A Rainy, Intimate Farm Wedding in Kentucky

Pre-ceremony, Carson Massler and Blaine Lawrence shared a quiet moment on the grounds of Hermitage Farm, in Kentucky. Carson wore a Monique Lhuillier gown that she ordered online and then modified, working with a seamstress to add lace sleeves, a fluttery scooped back, and a tulle sash. “I was inspired by antique dresses,” she says of the alterations.

Ask Carson Massler what the weather was like at her wedding, and she’ll laugh as hard as the rain fell. “It was crazy, epic, and very wet,” she says of the autumn day she married Blaine Lawrence at a sprawling horse farm in Kentucky. In fact, notes the nurse and part-time stationery designer, “It set a state record for the third-highest rainfall ever!” Which would’ve been tolerable, if not ideal, had their nuptials taken place inside. However, the house on the property only fit 100 guests; they had 325, which meant the couple, who didn’t rent tents, took pre-ceremony photos in the rain, ate in the rain (before the food was moved inside), and had their first dance, barefoot, in the rain. “All the things you worry about on your big day happened to us,” says the bride. “But that’s what we loved about it: It was real.”“Our first-look photos, taken in the rain, are my favorites,” says Carson.

The same could be said of their courtship, which began at a Louisville bar in 2012. “Neither of us are ‘bar people,’ so naturally we hit it off,” says Blaine, a director of a kids’ summer camp. To wit: They snuck away from their friends, went for a walk, and sat under an oak tree talking until the sun came up. The “real” part? Each was dating someone else. “We felt something there,” says Carson, “and we couldn’t do anything about it.” But when they both found themselves single a few months later, it was on.

Their I do’s were exchanged under a driftwood arch covered with roses, eucalyptus, olive branches, and dahlias.

After just five months of dating, and a surprise proposal with a ring that had been in Carson’s family for five generations, the duo got to work. “We wanted a place that represented Kentucky,” says the groom, who wore cowboy boots with his Jos A. Bank suit. Hermitage Farm, near their home, fit the bill. “The pastures, oak trees, historic architecture—there’s so much charm,” he says. They added personal touches, too: Carson designed the paper goods, and Blaine built a ceremony arch out of driftwood from the banks of the Ohio River, the site of their first date. Though the rain was mostly relentless, there was a tiny break. “The clouds parted just in time for our vows,” says Carson of their Christian service. “Everything else was a series of little disasters, but not the part that was the most special to us.”

The letterpressed suite, designed by Carson and printed by Hound Dog Press, prominently featured a tree motif as an homage to the night she and Blaine met.

“We kept the day’s colors as understated as possible because we wanted the natural beauty of the land to stand out,” says Carson, who chose ivory J.Crew dresses for her 11 bridesmaids.

The bride and her mom, Stephanie, shared a sweet moment on the big day. “She was such a trooper!” says Carson. “While I was freaking out about the rain, she kept the best attitude. Seeing my mom smile and enjoy herself in the midst of all that chaos gave me great peace.”

The bride’s soft clutch of roses and dahlias was accented with leafy eucalyptus and olive branches, and burgundy agonis.

Guests gathered on the front lawn just before taking their seats for the vow exchange.

Two daughters of family friends served as flower girls alongside Blaine’s 2-year-old ring-bearer nephew.

The ecstatic pair were pronounced husband and wife by their friend Aubrey Sequeira.

The couple took advantage of a brief respite from the downpour to pose on the grounds of their wedding venue.

"It rained all day, but that just made us realize what's most important: the ceremony, when you actually become husband and wife," Blaine said.

Long garlands of olive branches, laced with peach and blush-colored roses, decorated wooden farm tables.

Farm tables were decorated with pomegranates and their leaves; an olive branch rested atop each napkin.

Post-ceremony, the wedding party, which included Blaine’s sister, actress Jennifer Lawrence (right), surrounded the couple.

Location: Hermitage Farm
Event planning and styling: Ginny Au
Catering: Jonny V’s Catering
Flowers: Jaclyn Journey
Photography: Ryan Ray
Stationery: Carson Lawrence Designs; Hound Dog Press (printing)
Envelope Calligraphy: Connie Newbanks (812-945-3739)
Music: Quartet Louisville (ceremony); Doo Wop Shop (ceremony sound); Fresh Cut Grass (cocktail hour); Familiar Faces (reception)
Rentals: Reliable Rentals; Bryant’s Rent-All
Bride’s Hair: Allie Powell
Bridal Party's Hair: Jennifer Weinert of Vertù Salon (502-896-9996); Leah Cave of The Salon at Anchorage
Makeup: Sloan Winters of The Beauty Bar at Circe (502-894-0095)
Bartenders: Morris Deli and Beverage Catering (502-458-1668)
Flowergirl dresses: from Rebecca’s Bridal