EPWS | 8. Hester & Khanh

It’s Wedding Story Wednesday! On this episode of Emily Post Wedding Stories, you’re invited to the wedding of Hester and Khanh, who got married at the State Botanical Gardens in Athens, Georgia, in June of 2007. Hester and Khanh (whom Hester calls Kano) met online in the early 2000s, and it was love immediately - her brother knew they would get married after he heard about their first date! They entered a lottery to secure a wedding date and time at the Athens Botanical Gardens, where organizers literally drew names out of a hat. The rest of their planning was pretty smooth, because Hester knew a lot of the vendors they hired and leaned heavily on their expertise. Khanh describes it as, “I pushed the easy button.” Their 120 guests celebrated in cocktail attire with Lee Epting Catering (now Epting Events), and Cecilia Vasques (Cecilia’s Cake Shop) made the gluten-free top layer for the cake so Hester could enjoy it. The couple offered Southern pralines as wedding favors, and guests left their good wishes and marriage advice for the couple in a wish tree guestbook. The wedding party was dressed in black tie, with the bride wearing a 1950s Dior-inspired one-shoulder gown designed by a local Athens, Georgia designer. The bride’s brother walked her down the aisle. Hester and Khanh were one of the couples I interviewed for our upcoming book Emily Post’s Wedding Etiquette, out in February of 2027. Because this was a research interview, I must apologize for any less-than-stellar sound quality.  Thanks for joining me today, and remember to tune in for Wedding Story Wednesdays on your favorite podcast app!  Special thanks to Emily Kobus and Charlotte Burns for producing and editing today's epsiode.  If you're married and want to share your wedding story on our show, please fill out this form. We'd love to hear from you.  For more from the Emily Post Institute, visit emilypost.com or emilypost.substack.com. If you're hungry for more audio content, check out our Q and A podcast, Awesome Etiquette. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices