Loving in the Rain

from All About Weddings 2023

Tracy & Marcus

by Jordyn Daniels

Rain fell on a concrete path between rows of family members sheltered under clear umbrellas as Tristan prepared for his bride to be. Spindly trees and white flowers lined the outside of the ceremony perfectly placed to match the noir scene of guests dressed in all black. The cellist began playing the self-composed melody, alerting the group to turn and see Sadie. Her dress is lace, a-line, and backless. Her pearl studded veil trails behind with her floor-length gown. On an overcast and rainy day such as this, most brides would be concerned about the rain. Sadie and Tristan welcomed it, as it matched the spooky, rebellious scene that they worked over a year to create.

Sadie and Tristan are both active members of the military at the Fayetteville base. After brief meetings, and stints of online messaging, Sadie took a leap, driving to Tristan’s barracks with coffee.

“From that day till now, unless it was for work, we have not spent a day apart from each other and I feel like to have a bond that's that raw and authentic, you're not gonna find that with someone who you're not supposed to be with for the rest of your life,” Sadie said.

Not long after falling for each other in August of 2021, Sadie got word of needing to be deployed to Afghanistan. Concerned of what may come, the couple decided to have an impromptu courthouse marriage. After the courthouse, the deployment that led to the quick wedding was canceled. Sadie and Tristan saw this as an opportunity to celebrate their love amongst friends and family.

“Shortly after we got married in the courthouse is when we started planning our actual wedding,” Sadie said.

About 6 months into wedding planning Sadie got deployed to Europe, leaving Tristan and the wedding planner to prepare for the big day. Planning the

Continued on next page wedding was more than Tristan expected, he was relieved to have the help of the wedding planner, Leigh Harrow.

“For the gentlemen out there, who like me, never thought about planning a wedding before in their lives, I'd say, find a way to be supportive,” Tristan said. “I know that it's overwhelming and you may have no idea what you're looking at, but find a way to be supportive and take loads off where you can. If you're not going to be actively picking the flower arrangements, and actively picking the flower that's being used, find other things to do to be supportive because it's so stressful.”

This was the first time that the two had been apart since the day she showed up with coffee, and understandably when she returned, they were eager to be together again. On the morning of the wedding, the couple sat together for breakfast to prepare for the stress of the day of the wedding.

“I call him my emotional support husband,” Sadie said, “ I don’t like to go anywhere without him. So, on the morning of, we got up and had breakfast until I had to go and get ready.”

In classic mountain fashion, it was colder than usual.

“The dress was stunning..” Tristan said. Tears streamed down his face when she walked down the aisle. So much had led to this moment. They wrote their own vows - Sadie, being the prepared one, wrote her vows well in advance, and Tristan wrote his the morning of. While listening to Tristan recite his vows, Sadie got so caught up in his bewitching vows, that when it came her turn she was silent.

“In the moment I looked at him and said, ‘Tristan I don’t remember them anymore’” Sadie said, “There’s another tip: if you're going to write your own vows, be sure to write them down and bring them with you!”

The venue is in West Jefferson and it is called Twickenham House. They purchased a package from the venue that included decorations, a wedding planner and day of coordinator, and boarding for guests. The venue reached out to a local restaurant, Morchella Provisions, known for their European-inspired boutique eats. Heatherly Events & Flower Design provided the stunning white florals.

Sadie and Tristan look back on their wedding day with love and laughter. Neither of them would change a thing. With love like that, even rain at an outdoor wedding seems like a lucky surprise.