1. Real Weddings

Brandi & Steve: A Vineyard Wedding in Lexington, KY

Brandi Booker and Steve Roach instantly bonded while both were working for an Atlanta-based company. Not long afterward, the two were enjoying a trip

Brandi Booker and Steve Roach instantly bonded while both were working for an Atlanta-based company. Not long afterward, the two were enjoying a trip to Venice, Italy, when Steve suggested they buy each other gifts at an open-air market to commemorate their vacation. After dinner, the two went on a gondola ride and exchanged their gifts. Brandi’s gift to him was a heart-shaped locket pin with a key. Steve gave Brandi a silver toy Ferrari -- with an engagement ring inside! The Bride Brandi Booker, 33, project manager The Groom Steve Roach, 31, technical architect The Date April 28 Once they’d returned home, Brandi and Steve began searching for a meaningful spot to host their wedding. They eventually settled on Steve’s hometown of Lexington. The two organized a three-day weekend for their 120 guests to enjoy, beginning with a day at the races on Friday and ending with a brunch at his family’s farm on Sunday. For the Saturday wedding, they chose the Talon Winery and Vineyards. To accent their rustic, romantic setting, the couple selected a palette of sage, chocolate brown, champagne, and ivory hues.

Shepherd hooks adorned with ribbons and pomanders marked the entrance to the ceremony space. Mason jar lanterns added to the rustic look of the site.
Brandi’s bridesmaids chose their knee-length dresses; they picked ones that had a textured, floral, sage brocade fabric by Watters and Watters. Her junior bridesmaid chose a similar style in sage dupioni silk, while the flower girls wore ivory satin dresses with champagne-colored sashes.
Brandi and Steve’s guests enjoyed a buffet dinner with three stations. At the Asian station, in addition to custom-made stir-fries, guests could also pick up monogrammed wooden chopsticks.
Brandi and Steve wed in an outdoor ceremony at Talon Vineyard, standing beneath a flower-strewn arch as the sun set. They exchanged traditional vows, personalizing their ceremony with a poem written by the bride.
Brandi and Steve chose to serve chocolate cupcakes -- each decorated with a floral theme -- instead of a traditional wedding cake.
Brandi and Steve celebrated with their guests inside the vineyard’s Cabernet Barrel Barn. Tables set with chocolate and sage linens were topped with glass vases filled with curly willow and accented by red and green grapes. At each place setting, a note card read, “Now that we are Mr. & Mrs., we ask that you share your loving well wishes. Adorn words of wisdom to the limbs of this tree, decorate it with your blessings and happily ever after we will be.” Guests hung their notes from the centerpieces, providing the newlyweds with some fun postwedding reading material.
Brandi’s mother created personalized bride and groom maracas for the newlyweds’ last dance -- a choreographed salsa to Michael Buble’s Save the Last Dance.
Brandi and Steve presented their guests with bourbon balls from a local candy maker, which they packaged in decorative boxes in chocolate brown and sage green.
The Favors