Rachel + Jake

How did you meet?

We met in high school back in MN, USA.

Our mutual friends got us in contact with one another, after countless texts and late-night conversations, Jake finally got the nerve to ask me on an official date. Since Jake hadn’t turned 16 yet, I had picked him up at his parent’s house where he brought out red roses for me.

I knew at that point he was a keeper – a 15-year-old boy who can actually ask a girl on a date AND bring her roses.

When did you know they were the one?

As we both stated in our vows, there was always a mutual, unspoken confidence between both of us that knew we would always be together.

There was never a doubt that we wouldn’t make it through certain arguments or long distance stints throughout our relationship.

We were both fairly mature for our ages at the time which I believed helped us realize and understand that we wanted to be in each other’s lives for eternity!

What are your 3 favourite attributes of your partner?

Jake is one of the most humble and kind people I know – he’s taught me how to be selfless and empathic when it’s hardest to.

He is always down to experience new things, we have a long list of destinations we want to visit throughout our life together!

Lastly, his intelligence blows me away – in all things related to work and real life situations, I would be lost without his perspective!

Who proposed and how?

Jake proposed at the beginning of a weekend trip to Chicago, IL. We stopped at a beach/pier that overlooks the city skyline where he asked me to be his wife and forever best friend! We then ventured around the city the entire day – getting a couples massage, drinks and finishing at an amazing steakhouse.

Where did you fall in love with your dress and why?

Pinterest! I found images of the Georgie dress years before I even got engaged but I knew the second I found it that I HAD to have it when the day came! Once we got engaged, I went back to those photos and found that it was Made With Love and researched where I could find it near Wisconsin!

We went to Bella Bleu Bridal specifically for this design and I purposely tried her on last cause I just knew I would love it but still wanted to enjoy the entire appointment process.

I absolutely love Georgie for her classic, effortless design – she is so timeless and simple but still stunning in all ways. A huge plus was that she’s beyond comfortable in! I paired her with the Stevie veil and it was the perfect combo!

What was the best moment for you at the wedding?

Saying our vows was so beyond special to us – we both wrote our own and happened to actually say similar things to each other. It just reassured me that I am choosing someone who believes and sees the world and our relationship in the same ways.

What surprised you most at or about your wedding?

I personally just felt so present during the entire day and evening! Everyone told me that the day flies by (which it does) and you won’t remember a lot but I am a huge advocate for being present and fully taking in experiences so I was consistently reminding myself that the entire day.

I believe it also helped having a smaller, more intimate guest count (60 people) – we were able to celebrate with the closest people in our lives and weren’t tied to talking to 150+ guests the entire night but rather enjoyed and celebrated!

What advice would you tell other brides?

Focus on the fact you are MARRYING your person and that this day is for you two – with wedding planning, there are naturally so many opinions that come through the woodwork and it can be hard to plan the wedding of your guys’ dreams.

Make sure to ask yourself if it’s what you want or if it’s for someone else – some things are worth compromising on with family/friends but some things are not.

Just be true to yourself 🙂

What was one thing you would do differently for your wedding?

EAT! We wish we would have forced ourselves to eat – we were so wrapped up in emotions throughout the day that we didn’t even feel hungry during dinner or dessert so we just picked at our food while enjoying everyone’s company.