Rachael Zarda

In the midst of all things holiday, I wanted to be able to share a bit about our wedding day in a timely manner. We received our photos and video back so quickly and I’ve been itching to share, because they’re all so lovely and such a beautiful reminder of so many sweet moments.

October 13th, 2018 was such a dream. The weather was cold and rainy the week leading up to the wedding, so we were prepared for the worst. It turned out to be in the 60s and sunny, the perfect day for an outdoor ceremony. It was truly such a serene, relaxed, and enjoyable day, and that is exactly how I wanted everything and everyone to feel. I’ll be sharing a post soon on how we accomplished that (and in four months).

The day began around noon, when my girls and I got to the venue to get ready. We played music, drank mimosas, and enjoyed each other’s company while we got ready. We all did our own hair and makeup, so there was no real schedule to keep. Our photographer Meghan and our videographer Derek got to the venue shortly after to capture the little details and Zach and I exchanging our letters to each other.

I was able to watch the outdoor ceremony from the bridal suite window – our florist installing the garland, the musicians showing up to practice, and our guests arriving and taking their seats. It was such so special to be able to see all of our family and friends before the ceremony began.

Zach and I didn’t do a first look, we wanted the first time we saw each other to be when I walked down the aisle with my dad. It was emotional and beautiful and I wouldn’t change it for the world! I walked down to an instrumental version of Ben Fold’s The Luckiest and Zach’s brother-in-law officiated the most heartfelt ceremony. We took photos together shortly after and then the reception began!

We wanted the reception to feel like one big, relaxed party, so we catered Port Fonda, our favorite modern Mexican restaurant and had the best live band play throughout the night.

It was such a surreal time, having everyone we loved in one place to celebrate our love story. I am so grateful to every vendor we chose and couldn’t have asked for a more generous and kind-spirited group of people to help us create the perfect wedding day.

THE DETAILS
Venue: The Farms at Woodend Springs
Planner: Wild Hill Florals & Events
Florals: Wild Hill Florals & Events
Cake: My sweet, talented friend, Christina
Invitations: Minted
Photography: Meghan Savage Photography
Video: Archer Video
Dress: Amy Kuschel
Shoes: Loeffler Randall
Bridesmaid dress: Fame and Partners
Hair and Makeup: Me (I’ll do a post on everything I used later)