After marrying in 2009 and starting a family, Alison became a young widowed mother almost four years later when her husband passed away.

The married couple next door introduced Alison to their friend Jeff, and the two agreed to a group date. Later, when she snagged tickets to a Kentucky basketball game, she asked Jeff, a UK grad, if he wanted to go. He picked her up, drove to Lexington and they enjoyed pregame beers and pizza at his favorite college spot.

"After 20 minutes in the car, I knew I had met my match," Jeff says. Jeff proposed on a Colorado ski trip in December 2015 when the two were at the top of Keystone mountain.

They planned their wedding for July 22, 2016. To match the art deco design at the Hilton Netherland Plaza’s Hall of Mirrors, they incorporated Great Gatsby-inspired elements throughout the reception, from the invitations to specialty drinks and the Rolls Royce Phantom that ferried the bride and groom from the church to the hotel.

Jeff’s father, a distinguished pianist, played an instrumental version of Ed Sheeran’s "Thinking Out Loud" for their first dance, and Alison included a first dance with her son, Ben, to John Lennon’s "Beautiful Boy" as they celebrated their new lives together.

"Not only did we become husband and wife, we became a family," Alison says. 

Ceremony: Saint John the Evangelist Church Reception: Hall of Mirrors Ballroom, Hilton Netherland Plaza Cake: Fantasy in Frosting Calligraphy: Paint JAR Productions Dress: Badgley Mischka, Bridal and Formal Event planning: Molly Harkins Favors: Top This Donuts Florals: Robin Wood Florals Furniture rental: Wedding Blueprint Jeweler: Richter & Phillips Lighting: Goodwin Lighting Makeup: Brideface Music: Johnny Clueless Photography: Jonathan Gibson Photography Stationery: Creative Invites and Events;Transportation: A Savannah Nite Limousine and Mario’s Classic Limousine Service Tuxedos: Black Tux Videographer: Poetic Cinema