Mary Mac's Tea Room

Rehearsal Dinner

Wedding Day

Westminster Presbyterian Church

Ceremony

Round Trip Brewing Company

Reception

Our Wedding

April 20, 2022

Emily and Rafael meet at a church fellowship night

MAY 22, 2022

Rafael asks Emily to coffee after church

MAY 24, 2022

AUGUST 16, 2022

First official date: dinner (Surin of Thailand) and a movie (Top Gun Maverick)

Our Story

Photos

Molly is one of Emily's sisters and despite popular opinion, she is not Emily's twin. Molly is the older, cleaner, more organized, and funnier (Molly's words) of the pretty much lifelong roommates. Molly and Emily have most all of the same interests including but not limited to, cats, line dancing, ballet, solitude, PBS tv shows, nursing, the beach, and pretty much everything else. Emily is excited to have Molly as her maid of honor at the wedding!

Molly Elder

Julian probably knows the groom the best out of anyone, seeing as he had to put up with him for 25 years. He is somewhat of a renaissance man, spending his time pretending to be good at playing jazz piano, coding, painting, cooking, hiking, travelling, and making weird faces. He has also been called other names, such as Rafael, Raffi, or Raf, before. We are still not quite sure why that is.
He’s the best, man.


Julian Laury

Amy is partially responsible for inspiring Emily to be a copycat and become a nurse in the emergency department at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. Amy also has a part time job in flight nursing, which is a boring way to say she engages in a paid extreme sport of taking helicopters around Georgia to save people's lives. During Emily's college years, Amy was her landlord for some time. She has always been very encouraging in Emily's personal and professional life, for which Emily is incredibly grateful. 

Amy Elder

No, that is not an "l", it is a Polish letter that makes a "w"-ish sound. That is one of the first things that Rafal explained to Rafael once they met. This was after a confused 9 year old Rafael, excited to start the 4th grade, noticed that the teachers had misspelled his name on his locker, and had forgotten the "n" for his brother Julian's locker. Turns out, Rafal and his sister Julia had just joined the school. Ever since that got sorted out, Rafael and Rafal have been best friends, only disagreeing about whether Formula 1 is a sport (its not). 

Rafał Muszalski

Katie is the life of every party, but the punchline of every joke. She often makes comments about her siblings' clothing or lifestyle choices, which are usually met with a flurry of blows. She is most often offered cheese with her whine, which she doesn't appreciate. Aside from all of that, Katie has always been interested and involved in Emily's life, ready to offer any advice or just lend an ear. She has an infectious laugh and boundless energy. 

Katie McMichael

Luke met Rafael in 6th grade, and they were immediate best friends and did everything together, until that one day during a certain summer. They were playing soccer, and during a break, Luke picked up a stick to "test his aim", threw it, and hit Rafael directly in the chest. And he was completely fine. That anticlimactic story shows how even through hard times, friends stick together. And that they did, through high school and college until today.

Luke Hunter

Assuming you are not on her blacklist, Elizabeth is the fun, relaxed, next-youngest sister to Emily. She is a talented pianist as well as proud owner of the often misunderstood Great Pyrenees, Bailey. When Elizabeth gets something in her head that needs doing, it is going to get done. She is the self-appointed cop who will make sure everyone is doing exactly what they are supposed to be doing, so stay out of her way. Emily is excited to have Elizabeth as one of her bridesmaids!

Elizabeth Elder

Three international students stranded on campus during Thanksgiving Break could be a recipe for disaster. Instead, it was a recipe for friendship. Josh taught Rafael and Julian the ways of Super Smash Bros Brawl, and they pooled their carrot sticks and Ritz crackers to survive the first world problem of being "stranded" at a college. This friendship was put to a test during a 2,500 mile road trip to Washington for a summer internship, after which Rafael flew back and left Josh to drive back alone. Don't worry, they are all good now (probably).

Joshua Simmons

Grace is Emily's youngest sister and some might say one of the funniest Elders. Many times has she said something and been met with an immediate, "What did you say, Grace?" Among her many quirks, the hardest to understand is her dislike of bacon. Some say she was traumatized in the Camp Westminster kitchens cooking dinners. Others say she has a soft spot for pigs. Emily is honored to have Grace as a bridesmaid!

Grace Elder

Nick Tan, the ping pong man, lord of the pan. His cooking may be unmatched, although his criminal record now contains an entry during March 2022 at which point he decided to fry shrimp paste and thereby poison his five housemates, who are currently pressing charges. Nick has introduced Rafael to a host of good things, including bubble tea and hot pot, and he is always down for an adventure. If you want to annoy him, explain to him how good Pad Thai is.

Nick Tan

Emily does not remember ever meeting Corrie because they have known each other so long. So many of Emily’s favorite childhood memories include Corrie whether it be all the days at camp, art classes, taking classes at their “small private school” or just going over to each other’s houses. One key adult memory was making a home thriller movie with their siblings, if you're lucky, maybe you can be allowed to watch it.  Emily is so grateful that Corrie is part of her life still and for her friendship.


Corrie Felker

Rafael's friendship with Mark was forged through the fires of Mount Lookout in the classrooms of Dr. Stern's Differential Equations and Dr. Petcher's Modern Physics. Mark's constant and unwavering drive for success was always motivating. Other than being a Civil Engineer, Mark is best known for his award winning Halloween costume as Tony Stark, his bone dry humor, his unwavering loyalty, and a very strong handshake.

Mark Roos

Emily and Taia met in ballet class when they were about six years old. Through years of taking class together every week they soon became great friends. Taia was responsible for most everything Emily knew about modern trends and the lingo to use. Fortunately, their friendship was not just a passing trend, Emily is so thankful for Taia’s continued friendship as they have both transitioned to adulthood. 


Taia Galloway

Rafael met Matthew before he met his sister, Emily. They connected over having the same piano teacher, and on how difficult the Moonlight Sonata 3rd. Movement is. After countless Tuesdays going to RUF together, they realized they share interests of Outkast and thrifting. Other than that, he skates, owns a Miata, and he could go pro in Dutch Blitz, but never tell him that or he will gloat incessantly.

Matthew Elder

Sheyenne and Emily met at Emory RUF in 2019. Sheyenne quickly became Emily’s closest friend at Emory and their relationship only strengthened when they battled nursing school together. Sheyenne is a kind and loyal friend and has always been willing to offer advice. Emily has been so grateful for Sheyenne’s friendship as they both have transitioned to nursing jobs and gone through helping each other with wedding planning.


Sheyenne Picklesimer

What started as a surprise mutual interest in Rocket League discovered at a Covenant College internationals dinner turned into what some might call a beautiful friendship. Zachary is as granola as they get, wearing flannels and Chacos while scaling boulders and camping out, or when its raining reading tons of books while drinking coffee and just hanging with people. He is a bulldozer on the soccer field, but a kind, funny and friendly presence off of it.

Zachary Williams

Abby Rose Elder

Ruby Elder

Adelay Elder

Cecelia McMichael

Maggie Mae Elder

Ezra McMichael

Wedding Party

Q + A

Travel and Accomodation Options

Hello out-of-towners! Thank you so much for making the trip in to celebrate with us :D If you are flying in, there is really only one option as far as airports go, and that is Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL). As far as transportation goes, although Atlanta does have a public transit system (MARTA), it does not connect to the church and the reception venue, so a rental car will be required. Here are a couple recommended options for hotels. Some are closer in to the city of Atlanta and positioned between the church and the reception venue, others are closer to the airport.

Centrally located, great if you want to walk and see some sights in Atlanta (e.g. Piedmont Park, Georgia Tech, etc.). About equipdistant to ceremony venue and reception venue.

Hampton Inn & Suites Atlanta Midtown

Close to church, but further from the reception venue.

Courtyard Atlanta Executive Park/Emory

Holiday Inn Express Atlanta Airport - North, an IHG Hotel

Residence Inn Atlanta Buckhead

Things to Do

If you are sticking around till Sunday and are looking for a local church to go to, we highly recommend Westminster Presbyterian Church (the church where the wedding ceremony is taking place). This has been Emily's church since she was very young, and Rafael's since January 2021. It is also where they met, during a Wednesday fellowship night! They have a early service at 8:45am, Sunday school from 10:00-10:50, and a late service at 11:00am.

Located in the thriving East Side near Midtown right on the Beltline, Ponce City Market is a shopping mall in an old Sears building with plenty of interesting shops and restaurants to check out. You can also walk or take an electric scooter down the Beltline and experience the diversity and eclectic nature of the Atlanta locals. Fun fact: Emily and Rafael did this as a date on the day they got engaged!

Ponce City Market

The Georgia Tech campus is only a short walk from Midtown. Not only is it Rafael's Alma Mater, but also it is a beautiful campus to explore with many different green spaces and old buildings as well as new. If you want to make it a scavenger hunt, see if you can find the metallic Einstein statue. If you are arriving by car, you can park for free in the neighborhood just north of campus called Home Park. Fun fact: Rafael used to live on Atlantic Drive, above 14th Street.

Georgia Institute of Technology

Located near Emory (where Emily got her nursing degree), Decature Square has become one of Emily and Rafael's favorite places to go for a night out. The charming square and surrounding area has many unique restaurants, such as Brick Store Pub, Cafe Alsace, and O'Sullivans. If you go, be sure to also check out Butter and Cream, one of Emily and Rafael's favorites. The Square is reachable by MARTA or by car.

Emily & Rafael

Emily & Rafael

E&R

Wedding Day

Ceremony

Reception