Elizabeth and Andrew’s August Lexington Wedding

“When I saw you in that dress, looking so beautiful
I don’t deserve this, darling, you look perfect tonight”

As she walked down the aisle toward Andrew, I turned for just a moment and watched him take a few deep breaths and close his eyes for long second. Maybe it was a slow blink, but in that moment, it seemed to me like a pretty deliberate attempt to quell rising emotion.

Cathedrals make for a very long walk down the aisle, plenty of time to go through a cycle that I see on many partner’s faces:

Deep breath. This is happening.

Wow, she is beautiful.

Ok, feeling a little emotional here…

I’m standing in front of a hundred people, get it together.

Deep breath. This is happening.

From the time I’ve spent with these two, I can see Andrew doesn’t break easily. He has a shell, because he’s had to. But… I think that’s where Elizabeth comes in. She’s sweet and funny and brings out the best in him. She makes him smile and you see those edges soften a little bit.

Together, they are perfect. I watched them hold hands during mass, watched them laugh together walking down the cathedral aisle. At Keeneland they joked with their friends and with each other. They even insisted that we try the hors d’oeuvres and take cake home with us at the end of the night. They wanted to make sure everyone around them had an amazing day.

Their families complement each other effortlessly, too. After our timeline was over that night, I went to say goodbye to their parents and we chatted for a bit about the things we have in common, the most important being Cathy (Andrew’s mother) and I’s habit of sneaking to Martine’s to get a slice of their heavenly pistachio cake.

I also commented on how much I love their closeness, how well the two families get along, sitting and laughing together during the reception, holding each other during the first dance, watching their children, so in love. Cathy gushed, nodding to Sherry (Elizabeth’s mother), that she adored her and they loved spending time together and “were like what do we do if they ever happened to break up? Instead, this story got a happy ending!”

Well ladies, it did, it absolutely did.