Rachel + Alex by Kristin Piteo

A modern celebration that honoured their loved ones and felt intentional.

Rachel and Alex’s story began in high school algebra class, two teenagers seated side by side, unaware that a freshman year seating arrangement would eventually lead to a lifetime together. She was fifteen, he was sixteen, and even then their lives were quietly intertwined. At a student-athlete event that same year, Rachel’s late mother, whom she lost to brain cancer, pointed Alex out in the crowd, a fleeting gesture that has since become a touchstone in their story. She passed later that spring, never meeting him, yet somehow sensing his future importance, a detail the couple reflected on during their ceremony nearly two decades later.

After seventeen years of knowing each other and ten years of dating, in two chapters, Rachel and Alex found their way back to one another five years ago and immediately knew it was right. True to form, they did things their own way, buying a condo together in Santa Monica before getting engaged during one of their nightly beach walks. The proposal was simple and intimate, followed by dinner together and a quiet celebration before sharing the news with family and friends. Their relationship has always balanced depth and levity, full of connection and the unmistakable ease that comes from growing up together.

Thursday Wedding Ceremony

When it came time to plan their wedding, the couple wanted something deeply personal and different, a modern celebration that honoured their loved ones and felt intentional. The florals and paper design reflected that vision, minimalist and modern with a subtly funky edge, complementing the architectural lines of the home and the natural beauty of the property. They married at Rachel’s family home in Los Altos Hills, a modern-farm style residence designed by her father, where architecture, landscape, and memory intertwined.

The Thursday ceremony was intimate, just grandparents, parents, and siblings gathered under the oaks, followed by dinner with extended family at the Woodside Village Bakery.

For the Thursday ceremony, Rachel wore a silk-wool long-sleeve open-back gown by Danielle Frankel, paired with her late mother’s aquamarine heirloom necklace, the same one her mother wore on her own wedding day. She eschewed a veil for a more modern, understated look. Later that evening, she changed into a silk-wool strapless bodice and skirt with a tulip lace overlay and hand-cut Lyon lace appliqué, finished with a matching custom lace scarf. Alex wore a custom navy Bode tuxedo with a piqué shirt embroidered along the shawl collar in the brand’s signature handwork.

Friday’s welcome party brought a burst of colour and ease as the couple’s closest friends gathered outdoors at The Sundeck. The setting featured Mediterranean-inspired landscaping, a lush charcuterie spread, and freshly baked pizzas served alfresco. Rachel wore a sunset-toned Arcina Ori deep-V halter gown, while Alex opted for a vintage-inspired khaki-green monochromatic suit, perfectly understated against the California evening light.

Saturday’s celebration reflected the couple’s love of reinvention and thoughtful detail. Guests were brought up the private road to Rachel’s father’s Los Altos Hills residence for a non-traditional dinner-party celebration that felt more like an elegant house gathering than a wedding. After a martini-filled cocktail hour accompanied by live jazz, guests moved to a dinner setting at the front of the house overlooking the hills. On the menu were custom-designed cheeseburgers and fries, a playful nod to Alex’s favourite meal, followed by espresso martinis, soft-serve ice cream, and a doughnut tower in place of a traditional cake. The night gave way to a disco-and-funk dance party under the stars, DJ’d by their close friend and musician Liam Berkeley. Every element of the evening felt personal and intentional, nostalgic yet modern, sentimental yet never predictable.

Rachel began the night in a vintage-inspired Sept drop-waist bodice paired with a pleated tulle skirt and tulle scarf, which she styled two ways throughout the evening. For the disco party after dinner, she changed into a custom cream silk corset and matching mini skirt by designer Kricket Marie, then closed the night in a navy-blue beaded Clio Peppiatt mini dress for the after-party at The Dutch Goose, the same bar where the couple rekindled their relationship five years earlier, and where Rachel’s parents had celebrated their own wedding after-party decades before.

Alex began the night in a custom Bode tuxedo with a chocolate-brown velvet jacket, plissé shirt, and black trousers, later changing into a Bode vintage linen button-down embroidered with a martini glass and their wedding date, inscribed with their favourite sayings, “miss you already” and “love you more.”

Friday Welcome Party + Saturday Celebration

What did you enjoy most about the planning process, and do you have any tips for couples starting their wedding planning journey?

The fashion element and curating my looks, and Alex’s looks with Bode, was by far the most fun part. It wasn’t until a few dress shopping outings that I really got into it. I was initially quite overwhelmed, and a lot of the classic styles and silhouettes weren’t really resonating with me. My photographer, Kristin, was so incredibly helpful with my decisions, and it gave us something to really bond over before the actual wedding itself.

My biggest tip would be not to rush into things. We started planning less than ten months out from the wedding and two years after getting engaged, which I recognise is quite rare, but there is really no need to rush the process.

My other tip would be to leverage inspiration, but also make it your own and be original. There are no rules. I would encourage going off script a bit and trusting your own vision and taste.

For ours, I had always envisioned something different from a typical wedding experience, which is why our main event with friends felt more like an intimate dinner party. I wanted a clean, modern, stripped-back style, nothing too girly or frilly, with some vintage, funky twists and unexpected elements, like the burgers, sprinkled in.

Tell us about your vendors. Were there any standout suppliers you would like to make special mention of?

We were so fortunate to have the best vendors across the board. Every single one of them deserves a special mention.

We are especially grateful for Joni, our incredible planner who really made our vision come to life, and Kristin, our photographer, who captured our most treasured photos and who I ended up becoming BFFs with.

As a bride, you end up spending so much time with your photographer, and we just clicked from day one. Fun fact: we actually moved our wedding date so we could have Kristin as our photographer. Best decision ever. She really made us feel so comfortable and ourselves. There were so many behind-the-scenes laughs and memories.

Amanda Vidmar Design for florals was truly such a great fit for us. She really understood that we wanted classic for the ceremony, moody for the post-ceremony dinner, and funky modern for the main dinner party night with friends. I wanted the florals to feel unexpected, slightly sporadic, and less curated from an arrangement perspective, and she truly delivered.

Type and Trim for paper. Joslyn was the best when it comes to all things paper. We went with modern, stylistically atypical invites and signage. Our favourite touch was the “It was always you” linen sign at the front gate.

Jaleigh from TFC was such a wonderful help when it came to connecting me with many of my vendors, including Kristin, and helping with overall inspiration. I would highly recommend checking out the TFC platform.

Weiss Photo and Film. Lenaig and John are so talented and such lovely human beings. We went with 16mm film for video, and it is truly better than we ever expected. They captured so many incredible moments, and the curation of clips is unmatched.

Hair and makeup. My beauty queens, Isabel and Shea, were truly my dream team. Beyond talented, but even more importantly, they brought such great energy. You end up spending a lot of time with your beauty squad throughout your wedding weekend, and we all had so much fun.

Paula LeDuc for catering was the best decision. They really executed our vision for a steakhouse burger, salty, crispy fries, espresso martinis served after dinner, a doughnut tower, and soft serve for dessert instead of cake. We wanted our food to be truly crave-worthy comfort food, and Paula LeDuc’s team delivered.

Our DJ, Liam, who I have been friends with since college, brought the best disco, funk, and house vibes for dancing after dinner. We had a very strict “do not play” list and avoided any and all traditional wedding songs. Liam absolutely nailed it.

Dart Collective for our jazz band during cocktail hour. I had always envisioned a live jazz band who could play some of our favourite classics: Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, and Nat King Cole. Dart did an incredible job.

Tell us about your wedding and engagement rings.

Alex and I went with really simple custom rings from JK Diamond Co. in Santa Monica for our wedding bands. Matthew, the founder, is truly the best of the best and really made our vision come to life with both the wedding bands and my engagement ring, along with some other fun custom pieces along the way.

Alex chose a thicker dome-shaped platinum band, and I went with a gold band that matches the colour and shape of my engagement ring. I did not want anything that would pull away from the uniqueness of my engagement stone, which is a kite-shaped diamond with a platinum bezel.

I always knew I wanted a kite shape because it is uncommon and not something you see often. It has a very art deco feel. The bezel gives it a classic, vintage look, but most importantly, it is functional and does not catch or pull.

When my rings are stacked, they have the illusion of looking like one ring rather than a busy stack.

Was there a favourite moment, or two, that you will treasure always?

Our vows were by far the most treasured moment of the weekend. We both put a lot of time into them, and they were very personal and not standard.

Our ceremony itself was very stripped back and very “us”. We had only direct family present because we knew the vows would be emotional; I sobbed the whole time, and we wanted a truly intimate setting.

Ultimately, the vows were the most meaningful part of it all, and it was very special for our siblings, parents, and grandparents to experience us sharing them with one another.

What does being married mean to you, and are there any special rituals you would like to share?

Being married, for us, does not feel any different from our relationship before. Alex and I met in high school and started dating when I was fifteen, and he was sixteen. He was my first boyfriend and my last.

We have built such a strong foundation over the years, with so much love, trust, and respect for one another, so making it official was the easiest decision we have ever made, but it did not change our relationship.

We are quite different in personality, but completely aligned when it comes to our values. We have always challenged each other to be the best version of ourselves and to lead with kindness.

It is easy to get caught up in the busyness of our careers, but we have always found a way to make space for one another. We know each other so well and love one another fully.

We have never stopped flirting, making fun of each other, kissing goodbye, or saying I love you before bed, before work, and every time we end a phone call.