Rachel + Matthew

It was March 2011, an unusually late Mardi Gras season to be sure. A ragtag group of college students had descended upon the city of New Orleans – characterized by the usual revelrous appetite one can expect to find during Carnival season in the Crescent City.

Rachel and Matthew were but two pieces of the larger group, a mosaic of varying identities, backgrounds and personalities. They met that weekend through a mutual friend and through the three-day period developed an unforeseen fondness for one another – a mutual affinity that would be kept at arm’s length for some time.
As Mardi Gras came to pass, the uncertainty of what would be thereafter arrived without delay. Neither Rachel nor Matthew knew what was in store for them.

They say true love starts with friendship.

Rachel and Matthew’s relationship would begin as just that – a friendship identifiable by a similar zest for life and a mutual respect for one another.

As time would pass, this friendship would become much more than either had anticipated – an unspoken bond and a genuine affection for one another.

It wouldn’t be long until their relationship was put to the test. Victims of their own circumstance, over the course of the next two years Rachel and Matthew would spend many months apart – forging a long-distance relationship that would pose many challenges.

From New Orleans, to Baton Rouge, to Hattiesburg, to Washington, D.C., to the Czech Republic and beyond – countless miles would keep them separated – but neither balked at the idea of failure, for they knew that better times would come.

It would be in the summer of 2014 that Rachel and Matthew would finally reside in the same city, returning to the city in which they met – New Orleans.

The year that followed would be a year of growth, a year of strengthening their relationship and bond in the city that sparked their reality.

On a fine summer day in June 2015, as the sun crept behind the clouds and the day grew weary, Matthew had planned an evening stroll with their dogs in City Park.

It wouldn’t be just any stroll, as Matthew had planned an unexpected surprise for Rachel amongst the ancient oaks that adorn the vast park.

Beneath the sprawling limbs of a broad oak tree, Matthew would get down on one knee and ask the question that had been on his mind since the day he met Rachel – “will you marry me?”

And, as the old saying goes – the rest is history.

Our most memorable moments from the wedding day were exchanging our own vows – it was nerve racking, but so happy we did it! After the ceremony, going on the balcony and looking out at the crowd of our friends and family – very special moment <3

Songs:
Processional: The Throne Room – Star Wars
First Dance: True Love Ways – Covered by My Morning Jacket

Cake flavors:
Regular wedding cake with chocolate filling
Blue Dot and District Donuts – Maple bacon, chocolate covered sprinkles, and lots of other yummy flavors

Ceremony + Reception: Race & Religious | Hair: Silhouette Salon | Makeup: Lynna Vo | Florist: Poppy & Mint | Cake: Chez Pierre | Donuts: District Donuts & Blue Dot Donuts | Band: The Boogie Men | Videographer: Julia Elizabeth Evans