Recently I had the pleasure of attending one of my closest friend’s wedding. If you have been following my blog, you will recall the recent trip to Wilmington, North Carolina, where we celebrated the bride-to-be, Vanessa.

I was more than excited to celebrate the big day with Vanessa and our friends in Ohio (some I had not saw in quite some time). I packed my bags and was on my way from Sarasota; I flew into Lexington Blue Grass Airport on Friday morning (which is a very nice airport, BTW). The airport was lined with bricks and bourbon barrels all throughout, reminding you that you were, in fact, in horse country.

A generous friend who lives in the University of Kentucky, who was also attending the wedding, decided to pick me up and give me a ride to southern Ohio, where the wedding would be held. Eventually, after two hours, we made our way there just in time for me to get dressed and head to the rehearsal dinner that evening. After reuniting with Vanessa and catching up with the other bridal party, we soon got everything set up as much as we could for the big day. We then enjoyed a delicious dinner that was quite similar to the famous chain, Chipotle, where I made my burrito with steak and all the delicious toppings to go with it. The queso was my favorite! While eating, we watched a heartfelt video of the bride and groom growing up and becoming high school sweethearts. Many of us teared up, for sure.

The wedding was in full swing come Saturday as we began getting ready at 9 that morning. It was the ideal girls’ day as music was playing while our hair and makeup was getting done professionally. The groomsmen, of course, were watching college football with not a care in the world, much different than the bridal suite.

The time had finally come after finalizing our looks in our pink dresses and seeing Vanessa in her stunning wedding dress and veil. We began to make our way outside, as the ceremony was being held by a pond. The weather was perfect for a wedding; it had slightly rained some, but it cleared up to be a sunny day.

Vanessa and her groom, Corey, said “I do” and shared their vows; it was so special to watch and be part of such a beautiful day. We spent the rest of the evening celebrating the newlywed couple and catching up with friends.

— Megan Gragg, account executive