It was one of those dates where we went from one bar to the second, and planned our second date while still on the first.
Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…
Teddy grew up in St. Louis, MO, and Rachel in Houston, TX. We met in Houston a few years post-college, but moved up to Chicago during 2020 so that Teddy could pursue his MBA. We quickly fell in love with Chicago and the new life that we were building, and are still living here today. Teddy now works in Management Consulting following graduation, and Rachel is working in Healthcare Tech. We are the couple that rarely sits still – we love having plans to look forward to and to keep us active. From traveling, to going to concerts, to hosting friends at our place on a beautiful Saturday, we share a genuine passion for living life to the fullest.
How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?
We met on Hinge (as everyone does these days!), and chatted for a month or so before meeting up in person. We met up at a bar in Houston, where we were living at the time, and immediately hit it off. Right away I was smitten by Teddy – I just felt comfortable with him. He was charming, handsome, and incredibly easy to talk to. Teddy’s first impressions of me were that I was inquisitive, funny, and very interesting to talk to. It was one of those dates where we went from one bar to the second, and planned our second date while still on the first.
When did you first realise that this was someone you’d like to spend the rest of your life with?
We both realized fairly quickly, within the first few months of dating, that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together. We were spending a ton of time together, and it truly just felt right from day one. I think a big tell was how easily we both got along with each other’s friends, and that our lives seemed to blend together seamlessly. When you find someone who not only has the same values and interests, but who you can also have fun with, it just works.
Was there a proposal? Tell us a little about it…
When Teddy finished up business school in the spring of 2022, we took a celebratory trip to Spain. This was our first big trip as a couple since before we moved to Chicago, and we were excited to spend some quality time together just the two of us. I had absolutely no idea that the proposal was coming, but Teddy had been planning it for several months. We spent a few days in Madrid before heading down to Granada in southern Spain. On our second day in Granada, we woke up early to go on a private, guided hike around the Alhambra, an ancient palace and fortress complex that dates back to the 1200s. Toward the end of the hike, overlooking the city of Granada, Teddy got down on one knee and proposed!
Tell us about the vision you had for the mood or style of your wedding.
We got married in the winter in Chicago, so we knew we wanted to create an atmosphere that was cozy yet elegant. For the design, we went for tons of candles, minimal florals but maximum greenery, and black and white accents throughout. But I think outside of the design element, our main goal was to guarantee that our guests had a memorable time.
What was one element you were happy to splurge on?
The band! We both love live music, and always knew from the beginning of the planning process that we wanted a live band at our wedding. We love a band that brings high energy as well as interacts with the crowd, and our band definitely did not disappoint! From the start of the night until the very last song, they had everyone on the dance floor. One of the many highlight moments for us was the last song – we specifically requested that they play “Iris” by Goo Goo Dolls as the finale, and they absolutely crushed it. We got up on stage to with them and then crowd surfed to cap off the night. It was one heck of a party!
Did anything happen on your wedding day that you laugh about in hindsight (even if it was stressful at the time)?
This was definitely not stressful by any means, but two days after our wedding when we went back to Walden to pick up all of the things we’d left at the venue, we discovered that we had a ton of leftover cake and desserts. We got a good laugh out of this, I guess everyone was having too much fun on the dance floor to even notice that there were desserts! But it’s their loss – we snacked on the leftovers for days and froze some of our wedding cake to have on anniversaries in the future.
Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, is there a story?
Nothing unique and no stories here!
CEREMONY & RECEPTION Walden in Chicago, IL, @waldenchicago PHOTOGRAPHER Bradley Moss, @bradley_moss STYLIST Rare Bird Beauties, @rarebirdbeauties PLANNER Kalila Harris, @waldenchicago FLORIST Flowers for Dreams, @flowersfordreams CELEBRANT Brother of the Groom – Peter Condie ENTERTAINMENT Lakeshore Encores, @lakeshore_encores HIRE, MARQUE & CATERING Walden Chicago, @waldenchicago CAKE Sweet Mandy B’s, @sweetmandybs STATIONERY Minted, @minted SIGNAGE Minted, @minted; Unmeasured Event, @unmeasuredevents; BlushPaperieShop on Etsy ENGAGEMENT RING Custom Made BRIDE’S RING Brilliant Earth, @brilliantearth GROOM’S RING Blue Nile, @bluenilediamond PEARL NECKLACE Bride’s Mom BRIDAL DRESS Wren from Savannah Miller, @savannahmillerbridal SHOES Kanika Pearl Mid Heels by Dolce Vita, @dolcevita ACCESSORIES Pearl embellished gloves from PolliAmore on Etsy, @polliamore; Leighton Linear Earrings by Kendra Scott, @kendrascott MAKEUP & HAIR Rare Bird Beauties, @rarebirdbeauties FRAGRANCE MFK’s Baccarat Rouge 540 AFTER PARTY OUTFIT Oh Polly, @ohpolly BRIDE’S AFTER PARTY SHOES Reebok Club C Sneakers SUIT The Black Tux, @theblacktux GROOM’S SHOE Gucci, @gucci ACCESSORIES Watch: TAG BRIDESMAID DRESS Picked their own gowns from a variety of different locations GIFT REGISTRY Zola, @zola
