If there’s one thing we’ve learned about love from our brides, it’s that Cupid’s arrow rarely flies in a straight line! Kacey and Josh met in college but didn’t see each other again for almost a year. When they did, though both were seeing other people, they became good friends. When Josh became single, he bravely told Kacey he had feelings for her, but his future wife figured he just had a crush! Finally, says Kacey, “After about 4 years of friendship, we were both single at the same time. We hung out one night with some friends and for the first time I felt nervous and scared and exactly how I knew I should feel about him. Everyone knew he was the one for me before I did, including him.”
When planning their wedding, the first place that came to mind was Lost River Cave in Kentucky. It’s right outside Kacey’s mom’s hometown and a place our lovely bride always imagined she’d wed. While the place they’d marry came to Kacey right away, what she’d wear was another story. “I went to the Carriage House wedding shop in Birmingham, AL by accident. I had made an appointment somewhere else, but they’d canceled it. Fortunately, Carriage House had an opening. Bradford (my fairy godbrother) picked out my dress. I had tried on a couple of gowns before and they just weren’t right, too glam or too simple. The Sofia gown was utter perfection for me. As soon as I saw it on the hanger, I fell in love. I tried on a few dresses after, and they were all underwhelming to me, that’s how I knew!”
Read more about their day (including how Josh proposed) from our sweet bride, who carried her grandmother’s ring tied to her bouquet and honeymooned in Vail, Colorado:
How did you guys meet?
“My best friend (and maid of honor) called and asked me to come hang out with her at a football watching party she was attending. I was studying for my finals, and told her no. Then she said, “Well actually I have been drinking, and I need to you drive me home.” It was my now husband’s house party.”
wedding dress: Lea-Ann Belter Sofia via Carriage House Weddings | photographer: Allison Akins Photography | full vendor list below
How did you know he was “the one”?
“After Josh and I met, we didn’t see each other again for almost a year. When we did meet again, we were both dating other people. We continued to hang out with mutual friends at parties, bars, and football games and became pretty close friends. Josh (now single) told me he had feelings for me, and I thought it was just a crush. After about 4 years of friendship, we were both single at the same time. We hung out one night with some friends and for the first time I felt nervous and scared and exactly how I knew I should feel about him. Everyone knew he was the one for me before I did, including him.”
How did you guys get engaged?
“Josh took me to my favorite spot in my hometown, which is the Prattville Cotton Mill Dam in Alabama. He got down on one knee, forgot everything he planned to say, and it was so sweet.”
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
“We got married in a cave in southern Kentucky, right outside my mom’s hometown. We just loved the venu—it’s so unique and romantic. I had known I wanted to get married there for a long time.”
What was your first dance song?
“’Shake the Frost’ by Tyler Childers—the opening lyric is “You remind me of a Sunday back home in old Kentucky,” and we got married in Kentucky on a Sunday.”
One detail you couldn’t live without?
“Josh and I wrote letters to each other that we read right before our first look. That was so special and sweet and put the whole day into perspective.”
What was the funniest moment of your day?
“One of our close friends have a 2-year-old daughter who spilled something on her dress. So, she took it off and was just in her diaper the rest of the night! It did not stop her at all from dancing and having a good time. She partied harder than anyone.”
What was your something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue?
“My something old was my grandmother’s wedding ring tied to my bouquet. She died when I was 9, and it was special to have a part of her there. My something new was my dress. My best man and his wife lent us their cake knife for my something borrowed. My something blue were my earrings and shoes.”
Kacey + Josh’s Kentucky Wedding Vendors
wedding dress: Lea-Ann Belter Sofia via Carriage House Weddings | photographer: Allison Akins Photography | venue: Lost River Cave | catering: Mission Catering | florals: Flowers Around the Corner
