Rachael Wearing The Lara dress
How did you meet the love of your life?
When I was restarting my life, a casual work friendship turned into a love neither of us knew could even exist. I definitely never expected this person to be the love of my life.
When did you know that this person had stolen your heart?
It didn't take long. After an impromptu first date on the beach (a date I asked for, then tried to back out of!) turning into hours of talking until the sun was peeking back out, we were pretty much inseparable after that. Luckily neither of us had to steal anything. It was like we just fit inside what the other already had, like little puzzle pieces, making each other whole.
Tell us about the proposal?
Both of us could tell this was a once in a lifetime love. But I knew Ben would put too much pressure on the perfection of something like a proposal. So after a quick check with his friends and family, and most importantly with my girls, I decided to propose to him! I got a special t-shirt made, and wrote my proposal on a softball. Just before the start of his Friday night game Ben's brother and the umpire helped get Ben over to home plate so we could scoot out to the pitcher's mound and pitch him the ball. I am an incredibly shy person for speaking in front of crowds, so I was really nervous... but it was (almost) perfect, and he said yes! I had gotten his whole family there, including a few that never attend his games, so I am pretty sure he knew something was up. I do know he was still surprised though, not a lot of guys get their own special proposal!
How did you come across Wear Your Love?
I found Wear Your Love on Etsy, just on a whim when I typed in that I wanted sleeves!
When did you know you had found your perfect dress?
Honestly, I thought I had completely different taste, but the second I scrolled and saw their first dress it was over. I was still skeptical because I had never heard of them, but it didn't matter at that point. I was in love with every single dress from Wear Your Love and was going to do anything I had to so I could wear one. I, literally, never had a fitting or a try on anywhere else, I didn't need it. I did originally have my heart set on a different dress (the Indigo), but when I was ready to purchase there was a new collection and the Lara swept my dreams away!
What went through your mind when the Wear Your Love box arrived at your doorstep, and you pulled out your dress for the first time?
UGH! I didn't even get to be here when my dress arrived. I was out of town on a training trip. Ben had been tracking the dress and got home to a note from the postman saying it couldn't be delivered without a signature. He saw the postman just a couple blocks away and sprinted down to get it! I darn near had to force him to open it and text me pictures.
What was your wedding theme or style?
We had a very relaxed, romantic and casually styled wedding. Soft edges, greens, lace, a little boho I guess. We had our ceremony and reception at our hometown ski resort Eaglecrest Ski Lodge in Juneau, Alaska.
Let's show your wedding venue some love! What is the name of the wedding venue you chose and why did you choose them for your special day?
Our relationship started with an outdoor date. All of our favorite memories and times happen in the outdoors, so we had to incorporate that into our wedding style. Eaglecrest was an amazing option for us due to the beauty of the mountain scenes and the lodge itself. Also, due to the weather that blew in that day, we had to move our ceremony inside last minute- and the upstairs mezzanine accommodated that switch amazingly!
What was on your wedding soundtrack playlist, aisle, reception, and first dance?
Originally we had a duo of family members set up to play our procession in and out music, but the singer (my niece) fell ill and couldn't sing enough to even rehearse. So we went with the original recordings of the songs they had spent months practicing for us. Procession in- Bloom, by The Paper Kites Procession out- Wildflowers, by Tom Petty First dance- Everything has Changed, by TSwift and Ed Sheeran Reception playlist- was all genre, all dance, and all epic. We had an awesome DJ that played the crowd very well!
Tell us your favorite moment from your wedding?
I cannot choose a moment- the whole thing exists as one memory and I wouldn't change a thing!
Tell us who was involved in making your wedding day wonderful?
Photography: Sydney Akagi
Hair, makeup, nails, flowers and sanity by Sara Dodd- On Facebook as self and on IG as @sara.e.dodd (this woman is incredible, and she just happens to be one of my best friends, lucky me!!!)
Caterer- Local company, Breeze In Catering Cakemaker and designer (she also hemmed the dress for me, sorry guys, but she is amazing)- Sigrid Dahlberg on IG as @okojo907 I was pretty much my own planner. BUT I never EVER could have done it all if it had not been for Sigrid Dahlberg and her husband, Hal Geiger. They are the parents of a lifelong best friend, who was also a bridesmaid. Hal officiated our ceremony, and just generally provided a lot of guidance through the whole process. Sigrid is a doer; if I needed it, she did it and did it perfectly. There are too many others to thank, but I definitely could never have pulled off such an amazing day by myself.
Do you have any advice or words of wisdom for anyone planning a wedding?
The biggest piece of advice I could ever give anybody is to not worry so much. In the end, it will all come together, and whatever doesn't get done won't matter! Nobody is going to notice if you forgot a decoration or had one out of place. They will remember sharing your love and how much fun that they had! I was drowning in stress, but what got me through, ultimately, was Ben's love and support and knowing that our life together was at the other end of it all.
How would you rate your overall experience with Wear Your Love?
5 out of 5 stars
Congratulations Benjamin & Rachael
We wish you a lifetime of happiness together!
Rachael is wearing a custom Lara dress with a full 18-inch train, fitted sleeve cuff, no flare, with Ivory lining.