Text by Lori Ann Schulten
Photo's by Gallman Studio's

As I sat down with Christy Loughmiller McDonald at the Hawley-Cooke Bookseller on Bardstown Road, her newlywed glow and enthusiasm were hard to ignore. She couldn't stop talking about Brian McDonald, her husband of nearly three months. Christy's excitementintensified as she began recalling their first encounter and courtship, Brian's romantic proposal, "the big day", and their honeymoon.

THE FIRST ENCOUNTER
Christy, a middle school teacher, met Brian McDonald, a football player for the University of Louisville, at Confetti's. Brian was with a friend of Christy's and she spotted him from across the crowd. She actually wanted to talk to her friend, but she became more interested in the cute guy the friend was with. So Christy decided that shewould gather the courage to go over and talk to him. As she told me the story, Christy giggled and seemed kind of embarrassed. I found it hard to believe that she needed any courage, as she seems pretty personable and very friendly. They talked, danced, and talked some more. As the evening drew to an end, Christy gave Brian her phone number, and within 24 hours he called. Christy loves the fact that he asked if she could go out on a weeknight since she was teacher. They had dinner together and talked the night away until the only movie left showing was a late one that neither had even heard of. Christy stayed out past her bedtime, but the afterglow carried into the next day at school when her colleagues were asking her what she did the night before. Christy's happiness was hard to miss.

That first date was the first of many more to come. Christy realized after only one date that Brian was "the one." The ironic thing about their encounter was that, when Christy told her younger sister about Brian, her sister revealed that she had met him a few weeks before at a party. Christy's sister joked with Christy, saying that she had planned to date him, but that it looked like Big Sister won.

THE PROPOSAL
Brian and Christy dated two and half years before Brian proposed. Brian was playing football for the Louisville Fire Arena Team when they had decided at the end of the season to take a vacation. So the night of the last game they hopped in the car, drove through the night, and arrived the following morning in Destin, Florida. The day was beautiful and, even though they were exhausted from the drive, they decided to soak up the sun. That night they ate an early dinner so they could later take a walk on the beach. The two dined at a local seafood restaurant around the corner. Christy remembers Brian acting really strange all through dinner like he was distracted. She asked him several times if anything was wrong, but he played it cool and said, "No". After dinner, when they arrived at the condo, Christy really didn't really feel like a walk, but Brian insisted. They walked on the beach under the moonlight for about ten minutes. Christy remembers now that Brian said many romantic things, but it was all a blur to Christy then. At one point, Brian stopped, got down on his knee, and pulled out a box. Christy asked him if he had dropped something. When he held up the ring and asked, "Will you marry me," she was shocked and at a loss for words. She kept asking him who knew about this and why she hadn't see the signs. He kept waiting for an answer because Christy said that, at that moment, she felt like she had swallowed a golf ball, and she was too flabbergasted to reply. When it finally sank in, she asked him to please repeat everything he had said before the proposal, but Brian was only concerned with her answer being a yes. One special added touch to Brian's proposal was that before he had asked Christy to be his wife, he had asked her father. Christy was shocked that her father had kept the secret. Even Brian's mom planned a role in the engagement by helping him look for a ring. So, on July 13, 2001, Brian and Christy became engaged.

THE BIG DAY
Brian had ended the season with the Louisville Fire Arena Team when a call came from the Philadelphia Eagles to try out. Brian left during the wedding preparations to attend spring tryouts for the National Football League. C hristy knew that when Brian finished he would have a three-week window in which to get married and honeymoon before he was off to Germany to play football. Christy and her future mother-in-law, Sandra McDonald, planned the wedding in about three months. When Brian arrived home two weeks before the wedding, there was nothing left but for him to do but to pick a tuxedo.

The wedding date was July 21, 2002. The nuptials took place at St. Paul United Methodist Church. The four bridesmaids wore knee length periwinkle blue dresses from JC Penney with scarves. The groomsmen wore traditional black tuxedo rented from Sam Meyers. Christy's father Michael Loughmiller gave the bride away, and Christy's stepfather Thomas Jones was a groomsman. Brian's brother Shawn McDonald was his best man, his best friend Paul Knopf and cousin Rodney Reams were the other two groomsmen. The maid of honor was Christy's sister Alexis Loughmiller; Alexis's twin Lauren Loughmiller was a bridesmaid, along with friends Aimee Gatti and Marci Hisle. Christy wore an ivory dress with champagne embroidery from David's Bridal, and Brian wore a traditional tuxedo from Sam Meyer's with an ivory shirt to match Christy's dress. The groomsmen wore periwinkle vests to match the bridesmaids.

The flowers were white spider mums and yellow buttonhole mums. The bride carried a large bouquet of ivory roses. Christy's mother Cathy Jones and the groom's parents, Wayne and Sandra McDonald, were all in attendance to share in this beautiful day. The reception took place at the Audubon Country Club with a sit down dinner. The tables were adorned with linen tablecloths, and hurricane lamps, giving the reception a very romantic feel. It was elegant yet simple, with about a hundred guests in attendance. The wedding cake was designed by Pam Wexler and was a three-tier square, decorated like a present with periwinkle ribbon and ivory pearls. Christy kept the cake simple with the philosophy that less is more. A DJ played a well-rounded variety of music throughout the afternoon and evening.

THE HONEYMOON
They chose to go to St. Marten for seven days, and it was a beautiful choice. They ate Creole cuisine, went scuba diving, sailed to Angullia, and relaxed on the beach soaking up the sun. From the first encounter to the proposal to the "big day" and the honeymoon, Christy and Brian made all their dreams come true.