I finally went to my first Kentucky Derby and it was one of the coolest things I have experienced! Everyone in my family is an extremely spontaneous traveler, and last minute trips are kind of our thing. Mali and I made a joke that we should go to the Derby and next thing I know our flights were booked and tickets were purchased.
The gates to Churchill Downs open extremely early, and races run all day with the Race for Roses happening much later in the evening. We chose to get there around 2 to be able to walk around, take in all of the excitement, and truly experience the event.
Because we waited until the last minute our only reasonably priced option was the In-field. The day of the Derby the forecast was simple: rain. I decided to wear my Hunter boots because I knew there would definitely be lots and lots of mud, especially in the In-field. Mali actually got my Hunter boots for me from a thrift store, brand new with the tags still on them! My dress for the event was an older season Kentucky Derby piece from Vineyard Vines that I purchased on Poshmark. My hat was a simple straw hat I found at Marshalls and added the blue silk bow to myself! It made an amazing shield from the rain.
When I found out I was not allowed to bring my camera into the event my initial reaction was full panic. After I accepted that my phone would be the only option, I actually got to enjoy myself. Not having to babysit my camera and worry about adjusting the settings and keep it safe allowed me to truly be in the moment and have the best time experiencing the Derby for the first time. For those of you who follow my Instagram, you know I still took tons of photos, boomerangs, and videos but taking photos on my iPhone is always so much more relaxed and faster. I found that the photos were more genuine and really showed how much fun we were actually having.
The Kentucky Derby offers tons of food and drink options and it is so hard to resist trying everything and collecting all of the Derby Day cups. My big splurge that day was my $20 glass of champagne, and I fully embraced the “treat your self” motto. After walking around for a few hours we finally made our way to the In-field where the Vineyard Vines tent was set up, and they were handing out all types of fun merch and had a live band playing! There was mud everywhere but it was so exciting being in the middle of the track watching the horses race by.
Watching the most anticipated race was so much fun and the crowd was completely captivated. We did not officially bet because of the obscene lines, but we wore our Justify pins all day and were so excited when he won!
Even though we spent most of the day cold, wet and standing, I barely even noticed because I was having so much fun! I cannot wait to go back next year!
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