Leslie & Scott wanted folks to feel they had been transported to a spring English Garden Party, set in the rolling hills of Kentucky. CASTLE AND KEY is so unique with its beautiful and historic spaces, the gardens, the Spring House (yet still very Kentucky), and the couple were able to highlight that with the focus on florals, incorporated throughout all aspects of planning, the paper, and the day itself. The bride tells us "I’m originally from Kentucky, but have lived outside of the state since I was 12. My family is based in Kentucky though, and I visit as often as possible. Upon Scott’s first trip he fell in love with the magic (bourbon, haha) of Kentucky as well."
In terms of the overall weekend, many of the guests came from out of state and internationally, and they wanted them to experience Kentucky to its fullest. Incorporating the Keeneland Day on Friday was super important to them, as it allowed their guests to experience the horses, in addition to the bourbon, that makes Kentucky so special. Northern California wedding photographer KELLI LYNN was there to capture all the beauty.
HOW DID YOU MEET? We met on Tinder! I was living in San Francisco, and at the time we met in 2017, Scott was splitting time between San Francisco and Washington D.C.. We dated long distance for the first couple years, but I was thrilled when he moved to San Francisco full time in 2019.
Scott actually proposed at Castle & Key a year prior, the day before we went to the Kentucky Oaks / Derby! (I visited CASTLE AND KEY for the first time in 2019, and the minute I saw it, I knew it'd be my dream location for a wedding, never thinking that it would actually come true). We were in Kentucky in early May of 2021 for the Derby, but the visit turned out to be more of a significant trip than expected with the passing and funeral of my grandmother. Scott proposed during that same trip, and my sister and her husband were in town as well so they surprised us at the proposal. We booked CASTLE AND KEY for the wedding that same day! My grandmother was a jewelry lover (who isn't!), and she would have been very thrilled that that week was filled with some unexpected sparkling, and lots of love."
TELL US ABOUT FINDING YOUR WEDDING DRESS/ATTIRE: Many years ago I saw a picture of the CAROLINA HERRERA HILDIE DRESS in a magazine, and I could never get it out of my mind. Naturally, that is the first place I had to begin for wedding dress shopping. My two sisters and I visited the Carolina Herrera Bridal Boutique at their Flagship Store in NYC, and I was thrilled when they still had the Hildie available. The wedding dress I selected was the first dress I tried on there, the Mia, and the Hildie was the second, which I selected as my change dress. I worked with them throughout the entire process in New York, and they added some special touches to both, including a custom bow to the back of my wedding dress. A handmade MONVEIVE VEIL and JIMMY CHOO shoes brought everything together.
