Four days before their wedding, Rachel and Chris received a call from their venue stating that due to COVID-19, their wedding could no longer be held on-site. It led them to having an intimate backyard wedding that (although wasn’t the original plan) was still as beautiful and charming as ever! Their wedding party and 6 family members came together to celebrate their love in the rustic atmosphere of Rachel’s grandma’s home before heading to Martin’s BBQ to celebrate. If there’s one thing we love about their day, it’s that they prove love is all you need to make a wedding beautiful! Enjoy these photos captured by Risen Vintage!
Rachel + Chris
Private Residence + Martin’s BBQ
Guests ~ 6
From the photographer: Rachel and Chris exchanged vows in the backyard of Rachel’s grandmother’s house. Rachel is close with her family so getting married on her grandmother’s property was very special. Even though it was an intimate, heartfelt wedding, this was not their original plan for their wedding day.
COVID-19 had just reached the US which meant Rachel and Chris had to scramble to change their plans. They cut the guest list to only the bridal party and close family. Their venue had to cancel so they chose to celebrate their love on the beautiful family property.
Rachel looked absolutely gorgeous in her dress and Chris looked dapper in his sharp shirt and gray pants. Lavender accents complimented them both. Love was in the air during Rachel’s first look with her father and grandmother and then again with the man she married.
Tell us about your engagement!
Rachel: Chris and I had been dating for around 4 1/2 years when we were engaged. He works for Southwest Airlines and I have a traveling heart. My father had heart surgery about six month prior to our engagement and he made us promise that if he made it out of surgery we would take him to Denver, Colorado. So there we were in May of 2018 in our favorite city. I knew he had the ring with him due to conversations we had weeks leading up to our trip, so I was expecting him to pop the question at any time. We went to New Belgium (our favorite brewery) and nothing. Then we went to Red Rocks, nothing. We visited so many beautiful places and nothing happened! I wondered to myself what is this guy doing? Does he have something else in mind? It ends up he carried the ring around with him to all of those places, but couldn’t work up the nerve to propose in a public place. He ended up proposing to me in our beautiful airBnB in the city. After a quite tearful proposal we came down stairs to tell my dad and all he had to say was “About time!”.
What was the vision for your wedding?
Rachel: The original vision I had for our wedding was to have a beautiful plantation style, rustic wedding accented with eucalyptus and lavender at Rippavilla Plantation. Due to COVID-19 spreading quickly across the world, Rippavilla called and cancelled our wedding four days before our day. That didn’t stop us from rallying and figuring out a plan B. We still had our rustic style wedding, but instead of having it at a plantation we had it at my Grandmother’s house (where I grew up) in Chapel Hill, TN.
What was your theme and what inspired it?
Rachel: Our theme was a rustic, outdoor wedding.
Can you share any special moments or highlights from your wedding day?
Rachel: The most special moment from our wedding day is that we were able to be married on the farm that I grew up on my entire life. When originally planning our wedding we wanted to have it at my grandmothers house, but because she was worried about having too many people at her home we decided to move it to Rippavilla. Again, due to COVID, we cancelled all of our vendors and the majority of our wedding guests with the exception of our immediate family and bridal party. Even though our day did not go as initially planned we were so happy to have our friends of 20 years as well as our immediate family.
What are some tips you can share with other brides planning their weddings?
Rachel: First, don’t feel rushed to throw together a wedding within a year of being engaged unless that is what you really want. Take the time to gather what you need and research venues and vendors. We were also able to keep our budget relatively low as well because we planned so far our. While at times wedding planning can be stressful stay calm. Lean on your family and friends with your stresses, but also utilize them in your planning. Lastly, just have fun! This is a day meant to celebrate two people coming together as one.
Is there anything else you’d like to share about your wedding?
Rachel: Even though our wedding did not go as originally planned I wouldn’t change a thing. It was special just to have our closest family and friends there to celebrate our union.
Congratulations Rachel and Chris! Your day looked so quaint and perfect! Thanks so much to Risen Vintage for sharing their intimate backyard wedding with us!
