Rachel and Alexander met in 2018 through a dating app. “Alex actually read my profile and asked me who was my favorite Marvel character. After several days of messaging each other, we met up in person for a first date– that lasted 72 hours. We were pretty much inseparable from the start.”
The couple got engaged on the third anniversary of their first date. “Playing off of what initially started our conversation, I purchased a replica Mjollnir, or Thor’s hammer, which I placed on our patio table with a card underneath it. When Rachel woke up, she came outside to the patio to water her plants and saw the hammer on the table. She asked what it was, and I told her I didn’t know, but I couldn’t move it. When she easily picked it up, she saw the note underneath, which reworked the Marvel quote about who can wield Thor’s hammer into a marriage proposal. After exclaiming, ‘Is this real?!’ she said yes.”
The Jewish ceremony was officiated by Rachel’s childhood camp friend, now a rabbi, who specializes in wedding ceremonies where one half of the couple is Jewish and the other is not. “The ceremony blended pieces of a traditional Jewish ceremony with a non-denominational one so that everyone’s traditions were included and respected. When it came time to smash the glass at the end of the ceremony, both of us smashed one as a modern twist on the tradition.”
“Citizen’s Ballroom was the bank that Rachel’s parents first used when they moved to Frederick. We integrated Rachel’s love of florals and our mutual love of bright colors and Marvel movie characters to create a vibe that was uniquely us. We wanted it to be colorful, bright, and formal looking while still being down-to-earth and accessible.”
Rachel works in Human Resources for a trade association in Washington, D.C., and Alex is a primary spine practitioner and sports chiropractor. They reside in Frederick.
First dance: “Only Want to Be With You” by Dusty Springfield, covered by Hope Winter
Honeymoon: Hawaii
Vendors
Venue: Citizen’s Ballroom
Planning: Taryn Blake Events
Photography: Jessica Nazarova Photography
Catering: Farmacy Café & Catering
Custom Tux: Benchmark Clothiers
Dress: Elegance by Roya
Dessert: Bake House
Flowers: Steelcut Flower Company
Decor: A to Z Event Rentals
Hair & Makeup: Six East Salon
Stationery: JesSmith Designs
Entertainment: Klock Entertainment
Transportation: First Charter
Officiant: Rabbi Jen Gubitz of Modern Jewish Couples
Travel: Heather Christopher Travel
