1. Real Weddings

A Casual Wedding at The Lake Club in Poland, Ohio

Rachel Weiss (27, a high school teacher) and Justin Boggs (31, an elementary school teacher) met on eHarmony and talked for about three weeks before m

Rachel Weiss (27, a high school teacher) and Justin Boggs (31, an elementary school teacher) met on eHarmony and talked for about three weeks before meeting in person. They lived two hours away from each other and took turns driving drove back and forth once they began to date. Eight months into their relationship, the couple decided to move into their first apartment together.  After eating at their favorite restaurant one night, the couple went for a walk to a small pond and sat underneath a weeping willow tree. It was there that Justin proposed to Rachel with an antique engagement ring that she had fallen in love with a couple of months before. They decided to have their ceremony and reception at The Lake Club in Poland, Ohio that had a banquet hall surrounded by glass windows that revealed a gorgeous lake view. The couple envisioned having an elegant and simple wedding, and successfully did so through casual attire choices, a warm color palette that subtly decorated the venue and simple flower centerpieces in glass mason jars. “The entire day reflected us as a couple,” says Rachel. “When we were planning our wedding, we had specific ideas of what we wanted our wedding to look and feel like, and we could not have gotten it more right.”

Long Ivory Saja Wedding Dress
Rachel picked out an ivory wedding dressed designed by Saja and purchased from Bella Bridesmaids in Rocky River, Ohio. “It was simple with, a V-neck and empire waist adorned with hand-cut lace and topped with a vintage beaded sash,” says Rachel. "Since Justin and I wanted a very simple and classy wedding, the dress was just perfect.”
Rachel's mother walked her down the aisle at the ceremony, wearing a purple laced knee-length dress.
Rachel and Justin stood at the front of the altar holding hands as the officiant conducted the ceremony.
Couple Holding Hands with Natural Backdrop
Intimate Shot of Bride and Groom
“The favors we gave to our guests were succulent plants potted in tiny terracotta pots, which we used as table placers as well,” says Rachel. “We liked the idea of giving a live gift that people could take home, plant, and enjoy.”
“We had a variety of fresh flowers from Sweet Arrangements on all the tables, including daffodils, baby's breath, ranunculus, hydrangea, alstroemeria, wax flowers and tulips,” says Rachel. “We had collected mason jars and antique bottles for about a year that we used to hold the flowers on the tables.”
Table numbers were written on brown tags and tied around glass bottles.
Yellow daffodils were mixed with baby's breath and arranged inside a glass bottle to serve as a centerpiece.
“We had white chiavari chairs, and on the back of each we had garlands we made using different strips of material in our color palette," says Rachel.
“Justin and I made it a point to dance together, hold hands and take in our wedding as a couple, not just look at the night as a big party,” says Rachel.