Rachel & Alex’s Wedding

Rachel & Alex’s wedding day was full of beautiful traditions, amazing food, and a hanging cake! With a beautiful color palette of various shades of pink, blended with the classic colors of white and green to bring the day together. They truly took the time to bring in details that made their celebration unique to themselves!

Wedding day recap from the bride: It’s hard to recap what was truly the best day of our lives but if I had to describe it all in one word, from the decorations to the mood, I would say magical. The morning and early afternoon were spent getting ready with my closest friends and moms (mom, step-mom, and mother-in-law). We had Starbucks and Panera for breakfast and I got chipotle for lunch. If you know me, chipotle is my favorite so it was an obvious choice for my wedding day haha! The day was filled with excitement but I also felt very calm. It was great having Aisle & Co as wedding planners because I truly wasn’t stressed about anything and wasn’t worried about how things were getting set up downstairs. I just knew everything was being taken care of so I could be stress-free! Alex and I decided NOT to do a first look and I’m so happy we made that choice. That feeling when I was walking down the aisle and saw him for the first time was something I’ll hold onto forever…and when he started crying it was game over for me and I started crying too. Alex didn’t grow up Jewish but we did have a Jewish wedding and it was such a beautiful ceremony full of tradition. One of my favorite moments was when our mothers wrapped us in a family Tallit. After the ceremony we took some quick photos and then the magic of the day continued. We ate great food, cut a hanging cake, poured some rose into a champagne tower under a twinkling light tunnel, and danced the night away to the best band. The cherry on top was watching a fireworks display with my new husband by my side, and all our closest friends and family behind us.

How did you two meet? What were your first impressions of one another? We met in high school when Alex transferred our freshman year. The first couple of years we were just friends, but then we made things “official” and started dating our junior year of high school. We just celebrated 13 years together in November 2022! Rachel was actually the one who pursued Alex when she decided he was cute during a football game.

Describe a hurdle you had to overcome in your relationship or during your wedding planning. After high school, we did long distance for about 6 years! We went to different colleges and then ended up working in different cities after college. It was definitely a challenge and we both spent a lot of time in the car! But ultimately was worth it of course!

Any special ways you incorporated your family or family history into your wedding day? The bride’s family are Russian Jews. We had a Jewish ceremony which included some really special moments such as having both of our mothers wrapping us in a family tallit, having our fathers sign our Ketubah, and having our parents/siblings recite the Sheva Brachot (7 blessings). During the reception, we played a couple of Russian songs which had everyone running and dancing around, and got hoisted into the air during the horah!

What part of your wedding day was/is most important to you? Walking down the aisle. We opted not to do a first look, so the moment when I (Rachel) walked down the aisle was incredibly emotional and special. We both teared up and it was just the best moment locking eyes and coming together to start our ceremony.

What is your favorite thing about each other? Our personalities are different and balance each other out in the best way. Alex loves that Rachel is goofy and kind. There is no one better to have a kitchen dance partner with. Rachel loves that Alex is always making her laugh and helps bring her down to earth. We’re both very driven and have big life goals, so we also both love having a partner who want to “dream big” together.

If you had one piece of advice for other couples, what would it be? When it comes to wedding planning, be a team and be there for each other when someone is getting stressed. Always remember what this day is ultimately about – you getting to marry the love of your life!

What was your favorite part about planning your wedding? We really enjoyed trying to think of ways to add touches of “wow” moments to the day, like adding a firework display and a hanging cake. It ended up being such a blast seeing those things come to life and was beyond our expectations!

What is the most honest thing you can say about love? Like anything else, love has its seasons and continues to evolve with time. Over time, love isn’t just a feeling, it’s also a conscious decision and commitment that you make.