A Louisville Wedding With a Dress Surprise That Brought Mom to Tears
A Kentucky Derby Museum reception, gorgeous hydrangeas, and a wedding dress with a very special history made Andrea and Cameron Garrett's Louisville celebration one to remember. Image: Katie McBroom Photography
From a traditional Latin Mass ceremony to a reception filled with colorful hydrangeas, family traditions, and some serious bridal fashion, Andrea and Cameron Garrett’s big day was anything but ordinary. Their Kentucky Derby Museum wedding featured plenty of memorable details, but one of the sweetest surprises came when the bride revealed a second dress with a very special history, bringing her mother to tears.
Before Andrea Nicole Martin (now Garrett!) and Cameron Damon Garrett ever crossed paths, they unknowingly shared the same space multiple times. Both were students at Murray State University while frequenting a small bar called Lucky’s. “Both of us would go [there] every Thursday,” Andrea says. “We have so many videos of each other in the background … but we didn’t know each other or cross paths until August 22, 2019.”
On that fateful night, Andrea’s girlfriends convinced her to go out after she had planned to stay in. Cameron spotted her first and texted a friend, hoping for an introduction — but that friend never saw the message.
Later that night, while Andrea was busy trying to play matchmaker for a friend, she looked left and found Cameron beside her. He introduced himself, and Andrea was immediately captivated. “I never really believed in love at first sight or ‘when you meet the one you will just know,’ but with him I knew,” she says.
The couple began dating that December, and nearly six years later, Cameron planned a surprise proposal during a family trip to Jackson Hole. On their last full day, the family gathered for photos in Grand Teton National Park, starting with group shots before taking turns posing as couples. Andrea and Cameron were last, and Cameron had something extra special planned.
“The next thing I knew, he was down on one knee,” Andrea recalls. “I cried because after six years — finally!”
That was on June 6, 2025. Exactly one year later, Andrea and Cameron became husband and wife. Faith is an important part of the couple’s relationship, and they exchanged traditional vows during a Latin Mass officiated by Father Martin Linebach at Saint Martin of Tours, their parish church. The venue holds special meaning — it’s the church where Andrea was baptized and where the couple attends on Sundays.
The ceremony included a Marian devotion and a full choir performing Gregorian chants. The bride was escorted down the aisle by her father, Larry Martin, and her uncle, Thomas Davenport.
For Andrea, the walk down the aisle was one of the day’s most emotional moments. With her blusher veil covering her face, she says she felt as though she were “walking in a movie.” And when her father lifted the veil, she spotted her 100-year-old grandmother seated front and center, crying.
“I could feel how proud she was that I found Cameron, and we were about to say our vows to our forever,” Andrea says, adding that her nanny and papaw had been together for more than 50 years before he passed.
Opting to avoid bling and lace, Andrea chose a timeless Rita Vinieris gown from Adorn Louisville that made her feel like a princess and complemented her figure without feeling too busy.
Her bridesmaids, clad in sky blue dresses from Birdy Grey, doubled as her “something blue.” Her earrings, a gift from her grandmother, were her something new, and the first David Yurman bracelet Cameron ever gave her served as her something old.
After the ceremony, the celebration moved to the Kentucky Derby Museum, where Andrea and Cameron wanted their out-of-town guests to have a memorable Louisville experience, exploring the museum before gathering for cocktails and dinner.
Cocktail hour included an open bar, bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers, Italian meatballs, and heirloom confit tomato crostini. Signs featuring the couple’s two dogs personalized the bar, while a photo booth and greenery wall reading “The Garretts” offered more photo opportunities.
The venue’s stable was another highlight of the reception. A Thoroughbred shared the space with Takanta, a miniature companion pony. “Our guests loved this,” Andrea says. “It really gave a true experience for them, especially being steps away from the track.”
The party was full of colors and patterns, paired with blue hydrangeas (a non-negotiable for Andrea), and blooms such as light-blue delphinium, peach anthurium, coral peonies, ranunculus, white freesia, roses, orchids, and greenery. What a showing from florist J. Elizabeth Designs! Decorative pillows and bench tables carried the layered look into the seating areas.
Dinner from RK Bluegrass was served buffet-style, with braised short rib, seared salmon, mashed potatoes, green beans, and garden salad among the offerings. Then came one of the evening’s most personal details: the cake.
Andrea’s mother, Debbie Davenport, made wedding cakes when Andrea was growing up, but had long since retired. When her daughter asked her to make one more for the big day, Debbie spent two months brushing up on her skills to ensure the cake was just right.
The main cake was lemon with raspberry filling and buttercream icing, while red velvet, carrot, and Italian cream cakes gave guests with allergies another option. “The smell, the taste — everything was just so nostalgic about her making our wedding cake,” Andrea recalls.
Andrea had another surprise in store for her mother. For her second look of the evening, she wore a reimagined version of Debbie’s wedding gown. Originally inspired by Princess Diana’s iconic dress, the gown featured puffy sleeves, a long train, and bows. Seamstress Carol Edwards gave it a modern makeover, shortening the dress, removing the sleeves, repurposing the lace, and repositioning the bows to create an entirely new look.
Andrea paired it with boots branded with the couple’s initials and wedding date.
While Debbie was on the dance floor, the DJ announced that Andrea had a surprise for her. “That’s when I came out, and she was crying so hard,” Andrea recalls. “She loved it.” For Andrea, it was a meaningful way to honor her mom, who she says deserved some extra recognition. “The mother of the bride doesn’t get enough credit.”
Later that night, Andrea and Cameron shared their first dance to Tyler Childers’ “All Your’n,” then Cameron and his mother danced to Morgan Wallen’s “Thought You Should Know,” while Andrea and her father chose Tim McGraw’s “My Little Girl.” At the end of the celebration, the newlyweds departed in a 2025 Bentley Flying Spur before later honeymooning in Key West.
Looking back, Andrea hopes guests remember the Latin Mass and the abundance of flowers she had dreamed about since she was a girl.
For couples planning a large wedding, especially with out-of-town guests, Andrea recommends making the entire weekend an experience. Beyond their Kentucky Derby Museum reception, the Garretts gave guests a taste of their favorite Louisville spots, sharing recommendations for restaurants, cocktail bars, and speakeasies they frequent on date nights.
“Plan something that allows your guests to have an experience and not just something they attend,” Andrea says.
Thanks, Andrea and Cameron, for sharing your special day with us!
RESOURCES
Venue: Kentucky Derby Museum
Photographer & Videographer: Katie McBroom Photography
Bride’s gown: Rita Vinieris from Adorn Louisville
Bridesmaids’ dresses: Birdy Grey
Bride’s makeup: Savannah Putnam MUA
Bride’s and bridesmaids’ hair: Color in the Ville
Groom’s tuxedo: British Custom Tailors, Dillon Lakhwani; Loro Piana
Groomsmen’s formalwear: Men’s Wearhouse
Invitations, programs & menu cards: Truly Engaging
Flowers: J. Elizabeth Designs
Catering: RK Bluegrass
Entertainment: David Nakata, DJ
Cake: Debbie Davenport
Wedding planner: Shannon Fehr, Bliss Events & Co.
Bride’s shoes: Christian Louboutin
Groom’s shoes: Christian Louboutin Greggo
STYLEBLUEPRINT RESOURCES:
Planning a wedding? Check out StyleBlueprint’s two Wedding Resource Guides. (More to come!):
- StyleBlueprint Nashville’s Wedding Resource Guide
- StyleBlueprint Birmingham’s Wedding Resource Guide
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Lennie Omalza
Originally from Hawaii, Lennie Omalza is a Louisville-based freelance writer of over 18 years. Lennie is a yoga-loving foodie who travels as often as she can and enjoys writing about food, homes, and weddings. You can find more of Lennie's work at Eater, Hawaii Home & Remodeling, and The Louisville Courier-Journal.
