November 20, 2016

Rachel + Matthew

0001

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.

0002

0003

0004

0005

0006

0007

0008

0009

0010

0011

0012

0013

0014

0015

0016

0017

0018

0019

0020

0021

0022

0023

0024

0025

0026

0027

0028

0029

0030

0031

0032

0033

0034

0035

0036

0037

0038

0039

0040

0041

0042

0043

0044

0045

0046

0047

0048

0049

0050

0051

0052

0053

0054

0055

0056

0057

0058

0059

0060

0061

0062

0063

0064

0065

0066

0067

0068

0069

0070

0071

0072

0073

0074

0075

0076

0077

0078

0079

0080

0081

0082

0083

0084

0085

0086

0087

0088

0089

0090

0091

0092

0093

0094

0095

0096

0097

0098

0099

0100

0101

0102

0103

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

0104

0105

0106

0107

0108

0109

0110

0111

0112

0113

0114

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

0115

0116

0117

0118

0119

0120

0121

0122

0123

0124

0125

0126

0127

0128

0129

0130

0131

0132

0133

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

0134

0135

0136

0137

0138

0139

0140

0141

0142

0143

0144

0145

0146

0147

0148

0149

0150

0151

0152

0153

0154

0155

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

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

share to

facebook

share to

pinterest

share to

twitter

share with

email

back to

blog

CLOSE