Wedding Date on Nov 25, 2017

TJ and Meredith were married November 25, 2017, in Louisville, Kentucky, and chose Reel Special to capture their wedding video. TJ and Meredith’s story started at a summer camp in North Carolina. After falling hard for each other, their love endured long distance dating, countless miles driven, endless hours of phone calls, FaceTime dates, hills, valleys, and everything else in between. Similarly, our friendship with the couple grew quickly after our very first meeting back in 2016. We were leaving church when Meredith walked up to us and introduced herself. At that time, Meredith was a wedding and event coordinator at the Biltmore in Asheville, North Carolina, and had seen a post on Instagram that we would be filming a wedding video at the Biltmore later that year. Filming at a venue for the first time can be somewhat intimidating, but Meredith was so helpful and our experience at the Biltmore proved to be incredible due in large part to the hospitality she showed to us. We also had the pleasure of having TJ join us on the drive back to Lexington, and we knew right away that his love for Meredith was deeply rooted and something very special. After nine years of dating, TJ popped the question in the same spot where they first met at that summer camp and the wedding planning got underway. After a few short months doing a long distance engagement, Meredith decided it was time to move to Lexington so they could finally be in the same city for the remainder of their engagement. TJ and Meredith decided to tie the knot in Louisville (where Meredith grew up), so our first stop on the wedding day was at the Marriott downtown where Meredith was getting ready with her bridesmaids. Meredith’s sweet Mom helped zip up her gorgeous Stella York gown as her tribe of girls anxiously awaited the bride in the next room. Meredith wore the veil that her Grandma made for Meredith’s Mom on her wedding day, and after completing her preparations by stepping into her shoes Meredith stepped into the next room to the cheers (and tears) of her bridesmaids. We loved capturing the expressions on the faces of her bridesmaids when they first saw her! Meredith opened the sweet gift and thoughtful letter from TJ, then we all headed off for the first look. While Meredith was getting ready, Ryan was with the guys getting shots of their preparations. TJ looked dapper in his navy blue suit and burgundy bow tie (which matched the wedding colors, of course!). After TJ read the letter from Meredith, Ryan pulled TJ off to the side to capture some final words before he saw his bride. This is one of our favorite parts of the wedding video and tears were streaming down Brittany’s face as she watched Meredith and TJ tell each other this was the moment they had been waiting on for a very long time. TJ and Meredith’s first look was shared on the front steps of the Olmsted, a beautiful event venue in the historic Crescent Hill – St. Matthews area. We absolutely loved seeing TJ’s anticipation in the wedding video, and there was not a dry eye in sight as Meredith walked down the stairs towards her groom. Nine years of waiting seemed like a blur the moment they first saw one another. We felt so incredibly honored to be a part of their special day and loved getting a front row seat to their best day ever! After the first look, Meredith’s Golden Retriever, Tucker (aka the Dog of Honor) made his grand appearance for some love time with his Momma! While North Carolina-based photographer Rachael McIntosh captured photos, we were able to get lots of great shots with TJ and Meredith for the wedding video. I mean, did you see that high five Tucker gave Meredith?! So precious! TJ and Meredith put so much thought into every detail of their wedding day, and that couldn’t have been more evident than with the wedding ceremony which took place at the Olmsted. TJ’s father is a military chaplain and served as the officiant; each word he shared was so thoughtful and full of truth about love, marriage, and how important it is to keep God at the center. With nine years together, TJ and Meredith finally made it and the words they shared proved that their love for one another can stand the test of time. If there were any doubt, we’re pretty sure their secret handshake right before the first kiss sealed the deal. ? Once the ceremony concluded, guests enjoyed a cocktail hour then headed over to the main dining area for a plated dinner prepared by the renowned Masterson’s catering company. Beautifully decorated bouquets by In Bloom Again adorned the tables throughout the reception space, and at each place setting the guest’s name was handwritten on a magnolia leaf. It should be noted that Meredith is an incredible calligrapher and even started her own lettering business, so when it came time to create signage or other unique wedding details (like the cake topper), Meredith simply wrote it out or had wood cutouts made using her handwriting. Isn’t that such a neat personal touch?! The wedding cake from Sweet Surrender was a sight to behold, and the family style head table where TJ and Meredith sat with their bridal party was surrounded by round tables for the wedding guests which created a perfect balance throughout the room. The greenery wall by White Cat Weddings provided a beautiful backdrop where pictures of family members hung along with the guests’ seating arrangements, and that gorgeous crest that TJ and Meredith had custom designed drew a lot of attention from their guests. One of the hardest parts with putting this wedding video together was the vast amount of details that made this day so unique and special. We simply couldn’t include them all in the six minute highlight video! The reception continued with the traditional father-daughter and mother-son dances, but once the formalities were done Kenny with Masters of Music had the dance floor filled with an awesome playlist and some of the funnest dance moves we’ve ever seen. TJ and Meredith departed the Olmsted through a shower of sparklers waved by their guests and were whisked away in a stretch Hummer limo. It was a picture perfect end to their fairytale wedding celebration. TJ and Meredith, we absolutely loved filming your wedding! You two are so very special to us and we hope that as you look back on your wedding video you will be able to relive and cherish your amazing day as if it were yesterday. We are so honored and grateful that you chose us to capture it and wish you all the best for many years to come!