Page 2

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The owner of Special Occasions Plus

said a few dresses seem to be in

demand at her shop for the upcoming

year.

“Trumpet style and lace,” said Cherie

Hyams, adding “lots of lace.”

In fact, she had appointments with

two brides in early January and both

wanted lacy tops on their dresses and

chiffon on the bottom. Poufy dresses,

strapless and sleek A­line wedding

dresses are still popular.

Hyams added she noticed that

wedding dresses with “bling” are

more popular now than they were

in the past.

A number of brides have also ordered

reception dresses, which are the

“after 5 p.m. dresses.” Hyams

explained they are usually a simple,

off­white dress, but many brides go

for pretty much any short and cute

dress above the knee.

Another popular cut for after parties is

a high­low dress.

“Nowadays, everything’s not tradi­

tional,” Hyams said.

She added it’s because weddings

are more like parties nowadays

hosted in an event center.

As for shoes, the more popular

ones she’s noticed are silver. That’s

so the women can wear them again

after the big day, she noted. Bling on

the shoes is also a must.

Hyams said pinks accents on the

wedding dress or on the bridesmaid

dresses are in demand.

For bridesmaid dresses, it’s popular

to get all of the dresses in the same

color, but in different styles to fit each

body better.

To check out the styles at Special Oc­

casions, visit her shop at 1204 Liberty

St. The store is open 10 a.m. to 5:30

p.m. Monday through Friday

and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Saturday. For more

information, call 270­

885­1730, or search

“Special Occassions”

on Facebook or

Instagram.

Lace is in for wedding dresses

Table of contentsMarried for 67 years, the Gilkeys share tipsfor a long-lasting love Page 6

How to incorporate tradition with a twistPage 7-8

7 Cs to consider when shopping for the ringPage 10

Mark your milestone in the Kentucky New EraPage 11

How he asked: Wesley and Kelsey fly highPage 12

18 creative ways to pop the big questionPage 13

How he asked: Jordan and Chandler in awinter wonderland Page 14

Wedding cake ideas with modern flairPage 15

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page 3

As weddings become personalized, etiquette traditions remainBY SAM MORGEN

NEW ERA STAFF WRITER

Since the first flip phone popped

open in the middle of a wedding

ceremony and snapped a pic­

ture, wedding etiquette changed

for good.

With new technology and chang­

ing cultural norms, brides,

grooms and wedding guests face

a new list of wedding etiquette

rules that can leave some people

behaving unreasonably on wed­

ding day.

Award­winning wedding planner

Debra Harris, of Visions by

Debra Harris, has been planning

weddings for 10 years. She has

witnessed firsthand the changing

rules of weddings and avidly ad­

vises her clients on the new

rules of a 21st century wedding.

Overall, brides and grooms have

made their weddings more

unique to their personalities,

Harris said. From invitations to

cakes, the choices for weddings

have broadened, giving brides

and grooms more opportunity to

express themselves through

their matrimonial aesthetics.

“My suggestion to brides would

be to follow your own heart,”

Harris said. “At the end of the

day, it really needs to be your

wedding and (brides) are dissat­

isfied if they listen to everybody

and it didn’t turn out the way they

wanted it to.”

One of the most personalized

aspects of the wedding reception

are the games, like the bouquet

toss to the bridesmaids or the

shoe guessing game. Those

come in and out of fashion. Har­

ris said couples are now looking

to put their personalities on dis­

play when it comes to the wed­

ding games, by inventing new

activities never seen before. She

has seen one couple spray paint

their wedding colors onto a can­

vas for a keepsake.

“The things that people include

in their ceremony are more per­

sonal and geared toward those

couples’ interests,” Harris said.

What has remained strong,

throughout Harris’ career, have

been the ceremonial traditions.

In the weddings Harris has coor­

dinated, the religious aspect has

always been an important factor.

She said brides and grooms still

show a strong interest in partici­

pating in religious ceremonies,

even as the receptions have

changed over time.

“The reception itself is geared

more toward making sure the

guests have a good time,” Harris

said. “It’s like they understand

that this is the couple’s first offi­

cial party.”

Some traditions of the reception,

though, can reflect trends. Re­

cently, Harris said she saw a

bride rap her speech at the re­

ception.

Brides and grooms have strug­

gled with appropriate ways to ad­

dress their guests, both before

the wedding and at the wedding.

Harris said couples should not

leave a card inside a wedding in­

vitation detailing the wedding

registry.

“It makes it look like you’re beg­

ging for gifts,” Harris said.

Instead, couple should let their

families and the wedding planner

know where the registry is, and

those people will distribute that

knowledge when asked.

Harris said she gets asked more

about wedding invitations than

anything else when planning a

wedding.

Guests at weddings also must

deal with new questions about

what is appropriate and inappro­

priate. In the case of reception

speeches, Harris often gets

asked what the order should be.

If the father of the bride wants to

make a speech, he gets to go

first, followed by the groom, thebest man, the bride and the maidof honor.Overall, a wedding is meant tobe a celebration, and the couplegetting married as well as thewedding guests should try tohave a good time, Harris said.“I would say go with the flow.Just go with the mindset thatyou’re going to enjoy yourselfand you’re going to learn some­thing new.”

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Page 4

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Page 6

BY TONI W. RILEYSPECIAL TO THE NEW ERA

Partner, companion, friend and

soulmate are all words that de­

scribe the 67­year union and en­

during love of Adrian and Marie

Gilkey. Their marriage is based

on a strong Christian faith and

has been the underlying founda­

tion and strength that helped

them raise two children, gain

success and overcome loss.

As they told their life story, it was

easy to see the devotion this

couple feels for each other. They

communicate through glances

and looks and smiles that con­

firm the love they share.

In 1946, when Adrian was 15

years old, he sold popcorn at the

KITTY League games and no­

ticed a cute girl who was selling

programs. When things were

slow, he would sneak up to the

ticket booth and flirt. He was

careful to come only when her

father, who sold tickets, wasn’t

around. He learned that the girl

was Marie Cook, the younger

sister of his Pembroke friend,

Junior Cook.

“I told Junior, I couldn’t believe

he hadn’t already told me about

his sister,” Adrian recalled, as he

looked at Marie with a sly smile.

“She was such a pretty little

thing.”

Adrian was smitten, to the point

that when Marie went on a dou­

ble date, he followed the date

and hid in a ditch to see what

went on. “I was really struck on

that girl,” he said.

The two “courted” for four years

and were married in 1950. Both

had dropped out of high school

and gone to work before they

married. Marie worked at Mont­

gomery Ward, and Adrian at the

Shoe Factory.

In 1953, the Gilkeys had the op­

portunity to buy the American Oil

Company Gas Station on Canton

Pike. One of the many strengths

of their marriage is their ability to

make decisions together, such

as buying the station. Adrian,

who grew up in Hopkinsville, had

hung around a gas station as a

teen and was confident in how to

operate it.

After the station was up and run­

ning, they planned to buy a

restaurant for Marie to run. But

Marie learned she was pregnant,

“and that was that,” she said,

with a twinkle in her eye.

It was in 1965 that together

Adrian and Marie made the deci­

sion that would establish the rest

of their lives: they bought the

Crofton IGA. The Gilkeys and

their two children, Tim and baby

Tammy, moved to Crofton and

became an integral, beloved part

of the community.

IGA was the only grocery store in

Crofton, a community center and

a family operation. The Gilkeys

all worked at whatever needed to

be done.

The love the Gilkeys felt for each

other was also shared with the

community. Adrian’s business

philosophy was that it was im­

portant to be a part of the com­

munity, to treat them well and to

love them all.In the early 70s, tragedy struckwhen a fire gutted the store. TheGilkeys said they went home, satin their front yard, cried andprayed. The business was un­derinsured, and it was a veryhard decision to reopen thestore, but reopen they did.As the rebuilding began, the lovethe Gilkeys had shown the com­munity was given back. On aSunday afternoon, Crofton resi­dents came together and paintedthe interior of the store. Theemotion was evident in Adrian’svoice as he described seeing it.Marie added, “There wasn’t aparking spot anywhere.”The Gilkeys continued operatingthe Crofton IGA until 1991. Dur­ing those years in Crofton, theywere active members ofthe Crofton and KellyBaptist churches.

Adrian said it is

their faith that

is the founda­

tion of their

marriage.

“It’s what keeps us balanced,” he

said. “It’s our core value.”

The Gilkeys could not recall a

time when there was ever a

major disagreement or disruption

in their marriage.

“The fuss was over by the time

we got the suitcases to the door,”

Adrian said, with tongue firmly in

cheek.

Their daughter Tammy, who op­

erates Tammy’s Creations,

summed up her parents’ love

and affection for each other by

recounting the time a customer

saw her parents “smooching” in

their car outside her store. When

the customer asked if she knew

her parents were “parking” in her

parking lot, Tammy looked at her

parents and everyone grinned.

Adrian’s advice for marriage

longevity is to “put God first” and

to “have a Christian home.” He

also said it’s important to kiss

each other at bedtime and to

not go to bed mad.

Couple talks longevity in life, marriage and faithLOVE THROUGH THE YEARS

Marie and AdrianGilkey have beenmarried 67 years.

www.graciousme.com

Blue Creek Centre • 4537 Fort Campbell Blvd.

270.886.8090 • Mon.-Fri. 9-5:30 Sat. 9-2

Specializing in Wedding, Gift & Baby Registry

BY TONYA S. GRACENEW ERA STAFF WRITER

When Audrey Ipock got married,

she considered incorporating

“something blue” in her wedding.

Her dad had always been a Ford

man, and he had a Ford patch

he’d never used for anything.

It was blue.

“He never got it stitched onto any­

thing so I used it,” said Ipock,

whose nuptials to husband Wes­

ley Ipock took place Oct. 8 at Bur­

doc Farms in Crofton.

Ipock had the patch sewn into the

bottom of her wedding dress.

She also “borrowed” her aunt’s

earrings for the occasion, bought

a “new” brooch for her wedding

bouquet and wore an “old”

bracelet engraved with her name.

Modern­day brides may be es­

chewing the traditional for the

trendy, but they’re still finding

ways to incorporate customs into

their ceremonies.

“You’re seeing a lot more of those

kinds of things where brides and

grooms personalize their wed­

ding,” said Sara Shepherd, co­

owner of Burdoc Farms, which

hosted 64 wedding ceremonies in

2016.

Shepherd said she’s seen a lot of

blue shoes and bouquets fash­

ioned from brooches borrowed

from family and friends as well as

brides wearing lockets in memory

of deceased family members.

One bride honored her prospec­

tive husband’s Indian heritage

and “had strings of marigolds

everywhere,” Shepherd recalled,

noting that marigolds are used in

weddings in India.

Another enterprising bride had

parts of her mother’s wedding

dress fashioned into her veil, and

one couple incorporated their love

of the “Star Wars” movies into

their wedding, with the bride­

groom’s ring featuring a Star

Wars­related crest and the wed­

ding cake boasting a similarly

Star Wars­themed design.

Receptions are also seeing ban­quet tables give way for sweet­heart tables, where the bride andgroom sit by themselves, Shep­herd noted, although she saidmother­son and father­daughterdances continue to be a part ofthe occasion.So does the tradition of the brideand groom cutting the cake.But Shepherd said some tradi­tions may be so personal thatthey don’t mean anything to any­one but the bride and groom.She pointed, for example, to thetradition of wearing “somethingold” and “something new,” “some­thing borrowed” and “somethingblue.” She suspects that bridesstill follow these traditions, if forno other reason than superstition.But Shepherd says she doesn’tknow about it if they do.A case in point: When Shepherdmarried, she carried her grand­mother’s handkerchief for the“something old,” but nobody wouldhave known about it, she said.

SEE SOMETHING, PAGE 8

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue

PHOTO PROVIDED

Audrey Ipock had her dad’s Ford blue patch sewn into her wedding dress.

Page 8

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Website: parks.ky.gov/groups

FROM PAGE 7

Ipock noted that because some things from her wedding

were non­traditional, she really wanted to keep the tradi­

tion of having something with her that was old and new,

borrowed and blue.

Among the changes she made: She and her husband did

not have a unity candle but instead nailed shut the sides

of a box that was made by Ipock’s father. The box

contained a bottle of wine and some letters.

“If we have a big fight, we’re supposed to open the box

and read the letters,” Ipock explained.

She found other modern­day unity rituals on Pinterest,

including planting trees or tying knots.

Ipock and her husband opted for an outdoor wedding

with a rustic theme. They took their vows in a field be­

tween two oak trees on the Burdoc Farms property, with

parts of some old tree stumps lined up to create an aisle

for the venue.

It all went smoothly, Ipock said, although she wishes

she’d put a little more thought into choosing her “some­

thing new.”

“I liked the brooch that was on my bouquet because I can

keep that and pass it down to my daughter,” she said.

She urged other couples to enjoy their wedding, to enjoy

planning it and to do it the way they prefer.

Shepherd added, “The bottom line is (that) you’re getting

married to someone you love and want to spend the rest

of your life with.”

Don’t get caught up in the event itself, she said, and don’t

worry about the stuff that can go wrong.

Tips for incorporating the

“something” tradition into

your wedding

Something old Add a photo locket to yourbouquet holder using antiquephotos of loved ones Frame photos and placethem in your bridal suite whileyou get ready Make a photo collage atthe entry of your reception topay homage. Heirloom jewelry

Something new Purchase jewelry that goeswith your dress Lingerie for the honeymoon

Something borrowed Accessories from a friend Get monogram with yournew last name Tie wedding bands of yourmarriage mentors to bouquet

Something blue Get your wedding datestitched inside your dress Wear blue pumps or veil Serve a blue cocktail at thereception

Locally grown, seasonal fresh-cut flowers from

flowers by-the-bucket for DIY, to full floral

designs for weddings and other special events

Contact Martha at 270-235-5063

Martin Farm – 593 E. Lake Rd., Gracey, KY

freerangeflowers.net

Burdoc Farms Weddings and Events1655 Pleasant Grove Road, Crofton270-424-8766 or 270-348-1483www.burdocfarms.com

Forbes Event Center1002 S. Virginia St.270-987-9120

James E. Bruce Convention Center 303 Conference Center Drive270-707-7000www.bruceconventioncenter.com

Pennyrile State Forest State Resort Park20781 Pennyrile Lodge Road, Dawson Springs270-797-3421parks.ky.gov/parks/resortparks/pennyrile-

forest/

The Silo Event Center10 John Rives Road270-632-6230www.thesiloevents.com

Southern Springs Event Center835 Longford Bridge Road, Cadiz270-522-4295www.southernspringsevents.com

Valor Hall Conference and Event Center105 Walter Garrett Lane, Oak Grove270-640-7144visitoakgroveky.com/index.asp?Action=lo

adpage&PageID=39

Other venue options can be found in locallistings or at the visitor’s bureau.

LOCAL VENUES TO SAY ‘I DO’

BY ZIRCONIA ALLEYNENEW ERA FEATURES EDITOR

Jewelers use four main characteris­tics to help grooms­ and brides­to­be choose the perfect engagementring: cut, color, clarity and carat.However, there are three othercharacteristics that may come intoplay, cost, creativity and certifica­tion. Local gemologist and jewelrystore owner John Schrecker tooksome time to help soon­to­be­ wedcouples decide what ring is best.“Their options are only limited bytheir imagination and their budget,”said Schrecker, who has been help­ing couples create their dream ringsfor more than 25 years at his down­town store J. Schrecker Jewelry.Even on a smaller budget,Schrecker said the possibilities areendless. He recommends that cou­ples start the process by bringing ina drawing or a photo of a similarring or diamond.

CutWhen brides think about the cut ofthe diamond, many are thinkingabout shape, Schrecker said. The10 diamond shapes are round, oval,pear, princess, heart, marquise,Asscher, radiant, emerald and cush­ion. When it comes to cut, Schreckersaid, the term also refers to“ideal proportions,” or an­gles within the diamondthat make it sparkle.

“All of the light that comes into adiamond comes in from the top,refracts, or bounces around, andthen comes back out the top,” hesaid. “If a diamond is too deep, thelight goes in and goes back out theside, but in a perfectly proportioneddiamond, all the light comes in andgoes right back out (the top).”Schrecker said popular styles areprincess and radiant, but more vin­tage styles, like pear and marquise,are making a comeback.

Color

Diamonds can range from no colorwhatsoever, i.e. crystal to white, orlight cape (yellow) to brown, whichSchrecker said is the natural colorof a diamond.“There are rare diamonds — blue orred — but they are so rare thatmost people don’t want to pay theprice tag, which could be upward of$60,000.”

Clarity

No diamond is imperfect; however,some are more perfect than others.“The more imperfections you havein a diamond, the less sparkle,”Schrecker said.The clarity scale ranges from flaw­less to imperfect 3, with blemishesbeing more noticeable in the latter.

Carat

The word carat derives from carob,which is the name of a tree that hasfruit pods filled with carob seeds.With diamonds, the carat ultimatelymeasures its weight and size. Typi­cally, diamond price increases withthe size of the carat.

Creativity

Schrecker said it’s not unusual forcouples to incorporate a specialstone from grandma’s vintageengagement ring. He said rings canalso incorporate a special gem­stone; however, Schrecker said 99percent of people want a diamond.“The rarity of a diamond and the dif­ficulty it takes to mine a diamond isthe reason people stick with dia­monds,” he said. … It takes deeppressure and 10 tons of earth mov­ing to form a 1 carat diamond.”

Cost

Aside from getting somethingunique, Schrecker said stayingwithin a budget is important to re­member when ring shopping. Hestrongly suggests couple’s discussa comfortable price range beforethey get to the counter. “It’s always nice to have some ideaof what a person can afford,” hesaid. “Some people come in com­pletely uneducated about what a di­amond is going to cost.”Schrecker said magazines can beall over the map when suggestingwhat guys should spend on the ring,which can range from two months’salary all the way up to six months.

However, it’s up to whoever is buy­ing the ring to decide what’s rea­sonable.Schrecker said his job is a balanc­ing act to get couples what theywant and what they can afford.“The worst thing you can do is over­sell somebody something, and thenthey’re uncomfortable paying for it,”he said. “Then, they grow to hatethe ring because they can’t afford topay rent or buy groceries becauseof that big rock on their hand.”

Certification

Aside from cost, cut and the otherCs, Schrecker has noticed a lot ofbrides want to know if their ring is“GIA certified.” The Gemological In­stitute of America is “the world’sforemost authority” on gem, dia­mond and pearl research, and it isthe top certifying agency of qualityjewelry.Schrecker said there are other certi­fying agencies; however, gradingcriteria varies greatly amongst dif­ferent parts of the world.Schrecker said people can evenbuy diamonds online, but a lot ofthe time those diamonds are what’sleft over from the market.“Not everything is created equal,”he said.All in all, the importance of the 7 Cswill vary from customer to customer.Schrecker said it all depends onwhat the bride and groom are look­ing to remember about their ringyears down the line.“It’s a great deal of fun to helpcustomers design something thatthey are going to wear for the restof their lives,” he said.

7 Cs to consider when choosing the ring

The “Asscher cut diamond” was developed in 1902 by the Asscher Brothersof Holland. It is a stepped square cut with cropped corners and resembles asquare emerald cut.

Page 11

Small Events Room For Rent In The Visitor’s Center Behind Museum

Small Weddings On The Lawn

Call For Information And Prices

304 N. Jefferson St., Princeton, KY 42445

270-365-3114www.adsmore.org

adsmoremuseum@gmail.com

Engagement Standard ­ FREE

— Includes a photo (about wallet size)

— Includes information about the couple,

their parents, their schools, jobs and

the ceremony

Deluxe ­ $35

— Includes same information as standard

along with larger photo (about 4x6)

Wedding Standard ­ FREE

— Includes a photo (about wallet size)

— Includes information about the couple,

their parents and grandparents, the

ceremony, the reception, attendants, trip,

residence, jobs

Deluxe ­ $50

— Includes same information as standard

along with larger photo (about 4x6)

Premium ­ $75

— Includes same information and photo size

as deluxe along with additional attendants

and prenuptial event information

Anniversary Standard ­ FREE

— Available to those celebrating 25th, 40th,

50th or any year after

— Includes a photo (about wallet size)

— Includes information about the couple, the

event, the hosts, the original wedding, and

the couple’s children

Deluxe ­ $35

— Available to those celebrating any year

anniversary that doesn’t fall under standard

Premium ­ $50

— Includes same information as standard

along with either one photo (about 4x6) or

two photos (about wallet size)

The New Era publishes milestones for residents, formerresidents and children of current and former residents ofChristian, Todd, Trigg and Caldwell counties.

The New Era has standard forms on which all engage-ment, wedding and anniversary announcements shouldbe submitted. These are available at the newspaper’s frontoffice at 1618 East Ninth St., or online atwww.kentuckynewera.com/site/contact_us.

Announcements must be submitted in a timely manner.Weddings that are more than 120 days old must buy apackage. A daytime phone number, which will not bepublished, must be provided.

All announcements are published in Saturday’s Weekendedition. Forms and photographs must be submitted no laterthan noon Friday, nine days prior to the publication date yourequest.

For more information about specific announcementpackages, call Zirconia Alleyne, the features editor,at 270-887-3243, or email living@kentuckynewera.com.

HOW HE ASKED

BY MEREDITH WILLSENEW ERA STAFF WRITER

Proposals normally take place with one’s feet firmly

planted on the ground, but that was not the case

for 26­year­old Kelsey Venable.

Her fiancé, Wesley Holder, 26, asked for her hand

in marriage during a helicopter flight with a view of

Land Between the Lakes at sunset.

Wesley knew he would propose while he was flying

and had planned it for months. The chance finally

came Nov. 11 a few days after he got his pilot’s

license. The skies were clear that day.

The idea came to Wesley when he saw a similar

video of proposal during a flight, and for his

birthday a year and a half ago, Kelsey got him

a flight in a helicopter.

Wesley began flight training then and worked out

how he wanted to do it. He even tricked her while

he was filming it by setting up his GoPro camera,

which he normally does. It wasn’t at all odd to her,

she said.

Kelsey knew he would eventually propose and that

it would be unique and special, but she was still in

for a surprise.

Holder took her up in the air around 3:30 p.m. and

headed for a long flight. When they came to the

area he chose, he banked a few times, which

Kelsey admits made her nervous.

She recalls Wesley asking if she trusted him, and

she said yes, thinking he was going to flip the heli­

copter, but he circled around a few times.

During one of his maneuvers, Kelsey tried to take a

picture of him with the ground in the background,

and that’s when Wesley popped the question.

When asked if she would have wanted to be pro­

posed to in any other way, Kelsey said she

wouldn’t and can’t even imagine it any different.

Kelsey said this fit their relationship well because

they tend to go on interesting adventures, like their

first date, which was at a waterfall. The couple is

sure to have many more adventures ahead — their

next one will be getting married in a cave in June.

The proposalthat made her fly

Check out a video of Wesley’s proposal to Kelsey on his Facebook page.

Page 13

Southern Springs Events is a private wedding venue centrally located in Cadiz, KY. Our propertyfeatures a on-site bridal suite, grooms lodge, several ceremony sites, 2 ponds, a gazebo and our beautiful cedar lined event barn. We have everything you need for yourperfect wedding day, all on our property.

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Include your child or pet

Propose at a favorite spot or aplace with memories, such as whereyou met or had your first date

Set up a romantic night, suchas a fancy dinner with flowers

Ask during vacation

Ask on a picnic

Hide it in their favorite book

Write it on a sign and post itup to surprise the other person

Use a flash mob

Arrange photos of the two ofyou in the words “Marry me?”

After participating in a game,such as a snowball fight or paintball

On an adventure, such asskydiving, hiking or river rafting

On a hot air balloon

During a community event

Hide the ring in flowersor their favorite food

At a game on a jumbotron

Make a special board game

Put the words in a newspapercrossword puzzle

Arrange candles and flowerswith you in the center

18 IDEAS FOR PROPOSINGTO YOUR SIGNIFICANT OTHER

BY MEREDITH WILLSENEW ERA STAFF WRITER

After weeks of planning and

struggling to keep his proposal a

secret, Jordan Ladd was finally

able to propose Dec. 3 to the

one woman he wanted to spend

his life with — only, the proposal

didn’t quite go as well as he

planned.

Ladd picked out the perfect ring

he wanted for his future wife with

his mother’s help in August, and

then began planning how he

would pop the question to his

then­girlfriend Chandler Goolsby.

He bought tickets for an ice

exhibit at the Opryland Hotel for

her November birthday, picked

out a perfect spot inside the

holiday wonderland where he

would ask her, and thousands of

Christmas decorations were up,

which Ladd said are her favorite.

“Ever since I met her, she loved

Christmas,” he explained. “What

better place to do it than with two

million lights?”

Ladd even researched which

bunch of trees he wanted in the

picture and looked through other

engagement photos at Opryland

to get a good idea.

He finally mustered the courage

to ask for her parents’ permis­

sion. Her mother, who makes

him nervous, said, “Are you

sure?” Ladd was very sure.

He managed to leak the secret

to nearly everyone in their lives

and was on edge that someone

would give it away.

The big day for the ice exhibit fi­

nally came, and his cousin,

Justin Hageman, who is also a

best man, and Hageman’s girl­

friend, Rebby Southerland, came

along. Ladd repeated the plan to

them over and over: One of them

would film it while the other one

took pictures. The plan was set.

But that morning, Goolsby woke

up sick. She tried to pull it to­

gether for the exhibit later that

day, but told him she didn’t want

too big of a night — little did she

know what he had planned.

They finally got to the ice exhibit,

and Ladd practically ran through

the display, Goolsby said.

Southerland tried to stall be­

cause she got confused about

the plan and figured Ladd was

going to propose in the exhibit.

Ladd somehow kept the small

group going.

“They were booking us through

it,” she said.

At some point, they stopped to

take a picture, and Hageman

jokingly held the ring up over

Goolsby’s head, but she never

noticed.

The group eventually made it

outside, and Ladd ran through

the gardens to find the spot. It

began to sprinkle, and he ran in

the wrong direction from the

trees. Goolsby knew where he

wanted to go and knew they

were headed in the wrong direc­

tion, but tagged along anyway.

Ladd finally found the trees and

the rain started coming down

pretty good, he said.

He grabbed his cousin and the

two started running around tak­

ing selfies so they can get the

lighting just right. Goolsby

thought it was odd that they were

taking selfies without their girl­

friends in the really romantic

place. “Is this for real,” she re­

called thinking, adding that

Southerland was chattering

away about how many lights

were on the trees, which

Goolsby also thought was weird.

Then it was time.

Ladd and Goolsby took the other

couple’s photo by the trees first.

Then, they switched, and Hage­

man told them to scoot over a lit­

tle. She turned to tell him she

was tired, and Ladd was on one

knee.

“Are you sure,” she asked. He

was, and she said yes.

That wasn’t the end of the

mishaps though. Ladd found out

his cousin didn’t get the exact

clump of trees he wanted, and

neither one filmed the moment.

The couple ended up redoing the

photos a short time later, and

Goolsby was still shocked about

the proposal. The two were set

to go on vacation to Hawaii in

January, and she thought it

might happen then. At some

point, he had gotten her a cheap

promise ring because she was

getting suspicious, and he kept

telling her they weren’t at that

point yet. Now, she finds the

gesture adorable and knows it

was a planned decoy.

Goolsby said the proposal was

perfect, even with it going off the

rails.

“It was us to a T,’” she said,

adding their relationship and the

proposal was slightly quirky.

Now they plan for a Dec. 30,

2017, wedding in the First Pres­

byterian Church. Hopefully, no

snow gets in the way.

HOW HE ASKEDThey kept askinghim if he was sure

Chandler Goolsby and Jordan Ladd are scheduled to get married in December.

Page 15

BY TONYA S. GRACENEW ERA STAFF WRITER

Emily Cansler’s three­

tiered wedding cake may

tempt the palates of her

guests with its traditional

buttercream frosting, but

the strawberry and choco­

late mini cupcakes served

alongside the larger cake

may be tempting for an­

other reason.

“They’re a lot easier for

people just to grab a cup­

cake and go about their

business,” said Emily, who

will marry fiancé Justin

Cook in October.

Mini cupcakes are just

something new that people

are doing, she said, and

they offer guests an

alternative to the standard

wedding cake flavor. They

also give a break to the

cake server.

“Somebody doesn’t have

to stand up there and cut

cake,” Emily quipped.

The new bride found the

ideas for her cakes online,

perusing Pinterest until she

found the simple white

cake adorned with burlap

flowers that she says will

go well with the rustic vin­

tage theme she’s planned

for their wedding.

She urges other brides to

look stuff up online, talk to

caterers and most impor­

tantly, taste the flavors.

“Just because they look

good doesn’t mean they

taste good,” said Emily,

whose cakes are being

made by The Cupcake

Ladies.

Cherie Cansler, owner of

the Crofton­based delivery

service and no relation to

Emily, described her Cup­

cake Ladies cakes as

basic, rich and moist cake

that she hopes will impress

the guests who dine on her

wedding.

“We’re going for taste,” she

said of her creations. “We

want something beautiful,

but we want something

that when you walk away

you say, ‘that was a really

good cake.’”

Cherie said the possibilities

are open for what people

want today in a wedding

cake.

“I’m seeing trends toward a

lot of other things on wed­

ding cake,” she said. But

hers are more traditional;

her most requested cake is

a white cake with vanilla

buttercream frosting.

She also offers cupcakes,

with available flavors in­

cluding everything from

salted caramel and choco­

late whoopie to Reese’s,

which is another top seller.

For weddings, Cherie often

puts the cupcakes in punch

cups, allowing guests the

ease of carrying them

around, and Cherie said

her mini cupcakes are

available specifically for

catered events like wed­

dings. She noted that mod­

ern­day brides like to have

the cupcakes placed

around the larger cake to

complement it.

“It makes a pretty display

when you see the different

toppings and flavors,” she

said.

When Cherie started her

business four years ago,

cupcakes were her main­

stay.

But she began offering

cakes this past year and

now gets more requests for

those than the cupcakes.

So does Ashley Yates, who

said her bridal customers

are not choosing cupcakes

over the larger cakes as

much as they once did.

“I would say I have had

more traditional tiered wed­

ding cakes than we have

had cupcake towers this

year,” Yates said. “We did

a few weddings where they

just wanted a small topper

cake with cupcakes, but

the majority were four­ to

five­tiered bridal cakes.”

The owner of Joelle’s Bak­

ery and Café in Hop­

kinsville, Yates said she’s

had one bride request mini

pies instead of cake and

another bride who wanted

several smaller cakes

placed on different levels

of cake stands instead of

cakes stacked on top of

each other to create a tall

display. She said using

leveled cakes can be

appealing to the eye and

cost effective as well, since

it eliminates the cost and

time spent on stacking.

“One of my brides wanted

one layer to be all gold se­

quins instead of the tradi­

tional all­white cake,” Yates

said. “Brides are tending to

branch out from the

thought that it has to be all

white, which is fun to ex­

periment with and create

different cakes according

to what the bride wants.”

Yates said one trend that

was popular this past sum­

mer and into the fall was

using fresh flowers the

cake. The brides picked a

more simple design as the

background and then let

the fresh flowers be the

pop of color on the cake,

said Yates, who estimated

that 15 percent of her busi­

ness involves wedding

cakes.

Yates likes to make sure

her brides get what they

want in their cake. So, she

asks them to bring in pic­

tures of the de­

signs they like

and works with

them to create

their vision.

“At the end of

the day, it’s

about the bride

and groom and

what they

want,”

Yates

noted,

advising

them to

“go for

what you

really

love!”

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Traditional wedding cakes can have a modern twistCAKE TIPS

When ordering cake,consider how many peoplewill actually attend yourceremony instead of thenumber you’ve invited. Choose someone whoknows how to cut weddingcake so you get the rightamount of servings fromthe cake.