Laurel Hill State Park

Welcoming Party

The Hayloft

Wedding Day

Ceremony

Our Wedding

Unbeknown to them, Rachel and Ethan spent 3 overlapping years adjacent to each other in the halls of Robinson Secondary School. Exchanging infrequent glances in the junior locker bay amongst other friends, they knew of each other but had never spoken a word. That is, until one fateful day in 2019 when Ethan so romantically added Rachel on snapchat to begin talking to her. With Ethan beginning his sophomore year of college at St. Vincent and Rachel beginning her freshman year at TCU, the two young lovebirds slowly got to know each other long distance. Being a 24 hour drive and a time zone apart, the future of something serious did not immediately seem possible. But as fate would have it, a combination of Ethan's great charm (guess who added that part) and the COVID era that sent college students back to their hometowns allowed the young couple to spend much more time together. In the coming months, as Rachel studied Japanese over the summer of 2020, Ethan continued to interrupt her studying to take her on dates as they got to know each other. They finally started dating (in an official sort of sense) in the fall of 2020- right as they were heading back to college. Although it seemed intimidating at first, long distance ended up being a huge blessing for their relationship. They were forced to find intentionality with scheduled calls and FaceTime dates, devotionals every weekend, and prayer every morning before Ethan's lacrosse practices and Rachel's ROTC training. They grew closer than they could've predicted over the next year, and their relationship only continued to flourish as they saw each other during breaks back home and made time to visit each other's college towns. During one visit to Ethan in October of 2020 (pictured below), Rachel realized they weren't far from the place she grew up going to camp &amp; found Jesus- Summer's Best Two Weeks (SB2W)! As they drove down that day, they had no idea what an impact that place would have on the future and formation of their relationship to come. During the summer of 2021, Ethan &amp; Rachel were both counselors at SB2W and had the time of their lives caring for kids, meeting lifelong friends, and sending 4-page love lines back and forth. It all ended too soon, however, as they returned back to their respective college states. After a few months of misguided time apart in the name of long distance difficulty, Ethan &amp; Rachel couldn't stay away from each other (you should hear the way their friends tell it) upon returning to camp in 2022. With Rachel on leadership, Ethan in the kitchen, and Doug playing cupid behind the scenes, it was the perfect combination for God to begin intertwining their lives again- forever this time. Ethan and Rachel moved forward with a strong conviction about each other and eventual marriage, realizing how much better their lives were together. In the fall of 2022, Rachel flew to London to study Business for her senior year, and Ethan started his life in the "real world" as a part of the Pittsburgh Fellows Program. Learning how to strive for excellence and integrate Christ into every aspect of life (shameless Fellows plug) only strengthened Ethan's relationship with God and led him closer to Rachel- despite their 6 hour time difference. He even went to visit her and they traveled around Corfu, Athens, and London together. Soon enough Rachel graduated college and was accepted into the next class of the Pittsburgh Fellows! For the first time, Ethan and Rachel would live life together in the same city. They made lots of friends, visited their families in Virginia frequently, and went on many date nights that WEREN'T over FaceTime. After Rachel's Fellows year (summer of 2024), the two took an amazing trip to Europe with 2 of their close friends. Among many other countries with their own adventures, they visited L'abri- a Christian community center in the Swiss alps. As they sought answers to their own spiritual questions, Ethan was also seeking... Rachel's hand in marriage!! One day near the end of their trip, while on the most beautiful and remote hike of their lives, Ethan winked back at their friends, pulled Rachel up onto an elevated rock, and got down on one knee. After a moment of freaking out (no, she genuinely was not expecting it), Rachel asked if Ethan was going to say anything, to which he responded "Rachel, will you marry me?" The rest is history! She said yes (or at least made sounds in a way that resembled a yes) before they cried together, soaked in the moment, and celebrated for the next couple of days. Truth be told, over the course of Ethan and Rachel's 6+ years together, there have been many challenges amidst the joy. They've grown in unimaginable ways, and have always found a way to return to each other with grace and open arms- just as The Heavenly Father has outstretched arms for every of us. They hope that through faith, they will never stop learning about each other, and will one day write love story for the books! Now that you're all caught up, we ask you to join us in prayer for the rest of "Our Story"- that it would be long lived, full of laughter, and always with God at the center of everything.

Our Story

Q + A

Photos

Here is our hotel block! We will have a shuttle service to and from the venue from this location. With Uber's and other means of transportation scarce in the area, please make sure you have a designated driver for the night or take advantage of the shuttle! Here are some extra notes from our generous host at the hotel on how to reserve.&nbsp;They can call the hotel directly at 814.445.9161 and mention the wedding.They can book online at Hampton.com. They would select the location and dates, then under “Special Rates” They would enter “914” under “Group Code”.&nbsp;Just a note, their check in time is at 3 pm. They do their best to accommodate early check ins from 1pm on; however, they cannot guarantee early check ins. If you need to arrive earlier, I would suggest booking the night prior or spending some time exploring the area before 3pm!

Hampton Inn Somerset

We will have a shuttle service available the day of the wedding. The shuttle will leave from Hampton Inn Somerset at 3:15 to head to the venue, and will have two trips leaving the venue; 9:30PM and 10:30 PM. There is plenty of parking at the venue, but if you plan to drink we would kindly ask to take the shuttle to have a safe night! You are free to drive to the venue and take the shuttle back.

Showtime Entertainment Services

Pittsburgh International Airport

For out of towners flying in, Pitt International Airport is roughly 1.5 hours away from the venue. There are plenty of rental cars available- including a group discount listed below!

Please feel free to use the following discount code for our wedding CDP: 2187703. All you need to do is enter the CDP when making the reservation and the system will automatically pull the best available rate.&nbsp;

Hertz Car Rental - Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT)

There are many more cute places in the area- we encourage you to look around for the best place to spend your weekend getaway with us!

AirBnB Recommendations!! 

https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dcnr/recreation/where-to-go/state-parks/find-a-park/laurel-hill-state-park.html

Camping at Laurel Hill State Park

Travel

Go for a hike &amp; enjoy the beautiful Laurel Mountains by going to a state where Ethan and Rachel have spent countless dates!

Laurel Ridge State Park

Rent bikes or kayaks, go fishing, or do our favorite- whitewater rafting!

Ohiopyle Trading Post and River Tours

Forbes Trail Brewing Company (Somerset, PA):"Microbrewery offering a constantly changing variety of house-made beers, seltzers, ciders &amp; root beer as well as other Pennsylvania made wines &amp; spirits." Trailhead Brewing Company (Rockwood, PA):"I walked into the brewery and was greeted by the raging sounds of these two awesome geezers playing Blackhearts and Steppenwolf covers, so excellent, so Pennsylvania. Trailhead doesn't have a full food menu, but there was a food truck serving some magical barbecue." Whitehorse Brewing (Berlin, PA):"This small brewery makes delicious beer. It's tucked away in a quiet neighborhood, so don't assume your GPS is sending you the wrong way as you pull up in what looks like a private driveway."

Local Breweries

Stop by St. Vincent College (Ethan's alma mater) to see the oldest Benedictine monastery in the United States and the largest in the Western Hemisphere. It is a beautiful area; also home to surrounding hiking trails (our favorite is Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve) and the cute town of Latrobe.

Saint Vincent College

The bride and groom have an impressive list together titled "Diners Ethan and Rachel have been to in Western PA"... here are the 3 that they find most charming: The Coal Miner's Diner (Jennerstown, PA)"The food in the Café was great, plentiful, and inexpensive." The Diamond Cafe (Ligonier, PA)"Small old fashioned cafe tucked in a corner off the beautiful downtown circle. Odd and ends of decor from teddy bears to Elvis memorabilia." Youngstown Grille (Youngstown, PA)- an hour drive, but our favorite:"Small, cozy and casual atmosphere. The prices are excellent." (Breakfast here, especially with french toast, is incredible!)

Local Diners

Visit the beautiful and historic landmark for the tragic crash of flight 93 on 9/11/2001.

Ethan & Rachel

Ethan & Rachel

Photos