SOPHISTICATED WEDDING

Eva & Matt Vine

Written by Eva Vine / Photography by Era 26 Photography

Being from the 'small' town of Louisville, Kentucky, you feel like you know everyone. Looking for a partner is not always as easy as it sounds, but when you least expect it, sometimes things just go how they are supposed to. Having hung out together with mutual friends many times prior, and with the help of some of our best friends, one night on a walk home from a bar in St. Matthews, he casually asked me on a date.

After an awkward first date, the rest kind of just fell into place. I fell in love with everything about him. He is the kindest, sweetest, most patient, generous and loving person I have ever met. I never thought in my wildest of dreams I would meet a partner so imperfectly perfect for me. We always look for that instant spark and connection with someone, when in reality, it doesn't always happen like that. It may have taken a few dates for us to finally vibe, but boy, I'm glad I waited. Shortly after finding our dream home and getting a new puppy in addition to my dog, Knox, on one of our evening walks around the neighborhood, he proposed! With both our families hiding around the corner, it was a day I will never ever forget!

After almost eight months of preparation, the big plans we made for getting married in my parents' backyard were thrown for a twist when our wedding had to change from a big celebration to a small ceremony with just our bridesmaids, groomsmen, and immediate families (and our dogs of course). We had to improvise on including all the ones we love so dearly when we had the idea to live stream our wedding. With help from the videographers at Colburn Video, we made a Youtube link for our family and friends to watch in real-time. I cannot thank Brooke and Jordan from Colburn Video enough for all the trouble they went through to figure this out for me!

Being the DIY girl that I am, I decided to do almost every single thing myself. I wanted to save money everywhere I could. I had to cancel many of my generous vendors who worked so well with me. I bought myself a miter saw and went to work building everything for the wedding. It started with an arbor for the entrance that I draped with a white chiffon table runner. I then continued to make our chuppah, greenery wall, A-line bookshelf, benches, and cocktail tables for the ceremony and after-party. I loved every minute of it.

After hours of setting things up a couple of days before the wedding, I reached out for last-minute help from a great friend of mine and the new owner of Assist by Julie. We created all the centerpieces, bouquets, and boutonnieres with flowers from Trader Joe's and Kroger. On the day of our wedding, she set up every last minute detail that made our wedding absolutely perfect.

Matt's older brother, Justin, officiated the ceremony. Our short and incredibly sweet ceremony was the best part of the night. Walking down the aisle with both parents by my side and seeing my husband-to-be sobbing was the truest indication that I was marrying my soulmate. Matt's grandparents, who were unable to fly in from Houston for the wedding, read two of the seven blessings traditionally recited at a Jewish wedding. There was not a dry eye in the room.

My photographer, Chloe Grubbs from Era 26 Photography, stole us away for 'golden hour' pictures. These pictures turned out AMAZING. We were on cloud nine as we took these incredible pictures in my parent's front yard. I don't know what we would have done without Chloe. She took control yet sat back and let each moment happen naturally, as she caught our love, our relationships, and the beauty of every detail in between.

We followed the pictures with dinner from A Full Plate while we ventured across the yard to the tables I had set up from Southern Classic Rentals. The food was incredible— buffet style with every food group you can imagine. The setting of the dinner and the speeches was my second most favorite part of the night. Sitting with everyone we love so dearly, in my favorite spot in the world, made me wonder why we didn't do this all along.

For the rest of the night, we danced, drank, and laughed the night away while enjoying the candy bar and stacked Oreo cake I had made for dessert. It was truly the most incredible night of life. We wasted no time adding to both our NEW families—as we are expecting our first baby in April of 2021!