The Elopement of Karen and Brandon in Louisville, Kentucky

Karen and Brandon met through mutual friends and hit it off right away. It was not long after that Brandon was planning a truly romantic proposal. Karen says, “Brandon made this one of the most incredible moments of our lives! He managed to pull off a surprise proposal at the location of our first kiss on the beaches of Charleston. He rented the home we’d stayed in, filled it with all of our friends and family who’d traveled from far away and surprised me with a week of celebrating with them! Truly a dream!”
 

Karen and Brandon made the choice to elope—which was perfect for the couple. Karen adds, “Well, we both knew we wanted to elope but I was eager to start the process while Brandon wanted to enjoy the engagement. After a few months, the ideas started flowing, and after a lot of back and forth on amazing ideas, our lives were just too busy to leave for a two-week elopement and honeymoon, we decided we were going to marry here in Louisville!”

Wanting to elope in their city, they used it to inspire them while planning. “Gosh! I think our city inspired us the most,” says Karen. “We wanted our wedding to be easy, fun and a day we would always remember.”
 

To book their vendors—the couple kept it simple. Karen actually found a location that let her use the property for free. “My mom, a history and art guru, had recently visited and we took a little trip to Locust Grove, a 55 acre farm and home, where the founders of Louisville lived,” says Karen. “As we started to plan and think of locations, I went back to that location in my mind, thinking it was the beginning of something new – as was our being married! So I made the call and they allowed us to use the grounds, free of charge and that was that!”
 

One special touch for the couple was that their friend officiated the ceremony. Karen says, “Our ceremony was officiated by one of Brandon’s lifelong friends, Lee. Lee was so wonderful and made the ceremony a memory that will live on forever. It was truly the most beautiful, unique and intimate moments of our lives.“

Advice from the bride

Karen says, “Absolutely go with your gut! Elopements take away all of the craziness that a wedding might bring. I hear so many brides tell me that they didn’t remember so much of their days because there was so much going on and we remembered it all! Keeping it simple was the best decision we made and we wouldn’t have changed a thing.”

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