Whitney and Rick

A wedding with an Aussie and an American, planned in three weeks, a surprise, homemade, heartfelt, beautiful. These are only some of the words I could use to describe the wedding of Whitney and Rick, but their story? It tells oh so much more.

Whitney tells the tale of how she and Rick met. “There is a special story and it’s a long one.  Here’s the short version:  Rick and I met in July 2007 when he was in Louisville to play an Australian Rules Football game.  He was living in Tennessee at the time for work.  We chatted a bit and I was quite smitten with him.  I played it cool and asked him to be my friend on myspace 4 months later.  We wrote back and forth and got to know each other.  Then Rick came back to the US again for work and we finally had our chance to date.  When he had to move back to Tasmania I followed my heart and moved a few months later.  The rest is history!”

Photos today are by Jessica Fey Photography. I love Jessica’s fly on the wall style captures and the emotional moments she caught on camera.

Whitney and Rick pulled everything together quickly. “From the day we got engaged, we had 3 weeks to plan this wedding.  I immediately starting looking for inspiration online.  I love second-hand and antique shops so I immediately started collecting little things here and there.  My niece, Chase, made origami fortune tellers with beautiful colored paper.  Rick made me one at our 1st anniversary dinner and I thought it was so cute, so Chase wanted to make them for our wedding day.” Whitney chose an Isabella Faye gown from Timeless Elegance in Launceston, Tasmania. She paired it with a sash from David’s Bridal  and  Stuart Weitzman shoes.

The entire wedding was a surprise. Whitney explains “The wedding was disguised as an engagement party, so it was a very fun surprise.  Rick and I got engaged in June and decided to marry while we were traveling through the US…in 4 weeks!  It was hectic but great getting everything together from the other side of the world.  My parents, sister, and 2 best friends knew about the wedding, but everyone else thought it was an engagement party (except for the suspicious few).  I’m not sure how it all came together in the end, but it was such a perfect day.  Little things went wrong, like losing the special white pen for the guest book and the guests arriving while I was still setting up, but you just have to let those things go and enjoy every second of it – it goes by so fast!!! ” Whitney’s hair and makeup was styled by Tiffany Hampton at Joseph’s Salon.

The flowers were put together by friends, save for a few special arrangements, Whitney explains “We bought most of the flowers at a wholesale florists and my friends arranged them in vases and tins I bought at second-hand and antique shops.  My bouquet, Rick’s boutonniere, and the arrangement in the entry hall are from All Seasons Florist in Morehead, Kentucky.”

Whitney says ” I loved surprising my best friends as they came up the stairs, one by one, to find me in my wedding dress.  Their reactions were priceless and so special to me. “

Whitney and Rick held their ceremony and reception at The Hunt Morgan House. Whitney says “The Hunt Morgan House is an historic home in downtown Lexington.  The house had a beautiful garden and we had access to the inside as well which was already decorated with lovely antiques.”

Whitney walked down the aisle to a song suggested by Rick’s sister, Whitney explains. ” I chose “The One You Love” by Passenger featuring Kate Miller Heidke.  Rick’s sister Jen was able to make it to our wedding, much to our surprise and delight, and she introduced us to this song a few days before the wedding.  We loved it!  We knew it was the perfect song for us.”. Rick wore a suit from Studio Italia and shoes from Julius Marlow.

A family surprise meant even more to the couple, says Whitney. “Rick’s mom, dad, and sister were able to travel to the wedding with such short notice.  And Rick’s dad married us.”

There were even last minute vows. Whitney recalls “I loved writing our own vows.  We wrote them 30 minutes before guests started to arrive.  I locked us in a room where no one could find us and we just sat and wrote. They came so easily.  Writing our vows together and reciting them in that room together was very special to us both.”

Guests were served appropriate beverages as they soaked in the wedding celebrations. Whitney explains “I really wanted to have details from Kentucky and Australia.  I had a few maps around because everyone always asked me where Tasmania was.  We had a ginger ale from Kentucky, Ale8one, and Bundaberg ginger beer from Australia.”

Of their photographer, Whitney says “Jessica was amazing.  We wanted someone to capture the emotions of the evening – the surprise, being reunited with friends and family after being away for almost a year, the ceremony, etc.  Jessica did an amazing job at capturing this.  She only took us away for a few minutes to get some posed photos and spent the rest of the time taking the candid shots we hoped for.”

Whitney and Rick served delicious cupcakes on a cupcake table  from Gigi’s Cupcakes in Lexington, Kentucky.   The rest of the event was catered by DaRae and Friends Catering . Whitney remarks “They are amazing!  The food is always delicious, they do a fantastic job decorating their tables, and the service is spot-on.  “

The favors were carried from Australia. Whitney explains “We had little jars of leatherwood honey from The Tasmanian Honey Company and tea from The Art of Tea in Kingston, Tasmania.  We carried these all the way from Tasmania to Kentucky in our luggage but it was well worth the extra weight.  They made great favours and it was nice to have something from Rick’s hometown.”

Whitney and Rick stayed simple with their decorations. Whitney remarks “We bought a Polaroid camera so people could take their photos to include in the guest book.  I love flowers and lots of color, so I just made sure there were flowers everywhere.  Nothing formal or fancy, just bright, beautiful flowers.”

The first dance was intimate and special. Whitney says “We danced to I Like the Way You Hung the Moon by Drew Holcombe and the Neighbours.  We danced in the garden, nothing too formal.”

Congratulations on your marriage Whitney and Rick! Thank you for sharing your wedding day with us! Thank you also to Jessica Fey Photography for today’s photographs!