We’re Smitten With This Elegant Lexington Bride
With guests flying in from all over the country, this bride and groom designed their wedding weekend with quality time in mind β complete with games, music, and plenty of room for an after-party. Even the bride's dress was customized for comfort!
Christine Bemis and Cameron Hardin met on a cruise ship back in 2014 β Christine was on her way from Long Beach, California, to Mexico. Cameron was onboard with family, celebrating his aunt and uncleβs 25th wedding anniversary. The young coupleβs brief vacation flirtation turned into a casual, long-distance relationship as Christine headed home to California and Cameron returned to Kentucky.
The duo eventually lost touch, seemingly moving on with their lives. βThen he moved out to California to start working for his family company,β Christine says. βSuddenly, he was in my area β¦ I called him up, and thatβs how we actually started dating.β
That was in 2017. About three years later, on February 25, 2020, Christine was faced with her final exam to receive her architect license. βCameron had set up a surprise dinner, assuming I would pass it,β she recalls with a laugh, adding that she was astonished to learn he had set up a big celebration with all their friends. βAt the end of the dinner, he stood up to make a toast,β she says, βthen he got down on one knee and proposed. It was really sweet. I was surprised twice.β
Like so many other couples, the COVID-19 pandemic put a halt to their wedding plans, but once the two were ready to tie the knot, they enlisted the help of Christy Burton at Christina Burton Events to be their day-of coordinator. βI wish we could have hired her to do the whole thing,β Christine says. βShe was amazing and handled the day really well.β
βI really loved my dress,β Christine exclaims. βI still love my dress. Itβs by Anais Anette; itβs the Dakota dress. I actually purchased something else β¦ and then called the dress shop to change it back the next day. I was really in love with it as soon as Iβd tried it on, but I was afraid it would be uncomfortable.β
Christine had her seamstress add spaghetti straps to the off-the-shoulder piece to make the dress work. This allowed her to be comfortable throughout the celebration, from the moment she and Cameron exchanged vows all the way to the dance floor. (SB Tip: Convertible wedding dresses with adjustable or removable elements are proving to be incredibly popular in 2022!)
The celebration was held at The Clerestory in Lexington. Housed in a former bus depot and inspired by the original architecture of the building, it is an industrial-style venue. Christine opted to incorporate moody jewel tones via her flowers and bridesmaidsβ dresses.
Before guests arrived for the ceremony, the bride and groom stole an intimate moment for themselves. βWe wrote our own vows and did them privately when we did the first look,β she says, βthen we did traditional vows during the ceremony in front of everybody.β
During the cocktail hour that followed, the coupleβs 180 guests enjoyed a selection of drinks with passed trays of lumpia, a type of fried Filipino spring roll. βWeβre both half Filipino,β Christine explains. To ensure guests had ample time to enjoy the space and each other, the outdoor cocktail area was filled with classic games like Jenga, Connect 4, high-stakes checkers, and cornhole.
The reception dinner featured scallops, brisket, chicken, green beans, and potatoes, and the coupleβs cake was a three-tier chocolate confection with vanilla buttercream icing. The stunning cake layered with ribbons of white icing was embellished with fresh flowers to match the rest of the decor.
After dinner, Christine moved to βCount on Meβ by Bruno Mars with her new father-in-law. Then, Cameron and his mom swayed to βNever Too Farβ by Dianne Reeves. The couple then shared their first dance to βBest Partβ by H.E.R.
Music was a pivotal element of their celebration, featuring a DJ and a live band. βWe had a crazy big band with a horn section and four vocalists,β Christine says of the reception. βThey were so amazing; they absolutely made the party.β
While the ceremony details and raucous reception were important, the pair paid particular attention to quality time with family and friends throughout the weekend. Christine shares that renting a couple of Airbnbs was an essential aspect of their wedding weekend that helped to tie everything and everyone together.
βWe had a lot of people travel in from California,β she explains. βIβm from California; he has a ton of family in California, and we also have friends living elsewhere in the U.S.β The couple utilized the rentals not just to accommodate their numerous out-of-town guests but also to serve as party spaces throughout the weekend. βThey were like home bases,β Christine says. βOne for the bridal party; one for the groomsmen. The groomsmenβs house, in particular, was the after-party house.β
In fact, if Christine could offer other brides a piece of advice for wedding planning, arranging those extra spaces and opportunities for family and friends to enjoy each other is a must. Their guests returned to these βhome basesβ again and again throughout the festivities. βIt made it fun,β she says. βWe got to enjoy our guests over a weekend instead of trying to pack it all into a day.β
Christine also advises future brides to remember to make time with their fiancΓ© to talk about topics other than wedding planning. βI donβt mean to exclude them or take it all on yourself,β she says. βThere will still be plenty of planning with them. There is just so much wedding stuff to talk about and so many decisions to make that it can be all-encompassing, and it can really overshadow that βbeing engagedβ high.β
βTry to carve out a date night every other week,β says Christine, βsomething where neither of you talks about the wedding, and you can just enjoy being engaged and happy at this point in your lives.β
Thank you so much, Christine and Cameron, for recreating this special day for us. And thanks to Sur La Lune PhotographyΒ for the gorgeous photos.
RESOURCES
Venue:Β Clerestory
Photographer:Β Sur La Lune Photography
Videographer:Β Slye Films
Wedding Gown: Anais Anette, purchased atΒ Love and Lace Bridal Salon
Wedding Party Attire:Β BHLDN, Revelry, and Generation Tux
Hair & Makeup: Georgi atΒ Hair BarΒ and Emma Nelson atΒ Emma Nelson Beauty
Invitations, Programs, and Menu Cards: Shutterfly
Flowers:Β Fields in Bloom
Entertainment:Β 2nd Wind Band
Cake:Β Samβs Club
Wedding Coordinator:Β Christy Burton atΒ Christina Burton Events
**********
Give your inbox the Southern makeover it deserves.Β Subscribe to our daily emails!
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.