cake was handmade by one of Travis's very good friends, Lisa. Lisa went to culinary school in California and now resides in NYC. She flew into town on Wednesday and began baking the layers of the cake on Thursday. The maid of honor, Andrea, gave up her kitchen so that Lisa could create the cake. She brought tubs of butter-cream and her own baking pans with her on the plane. We watched the cake unfold while we were getting ready on Saturday afternoon. I was amazed at the talent Lisa has and the cake was gorgeous. There were two flavors to choose from: vanilla and spice cake. I had a taste of both and each were delicious in their own way. Lisa also made homemade pecan sandies that graced the cake table. They were unbelievably scrumptious as well.

I know that I failed to mention some of the details, but as they come to mind, I will add them.

I had an amazing day celebrating the marriage of one of my very best friends. The details were unbelievable and Jennifer looked stunning. I wish nothing but a lifetime full of love, laughter and happiness to Jennifer and Travis. They leave today for their honeymoon in Mexico.

Rehearsal Dinner @ Varenese on Frankfort Avenue