After the proposal, the newly engaged couple headed across the street for dinner at RL Restaurant, where Rachel’s family was waiting. “When we walked in, the entire restaurant stood and clapped, a gesture that was both mortifying and unforgettable,” she remembers. The night finished with a final surprise: the bride’s childhood friends and their spouses were waiting back at her parents’ house to celebrate with Champagne.
Rachel and David decided to return to the location of the proposal for their wedding at the Chicago Cultural Center on May 2, 2025. “When we finally settled on Chicago, we wanted a venue that felt historic but also like a place we could shape into something of our own,” says the bride. Complete with a Tiffany dome and mosaics, the 1897-built venue is a significant structure in the city’s history. “My family is fiercely proud of our Chicago roots, so we wanted a venue that felt unmistakably of the city,” notes Rachel. “The choice also carried its own symbolism: at the time, David had just been named a finalist for the Tiffany & Co. CFDA Award, which made the setting feel both meaningful and perfectly timed.”
Rather than a standard Saturday wedding, the couple wanted to “turn the usual wedding weekend on its head.” They began with the wedding on a Friday evening “so there was no holding back” and continued the energy into a huge day party at the bride’s childhood home. “Our family gatherings are famously unrestrained, and holidays often end with someone, even my mom, dancing on the countertops,” says Rachel. “We wanted that same unruly joy to define the wedding.” The couple admits they had some wild ideas aesthetically, but didn’t want the wedding to feel too “of-the-moment” or caught in the latest Instagram trend cycle. Working with Chicago-based planner Rachel DeMarte and the bride’s cousin, curator and creative director Alexander May, allowed them to find that perfect balance of timelessness and originality. One big choice the couple made for the wedding day, however? Creating an all-black dress code for guests. “The idea was to neutralize any outfit that might compete with the room itself. Guests teased me by quoting the invitation back, but it worked,” says the bride.
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