Mary Elizabeth and Nathaniel's wedding in Versailles, Kentucky | Part II

For the second half of M.E. and Nat's wedding, I asked M.E. to write about her wedding and what made it special. I shared some of my thoughts in the first blog post. She shares in this blog post, the details of the wedding:Our wedding is special because it was on Nat's Family Farm, something Hoppy worked really hard on getting back and keeping it going. Fall is my favorite time of year, and I feel like we couldn't have asked for better weather that day! All of the decorations were handmade by either me and the bridesmaids or friends of ours! I think all of these things being said, this wedding had a lot of character and a lot of love!The ceremony is based on Buddhist traditions. We both believe in the philosophy of Buddhism, and not necessarily any religion. The greeting we left up to Joe Fiala. Our vows I found which I am sending as an attachment. We both really liked these vows, because not only do they compliment Nat and I, but they have a lot of respect for the life around us, including nature. The exchange of rings was said to the prayer that is on the back of the program.Today I promise to dedicate myself to each other, with body, speech, and mind.In this life, in every situation, in wealth or poverty, in health or sickness, in happiness or difficulty, I will work to help each other.The purpose of our relationship will be to attain enlightenment by working on our kindness and compassion toward all beings.Joe asked us to make an offering to Earth and Buddha at the end. The fabrics we exchanged are called Khatas (prayer cloth). When you exchange your khata, you are combining your spirit and love to one another. This is also symbolic of unity as well. The offering in the burning cedar and juniper berries was to earth. We threw in honey, milk with yogurt, wine, and materials (strips of fabric). Also there was corn for us and for everyone at the ceremony. These items represent our wealth, happiness, & things your body and mind needs to survive.The last part of the ceremony was a blessing from each parent. This helped them feel included and a chance to say whatever they felt at the time. It went better than we thought :)The wedding and reception were at the farm, which again meant a whole lot to us! All decorations were made by us! The paper lanterns had tissue paper on them from my engagement party and bridal shower! We made the decorations for the photo booth, and all of the bridal party had pottery to drink from, which were pieces made from various artists in KY.Vendors:Food: Henton Beef and Shrimp. All food was made by Nat Henton. Salad was made by Ouita Michel (Owner of Holly Hill Inn).Flowers: O'ram FlowersThe mums and other flowers were donated as gifts.Men Outfits: Made at Crittenden in Midway, KY (Including Nat's Suit)Bridesmaids: Davids Bridal and Shawls from a KY artist on ETSYBride: David's Bridal. Gartier: ETSY.Bridesmaids, Bride, and Mother's Earrings: Josie Lamb Williams at Mayapple CreationsInvitations: Cricket PressEngagment Party Invites: Natalie BaxterBridal Shower Invites: Marty HentonBook to sign: Marty HentonPhotographer: Simply Blue StudiosCake: Carrie Warmbier. Pastry Chief at Holly Hill InnCake topper: EtsyBand: Carla GoverAlcohol: Woodford ReserveFavors: Marty made dark chocolate toffee with almonds and sea salt, and I made the bags out of burlap and a stamp.