The Livery

Wedding Day

Wedding

Reception

Rehearsal Dinner

This story will be told by Meagan because I will tell the correct story LOL. We were both working at Oakley and I was standing at the lobby desk talking to my friend Christa. We were probably online shopping because that's what we always did. Sheldon walked up to the desk and was leaving something there for someone to pick up. I had never seen him at the office before. I had been there for 2 years at this point and he was there for 4 years I believe. After he walked away I asked Christa who he was. She said that was Sheldon O'Connell and he worked in sports marketing. I told her I thought he was cute and asked if he was single. She said yes he was single and asked me if I wanted her to email him. I said sure see what he has to say. Christa gave Sheldon my phone number and we were hanging out the next day. He was in a hurry to try to "woo" me because he was having knee surgery and wanted to scoop me up before someone else did. Well he obviously did something right because here we are 4 1/2 years later and we are getting married. :)

How We Met

Ah so where to begin. In May Meagan's father Doug was visiting us in our new home in Kentucky. He and I were hanging out the one day and I was telling him my plans for the year and decided it would be a good time to ask him if I could marry his daughter. I got a "thumbs" up so that's where the snowball began. At the time I didn't have a plan or even know when I was going to propose. After knowing I was given the green light my wheels began to spin. I went to work that week and decided I was going to tell my boss of my plans. He told me there was a "diamond guy" he knew in North Carolina and that he sells all the diamonds to the NASCAR crew guys and drivers and everyone in the racing industry. So that's where it hit me. I had to go to the Charlotte NASCAR race the following week so I could go meet this so called "diamond guy." He told me he was in Lexington so I could stop on my drive home. I didn't realize it was Lexington North Carolina! Two hours out of the way! Adding four additional hours to my seven hour drive home, argh. It's okay though I was a nervous wreck anyway so the drive was probably good for me. So to cut to the chase I ended up buying a diamond ring. On my way home I was trying to figure out when and where to actually propose now. During my drive I came up with my plan. The 100th running of the Indy 500 was approaching at the end of the month and knowing that Meagan is a die-hard Indianapolis Colts fan I concocted my plan. I got us passes to the race and pulled out every trick in the book to get a private tour of the Colts stadium on the same day. I got in touch with a guy who has the same sales job I do but with the Lucas Oil Stadium ad we hit it off. He agreed to meet me on Sunday the same day as the race after the race started. We had to leave the house that morning around 5am and headed up to Indy. My brilliant idea was to put the ring in my pocket loosely so that I was able to conceal it. So we parked in some random alley and had to walk about a mile to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Let's just say I was nervous as hell with my hand in my pocket the entire time as we walked like cattle in the crowd to the track. It was so hot and miserable at the race that we weren't really enjoying it. Before the race even started I asked Meagan if she wanted to go take a private tour of the stadium. I told her I had a contact there that would meet us there if she wanted to go. She agreed. Now let the game begin. We left the race track and walked the opposite way of the foot traffic. It was a nightmare. The city was an absolute mess. With over 600,000 thousand fans going to the race which was completely sold out traffic was a nightmare to say the least. We had to walk in the street against oncoming traffic, being cars and people. Between people yelling at us, telling us we're going the wrong way to drunken people yelling "getter done!" we went. Little did they know what we were actually doing. We finally got to the car and still hand in pocket we made our way down town. I texted my contact and he said he would meet us. Pressure was on! The town was a ghost town with everyone at the race. We met him at the stadium and started our tour. We went through out the building and then to the locker room. She's taking pictures and I could barely talk or say anything. That's when he said do you guys want to walk thru the tunnel to the field the way the players do? Meagan of course agreed and that's when I could barely keep it together. We walked thru the tunnel and to the end zone. We were just taking pictures and looking around. The building seemed like it was closing in on me. That's when he said "why don't you guys walk out to the Colts logo on the 50 yard line and I'll take your photo." That's when I wanted the punch the guy for really turning the heat on! We strolled out there and I had a million things I wanted to say but I clammed up and couldn't say anything. So "I asked Meagan if she knew why were we're there." She said no. Then I dropped to one knee and barely got out "will you marry me?" She said yes and we both started crying. I think you know the rest.

The Proposal

Our Story

Details

Our Wedding

Flight Information

Airport Information

The closest airport to our wedding venue and hotels is the Blue Grass Airport (LEX).If you will be making a vacation out of your trip and want to see our home and where we live you can fly in/out of Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky (CVG).

Ground Transportation

Shuttle Service

If you are staying at The Hyatt there is a complimentary shuttle to the hotel from the Blue Grass Airport.There are direct line courtesy telephones to the hotels that are located next to Baggage Claim.

Rental Car Services

Rental car service counters are located in the baggage claim area on the first level of the terminal. Keep in mind if you are renting a car you will have to pay for parking at the hotels.

Other Transportation Options

Uber, Lyft, and Taxis are also available to use to get to and from the airport, hotel or other points of interest.

Travel Information

Photos

Registry

Michael Ruelas

Christa Grise

Jill Smithwick

Chris O'Connell

Julie Smithwick

Andrew Braga

Brandi Curenton

Mike Schwartz

Kit Lopez

Brian Astle

Wedding Party

Q + A

The closest airport to our wedding venue and hotels is the Blue Grass Airport (LEX).If you will be making a vacation out of your trip and want to see our home and where we live you can fly in/out of Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky (CVG).

Blue Grass Airport

Book rooms before March 1, 2017

Hilton Lexington/Downtown

Must book a room by is 2/28/17 to get discounted rate!

Hyatt Regency Lexington

Code for room block is 1703CWIERZ Must book rooms before March 10, 2017!!

21c Museum Hotel

Booking code for rooms is COW

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Hotel

Travel

Go on a free bourbon tour of one of the oldest distilleries in the United States and end with a complimentary tasting of bourbon! Even if you don't drink or like bourbon, this is a really cool tour and the property is really pretty.The Trace Tour leaves every hour, on the hour.

Buffalo Trace Distillery

Ark Encounter features a full-size Noah's Ark, built according to the dimensions given in the Bible. Spanning 510 feet long, 85 feet wide, and 51 feet high, this modern engineering marvel amazes visitors young and old. Ark Encounter is situated in the beautiful Williamstown, Kentucky, halfway between Cincinnati and Lexington on I-75.

Ark Encounter

A trip to Kentucky isn't complete unless you see some of our horses!You'll meet Thoroughbred legends at the Hall of Champions, see interesting breeds at the Breeds Barn Show or head out for a walking barn tour to meet our police horses, see our blacksmith facility and explore a kids' barn with stories and activities perfect for young visitors. Visit our museums for a comprehensive look at horse history and culture around the world–there's nothing else like it! Celebrate history's greatest horses at the memorials and statues located around the park. And take a horseback riding tour of the grounds to capture the true essence of the Kentucky Horse Park