The Wedding Story of Rachael and Patrick Abood

Rachael and Patrick met while working for the same country club while she was a junior at Michigan State University. The next four years were as fun as they were romantic as their love for each other grew more and more each day. Walking through the botanical gardens on MSU’s campus was a favorite pastime of theirs early in the relationship and, on the day Patrick proposed, they found themselves in the same spot. When their dog took off after hearing a bark, Patrick acted quickly as not to spoil his plans. He reached for Rachael's hand as she began running after the dog, turned her around and pulled out a wooden box, asking if she would marry him. And the rest was history as they say!

Rachael and Patrick didn’t start making any decisions for about a month after the engagement. “We enjoyed looking through bridal magazines and casually searching the Interwebs for everything from venues and local vendors to florals and color palettes,” explains Rachael. She adds, “I’m really indecisive and I also appreciate so many different styles and colors and trends, etc. I figured we would first select the venue, and then that would help guide us on the color palette and everything else.”

The couple chose the Grand Rapids Art Museum as their venue for many reasons. Rachael says, “We liked the fact that everything could happen in one venue, but different places within the venue. (Although the weather could have been an issue) We also loved the idea of having an outdoor ceremony and cocktail hour. We were also able to open one of the exhibits up for an hour which we thought was a unique detail for guests to enjoy. The minimalism of the venue was also attractive. Once we decided on the GRAM, that became our main inspo because we wanted the décor to work with the venue, not overpower or contrast it.”

Rachael purchased her beautiful "Mikaella" dress from Renee Austin Wedding in Grand Rapids.

Special touches are always important in any wedding. For this couple, it meant including cocktail hour apps using their fave bruschetta and the chips from Rachael’s family’s restaurant, carefully crafting their music selections and leaving three open seats with roses in memory of their grandfathers who had passed away.

In addition to planning their entire wedding (with the help of family), the couple also solicited help from their loved ones in assembling the two-tier wedding cake for cutting on the day-of (since their bakery did not do wedding cakes) and created their escort card holders out of wine bottle corks.

The florist designed bouquets made of natural wildflowers, assorted greenery and tropical foliage and infused fresh Birds of Paradise as centerpieces. The sophisticated ivory tones made for an overall fresh, light and airy palette. 

 

 

Advice From the Bride

Rachael says, “Don’t stress! It’s fun planning a big party and obviously you want everything to be perfect, but remember the purpose of why you’re throwing the party. At the end of the day, you get to marry your best friend, and if you can remember that, the day will be perfect.”

What We Love

Rachael says, “I found out about WeddingDay Magazine through the research planning phase. I think I used a couple of magazines and also the website/blog for inspo. I like that it focused on Midwest weddings.”

 

 

 

 

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