Derek and Winnie's wedding was just as sweet and exciting as they are! As you'll see in the photos below, Winnie gave Derek a "Things I Love About You" book, Derek and his groomsmen made the most of the construction site in front of their wedding venue by posing in front of it wearing construction hats, and their reception was made extra special by featuring a family tradition of more than 15 years on Winnie's side- the men in the family dressed up as the Village People to perform the YMCA song!
Read Winnie's story of how she and Derek met and how he proposed below!
How They Met
After months of encouragement from her father, Winnie joined CatholicMatch.com on April 11, 2015. That same day, while looking at her matches, Derek, from Bardstown, KY caught her eye. Winnie recognized they had a lot in common and went ahead and "beamed him a smile." After reading her profile, Derek was smitten. He couldn’t believe this amazing woman existed and it was too good to be true. So, he messaged Winnie with a "Hello there."
His simple greeting got the ball rolling, and they messaged back and forth all that afternoon. That evening, Winnie had plans to go out and play bingo with some of her friends. Derek wanted to continue talking to her and asked her if she would want to continue talking over text. Excited by this good looking and friendly man from Bardstown, Winnie agreed and gave Derek her number. The two continued to text throughout the evening. Since everything was going so well, Winnie’s friend Kara, encouraged her to invite Derek to meet them both at a bar.
After bingo, Winnie and Kara were on their way to drop off Kara’s car at Winnie’s house before going to the bar to meet Derek and his friends. All of a sudden, Kara’s car started smoking and broke down. Winnie pulled over with Kara and waited with her for AAA. Winnie texted Derek to tell him Kara’s car broke down and they would still meet them at the bar after the tow truck came. Derek was very understanding and offered several times to come and help.
It took Winnie and Kara so long that Derek started to worry he was going to get stood up and that he was getting cat-fished. Winnie reassured him that they would be on their way to the bar soon. After waiting almost an hour and a half, the tow truck finally came. Winnie and Kara then headed to Diamonds Bar in St. Matthews.
Winnie and Kara found a table and only waited about 10 minutes for Derek to arrive and introduce himself. Winnie and Derek had so much in common, they talked until 2am. Derek then whisked her away alone and kissed her.
Winnie and Derek continued to talk and had their first official date at Thunder Over Louisville. Winnie and Derek officially became girlfriend and boyfriend on May 1, 2015.
The Proposal
On April 16 ,2016, Winnie decided to throw a surprise 30th Anniversary party for her parents, Winnie and Randy. The majority of Winnie's family and friends were at the party, as were Derek's parents, Pam and Lester. After surprising her parents and eating, Winnie showed a photo slideshow she had created. Winnie was too busy to notice Derek sweating and downing beers because he was nervous. After the slideshow was finished, Winnie proceeded to toast her parents. Then, they proceeded to cut the cake and feed it to each other. After this, Derek stepped up and said, "Ok. My turn." Winnie assumed Derek was just going to toast her parents. Derek recognized her for her hard work with the party and then asked Winnie to come forward. He took her by the hands and told her, "I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you." He then got down on one knee and asked her to marry him. Of course she said yes!
Vendors:
Wedding Ceremony Venue: St. Agnes Catholic Church
Wedding Reception Venue: Bellarmine University
Bridal Gown: Couture Closet
Tuxes: Rebecca's Wedding Boutique
Florals: Victor Mathis
Hair and Makeup: Carrie Lentz Makeup
Band: Kudmani