Rebecca and James share mutual friends who introduced them to each other at a get together. After that meeting, the pair began spending time with each other and that soon evolved into a relationship.
Their engagement transpired after Rebecca bought James tickets to the Ashland Shakespeare Festival in Oregon. James planned a surprise dinner before one of the shows at the restaurant Alchemy. After the meal, the waiter brought out a crème brûlée with a diamond ring sitting atop a raspberry. “James told me he picked this restaurant because alchemy is about transforming one thing into something greater…just like us,” shares Rebecca.
The bride and groom were disappointed to have their original photographer cancel just a few months before the wedding. “Luckily, we were blessed that our photographer, Meagan from Meagan Lucy Photographers, was available,” says Rebecca. “We couldn’t have asked for a better photographer!”
Rebecca and James enjoyed a romantic and intimate ceremony at The Firehouse. “When we said our vows, it was like everyone else was gone, and it was just the two of us,” she remembers. “We wrote our own vows, which included an Irish prayer. We also had our immediate family walk down the aisle before us. This was special to us as we wanted to honor our family.” The officiant also had both Rebecca and James secretly write what they loved about one another and read it to them during the ceremony.
The reception was held in the courtyard at The Firehouse. “They did such an amazing job transforming the area from seating for the ceremony, to tables and dance floor for the reception,” says Rebecca. “We really think that The Firehouse did an amazing job setting up the tables and décor. The courtyard already has an incredible ambiance. Everything was better than we imagined.”
While the couple planned for everything to be perfect on the big day, they admit that not everything went according to plan. In the end, however, the day was filled with love and laughter. “It was a really great time with everyone socializing and dancing. We wanted a disposable camera on every table so people could take pictures of whatever they liked. It was so much fun developing the film!”
— Darren Elms
