Rachel and Ryan had a beautiful and classic wedding day filled with many meaningful details! Here are a few …
1. The groom’s grandmother (age 95) could not attend the wedding – the bride put her 150-year-old cross necklace around her bouquet to honor her. The couple received their photos back just in time for their Christmas trip to show the grandmother.
2. Vintage champagne glasses over 100 years old were used. The champagne glasses were the bride’s great, great, grandmother given to her by her mother. The glasses have been used in every family wedding since.
3. The first time Ryan talked to the bride’s sister was to let her know he wanted to marry Rachel. At the wedding, they ended the night dancing to “we are family” with Rachel, Ryan, and her sister and brother-in-law who just got married a couple of months prior.
4. Ryan and Rachel got engaged after 6 months. Their table photo/signage was “the couple through the years” but they crossed out the year and put month instead because of how quickly their romance sparked! Each photo represented a month of their relationship journey.
5. Ryan’s dad passed away when he was 21 years old. To honor him, Rachel surprised Ryan with custom cufflinks with his dad’s initials on them to keep his father close to him on his wedding day.
6. Ryan told Rachel he did not get her a gift for the wedding and stuck to that story through the night before the wedding. The Morning of the wedding, he gifted her diamond earrings that perfectly matched her engagement ring!
7. The rings were custom designed by Calesidesings. The wedding band is two separate diamonds that represent two people coming together, and the engagement stone represents the love they hold. Ryan picked out his ring in under 5 minutes!
8. Ryan and Rachel only looked at 1 venue, The Arlo. Their vision was classic, a timeless romance with a modern touch.
9. Rachel wanted 12 bridesmaids and Ryan wanted 6 groomsmen. So Ryan treated it like a draft of which girls he would pick to stand on his side. The result – a mixed group of guys and girls standing on each side of the bride and groom during the ceremony!
10. Rachel was a cheerleader for the Minnesota Vikings. 2 of her bridesmaids were also cheerleaders with her and we took a special “cheerleader” photo to represent their friendship. @mvcheerleaders
11. Rachel loves bows! Her dress originally did not come with one so she had the bridal shop custom-make a bow that snapped onto her dress. Later in the evening, her dress accidentally fell into the toilet. She still wore it!
12. A ladybug landed on both Ryan and Rachel individually during their first looks (photograph captured). Don’t they say ladybugs are good luck?
13. The couple decided to do a fake sparkler exit with just their wedding party as a way to include them in something more intimate and unique
14. Both couples had an outfit change, Rachel wore a cute little white dress and white cowboy boots and Ryan changed into some red bottom slippers!
15. The bride’s grandmother and aunt Marie hand-made the cross for the ceremony.
16. Bridesmaids dresses from Amaze represented the bride’s “something blue”
17. Rachel wore a unique hairstyle that I haven’t seen other brides do. She knew with the fit of her dress, it needed to up higher. She grew up dancing and wanted to feel like a ballerina!
18. “You betcha” is a midwestern term and Rachel is from the midwest. The bridesmaids came up with #youbetka for their wedding hashtag!
from the couple:
How did you two meet? What were your first impressions of one another?
We met on hinge, Our first date was at an arcade bar in Austin. I (Rachel) had already written Ryan off before meeting him but decided to go on the date anyways. I (Rachel) called my mom that night and my exact words were “So… I think I just met my husband.” And I was right! I (Ryan) thought this is the most beautiful person I have ever met and with a great personality, someone I actually went to spend time with.
Tell us a funny story relating to your wedding day or relationship!
I (Rachel) had as many bridesmaids (12!) as Ryan’s graduating high school class. I (Rachel) had an incredible bow on the back of my dress that was fully dunked in the toilet. (Lol)
Describe a hurdle you had to overcome in your relationship or during your wedding planning.
We engaged after knowing each other for only six months. Ryan’s first conversation with Rachel’s sister was to tell her that he was going to marry her sister. that didn’t go over very well to say the least but now she loves him!
Any special ways you incorporated your family or family history into your wedding day?
Ryan’s father passed away when he was 21. I (Rachel)on our wedding day gifted Ryan cufflinks with his initials on them, so he could wear his heart on his sleeve and have his presence on our wedding day.
What part of your wedding day was/is most important to you?
In front of all of our closest friends and families getting to say our own personal vows. We actually had to switch ministers last minute in order to get to have that moment. We are so happy they did as it was the most special time of our day.
What is the best thing you’ve learned from one another?
We are complete opposites in many ways! I (Rachel) an outgoing and love to be around people. I (Ryan) am more introverted and in my head. We have learned to use each of our unique strengths to our advantage to be the best team together. We have learned how truly special marriage is. In our case opposites 100% attract!
What is your favorite thing about each other?
I (Rachel) love how thoughtful and kind Ryan is. As a nurse I work crazy long hours and he does such a great job of being there for me, and always goes out of his way to get me flowers, my favorite food or writing me a cute card. He makes me feel so loved.
I (Ryan) loves that Rachel always wants what is best for us. She also can make any situation fun!
What was your favorite part about planning your wedding?
I loved the design aspect. Our vision was romantic, timeless, classic with a modern twist. It was so fun to see that come to life on our day.
If you had one piece of advice for other couples, what would it be?
Don’t sweat the small stuff! Choose your non-nongeotiables that if they were to not happen would impact your day and let some of the rest go. Ultimately you are marrying the love of your life and everything else is a bonus! We were so stressed about forgetting ceremony pamphlets, we ordered them last minute, speed shipping and none even got handed out on our day. No one cared!
What is the most honest thing you can say about love?
Love is the best part of life! True love should feel easy, and when it’s not easy it should feel worth it. We truly love each other so much and I know that was very felt on our wedding day. To have a whole day devoted to our love and future life together was so incredibly special. We are so thankful to have it documented in such a beautiful way to remember forever.
from the photographer:
Rachel told me she wanted to prioritize photos of her and Ryan above everything. Rachel is what you would call an “it” girl, she knows how to pose, she is naturally beautiful and she was ready for any and all photos!
It was important that we captured a mixture of natural light images for the couple, mixed with some fun, trendy direct flash photos (of the her 100+ year old champagne glasses and champagne pop).
The images are truly a documentation of the day; anytime I would pose the couple, they naturally would smile, giggle, serve big moods…it all ended up being truly more documentary than posing or direction!
To this day, most of my inquiries that come in for The Arlo event space say “I love Rachel’s wedding, I want to look like her in my photos”.
Photographer: Wisteria Jade Photography
Venue: The Arlo
Florist: Your Poppy Flowers
Stylist / Planner / Designer: Rose Pop Parties
Dress Boutique: Annika Bridal
Dress Designer: Sareh Nouri
Makeup Artist: Lola Beauty
Hair Stylist: Lola Beauty
DJ: Hill Country DJ
Catering: Dream Events
Videographer: Northmark Films
Publisher at The White Wren and Bajan Wed, Award Winning Photography + Videographer at Live View Studios, Dad, 80s music lover, crunchy health advocate
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