Moonlight Fields Wedding Farm

Rehearsal Dinner

Wedding Day

Ceremony

Reception

Fall

Our Wedding

Colby and I first met when they were 14 and 15 on a social media app. Instantly becoming friends, we would facetime all the time for months. Eventually, we fell out of touch, never really reconnecting for two years. In the summer of 2021, Colby reached back out, curious to what I was up to and wanting to reconnect. We fell right back into our old friendship, calling almost every night all summer. Even on vacations, we would make time and be tired just to talk to each other. I think we talked for over 10 hours one night, we never ran out of things to say. Colby decided to fly to Connecticut to see me, though everyone told him it was a bad idea. But surprise, Colby did it anyways, and we met in person in August of 2021. That first trip was so much fun. I showed Colby all around West Hartford, to all of my favorite places, and to meet my family and friends. Colby even stayed at the janky, now demolished, West Hartford inn, in no other room than room 312. My birthday. That was just by chance. But as they all did, the trip came to an end, and Colby finally asked me to be his girlfriend. What a question. What this meant was a long distance relationship until the distant future, and that's what it became, because obviously I said yes.

How We Met

After that initial trip, Colby visited Connecticut 3 more times, anywhere from a week at a time to a 3 day weekend. I don't even want to think about the money we spent on plane tickets. Until finally, I came to Kentucky in April of 2022. My aunt Molly told me, that I was going to visit Kentucky and fall in love with it so much that I would end up there. I really doubted that, saying no way. Well, Kentucky is captivating. It was a massive change from Connecticut, and I'll never forget flying here for the first time and seeing all the miles of black gates and vast green fields from the plane. I fell in love with it. And that week was wonderful. I got to meet Colby's family for the first time, as well as Buddy the dog, and little Mittens. That summer I think I spent almost a whole month in Kentucky. And Colby foolishly decided to decline a trip to Italy just to spend the week goofing off with me (sweet, though I discouraged it). But I was there for three weeks. After that, he came back with me to go to Avalon, where he got to meet my second family, the Warshauers; he and Matt got to talk their history nerd heads off. Long distance would continue, and we would learn more and more about each other and get to know the people in each others lives. We knew that we didn't want to do long distance for much longer. I happened to hate the college I was attending at the time, and Eastern Kentucky University was the perfect fit. Especially for me at the time being a Psychology major (I would have no clue how important EKU would become to me once I joined ASL).

Long Distance

I decided to move. June 2023 was the date. Colby enlisted in the National Guard in November of 2022, and left for Fort Benning that January. We had an advantage, when Colby left for bootcamp. We had already done long distance for a while. We wrote letters to each other even before this. We didn't understand just how annoying getting in touch would be. Being Fort Benning, Colby didn't get much to any time to call anyone, and though the calls were supposed to happen on Sundays, they would often happen while I was at work. That could be Friday, Saturday, Sunday, or even Monday a few times. I was hosting at Bricco, in West Hartford, and I remember stepping into the host closet for close to an hour talking to Colby. Cherrelle would cover for me, and I did not care if my managers saw me. They never fired me, somehow. But this happened almost every weekend. Every night I wrote to Colby. Sending bunches of letters in every envelope, just as he did. Living at my grandmas, I had to get a copy of the mail key just to stop bothering her to check if I had anything from Colby. We would write about everything and anything, and at the same time, I would be looking for apartments in Richmond. Colby's parents were a big help in finding our place, touring it and asking the questions for me. I got to see Colby for his Turning Green ceremony that February. I was ecstatic, and boy was that trip an adventure. Colby's family had to leave after the first night, so we were responsible for getting Colby on an off base during his free time. Getting him off base day 2 was easy, because before they left, his family gave him a ride (and we had guest passes). But by the end of day 2, we had discovered that Ubers are not allowed on base (duh). That caused a full-fledge panic. If Colby wasn't back on time, we could say goodbye to his 4 day pass. For some reason, this panic led me to remember a family that April had stopped and talked with a few doors down. I threw on shoes and ran outside, estimating which house it was. The house I stopped at (totally not the right house) had a girl in the window, about my age. I waved at her and got her to come outside. I explained the situation, and asked if there was any way for them to help us. She ran back inside and got her dad. They were here for the same reason as us, his sons Turning Green. Without asking too many questions, this man saved the day. We all got in his truck and sped to the base, learning along the way, that he was a State Trooper in Massachusetts. It all felt so insane at the time, but we got Colby back on base with minutes to spare, and this family offered to be his ride every day. Neither of us will ever forget their generosity. In the same trip, I got stranded in Columbus, Georgia's tiny, 3-gate airport. They cancelled all flights due to trouble on their little runway. I could see Colby through TSA, and I was freaking out, and they wouldn't let me back through if I left to see him (just because they didn't want to set up TSA again). So yeah, crazy trip.

Bootcamp and Turning Green Fiasco

After this, those months came and went, and soon my dad and I packed up two cars and made the drive to Kentucky. You couldn't see out the back of either car, but the long drive through Pennsylvania and West Virginia was beautiful. Eventually landing in Kentucky, we moved my and Colby's things into the apartment, and I unboxed and waited for two weeks before he graduated. And now here we are, going on our third year living our life in Richmond, KY. The two of us now living together for longer than we were long distance, with our two little kitties. I wouldn't want it any other way :)

Landing in Kentucky

Our Story

Photos

Cherrelle Daniel

Kiersten Holley

Emma Ballard

Jessica Warshauer

Kaelynn Bailey

Penelope Tsipouras

Michael Wallace

Cooper Deener

Trevor McDonald

Andrew Obar

John Howard

Hunter Budds

Scarlet Budds

Sage Tsipouras

Serena Budds

Wedding Party

Q + A

<a href="https://www.hilton.com/en/book/reservation/deeplink/?ctyhocn=LEXBCHX&amp;groupCode=CHHBDW&amp;arrivaldate=2025-10-24&amp;departuredate=2025-10-26&amp;cid=OM,WW,HILTONLINK,EN,DirectLink&amp;fromId=HILTONLINKDIRECT" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Link to Budds-Deener Wedding Block rooms</a>- Cut off date is August 29, 2025 Complimentary hot breakfast options offered daily ● Free access to our 24-hour fitness &amp; business center ● Free high-speed Wi-Fi in the lobby and all guest rooms ● Free parking ● Interior corridors ● Pet friendly: 1-4 nights - $50 ● EV charging stations ● Seasonal outdoor pool

Hampton Inn Nicholasville Brannon Crossing

Blue Grass Airport is a public airport in Fayette County, Kentucky, United States, 6 miles west of downtown Lexington. Located among horse farms and situated directly across from Keeneland Race Course, Blue Grass Airport is the primary airport serving central and eastern Kentucky.

Blue Grass Airport

Travel

Tradition, beauty and world-class Thoroughbreds make Keeneland racing a spectacle to behold. For more than eight decades, the best horses, owners, jockeys and trainers have converged at Keeneland each April and October to compete in "racing as it was meant to be."

Keeneland Fall Meet

Blue Grass Tours is Lexington’s oldest horse farm tour company, beginning in 1959. Since then, we’ve expanded our tour offerings and built a fleet of multi-size Motor coaches. At your convenience, we provide private guide services, complete tour planning and transportation service. No group is too big or too small. We travel throughout the USA and Canada. In other words, no distance is too far.

Blue Grass Tours

Come embark on a journey through the heart of Kentucky, where time-honored traditions, and a spirit as rich as the bourbon it produces await you. Welcome to Custombourbontours.com, where we invite you to design your own tour in the world of America's native spirit, bourbon.

Custom Bourbon Tours

The Arboretum is a 100-acre public garden located on the campus of the University of Kentucky in the heart of Lexington, Kentucky.&nbsp;Our mission is to showcase Kentucky landscapes and serve as a resource center for environmental and horticultural education, research and conservation.

The Arboretum, State Botanical Garden of Kentucky

Things to Do

Registry

Honeymoon Fund

Victoria & Colby

Victoria & Colby

Wedding Party