Rachel + Mike
Rachel and Mike took a different approach when it came to planning their wedding. It was important to them to keep the planning and the wedding day stress free. Rachel joked to friends and family that this was the theme of their wedding: stress free. Together for 7 years, they both knew that an engagement was coming and had discussions about what they wanted their wedding to look like. Keeping in mind the stress-free theme and budget, they didn’t want to take on the pressure or opinions from others that can come following an engagement. “We actually had most of our wedding planned before we announced our engagement, which was probably one of the best decisions we could have made,” said Mike.
On December 22, 2019, while visiting the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina, Mike and Rachel were engaged. Less than 3 months later, they got married on February 29, 2020. Celebrating with friends and family was important to them, so they didn’t want to go the elopement route. Pre-planning their wedding allowed them to keep it their own and still celebrate with loved ones on the big day. “When we told our family members at Christmas, they of course asked us what our date was,” said Rachel. “When we said February 29th, they all gave us a shocked look and said ‘of this coming year?’ and we’d say ‘Yep!’”
Mike and Rachel had an intimate ceremony and luncheon with family at the Paddock Place, which also happened to be the site of their first date. The mid-day ceremony and meal allowed out-of-town family members to come for the day and not have to worry about getting a hotel. With a small number of guests, they were able to spend quality time with their family and not have to rush conversation. “Sunday dinner is a regular thing for us, both growing up and now. So I wanted our celebration with family to feel like that,” said Rachel. Following the luncheon, Mike and Rachel were able to relax at their hotel for a few hours. Around 8:00 p.m., they had drinks, desserts, and dancing with their (mostly younger) friends. This unique format for the day allowed for two intimate celebrations, each one aligned with how they like to celebrate with two groups of important people in their lives. “Our photographer helped us figure out the unique schedule, and recommended other vendors and our evening venue,” said Rachel. “This helped a lot since we were doing something very different than what all of our friends did.”
There is so much pressure that can come from planning a wedding that I think some can lose sight as to what they want out of the day. Rachel and Mike had a clear vision and executed it without having to involve too many people in the planning process, just a few trusted vendors. This is a great example of how every wedding is unique! It’s all about the two people getting married and how they want to celebrate their love. If you don’t want a big elaborate wedding, it’s okay to go that direction. Rachel and Mike spent money on the parts that were most important to them—one of which was having a wedding coordinator to be the person in charge on the wedding day. This not only took stress off Rachel and Mike, but also didn’t put it on the usual suspects who get stuck with the job--the bridal party, mother of the bride, or the relative you chose to be the emcee.
Every wedding is different—there is no right or wrong way to do it. The important thing is that the two people keep it their own and don’t let external influences pressure them to celebrate in a way that doesn’t fit them. As someone who captures these moments, I love how every wedding is a reflection on the two people getting married—unique and perfectly theirs
Photography credit: https://www.tiberiusimages.com/