Eleanor + Ben | Western Kentucky Wedding Photography

June 28, 2019 Robyn Pizzo

Eleanor and Ben planned the perfect summertime family picnic wedding for their friends and family. Their traditional church service was hosted at the Mayfield First United Methodist church in the beautiful 100 year old sanctuary. Eleanor’s grandfather performed the service and it was such a special time for their families. He said he had married over 1000 people in his long career as a Methodist pastor but this was the first time he had married two university professors! After the ceremony (complete with beautiful organ music) we headed to the Garden Room at Kenlake for the picnic-inspired reception with beautiful views of Kentucky Lake.

Both Eleanor and Ben are Murray State professors and met after being hired to teach History and Spanish here. Since it’s such a small town, members of the university community often find meeting people and dating to be difficult - I’m so glad Ben and Eleanor found each other!

One of my favorite parts of the day was their beautiful Ohio River-inspired wedding cake! Everyone in Murray knows a romantic date usually involves driving to downtown Paducah. Ben and Eleanor had their official first date in Paducah and sat by the riverfront talking for hours. It’s also where Ben proposed. The two-tier hand-painted cake depicted a sunset over the river, even including a coal barge and a bench at Eleanor’s request.

I especially appreciate this wedding planning advice from Eleanor: “Decide what DIY pieces sound fun to you and then don't feel guilty about paying professionals to do the other pieces.” She and her mom DIYed the picnic-quilt inspired reception decor and I love how it turned out!

Congratulations Eleanor and Ben - Dr. and Dr.! Hope you’re enjoying your honeymoon in New Orleans!

The team of vendors for the event