Wedding Shower

Elopement

Fall

Our Wedding

Brendan and I met in July 2022 on Hinge. Brendan was working as a paralegal in Everett and preparing for Law School while I was working as a Social Worker in Mill Creek. Brendan messaged me however I opened it and never responded- unintentionally ghosting him. After a few days, he obviously couldn't stop thinking about me and sent me a follow up message to which I finally responded. We connected right away and quickly exchanged numbers. I even broke my rule about android users just for him (as an iPhone user, I despise green messages lol).Our first date was blueberry picking at a farm in Snohomish followed by brunch at First and Union. He spent hours in the heat wave of August 2022 picking berries and listening to me yap.I loved right away how open, kind and caring Brendan truly was. He never complained when I changed plans last minute, called him 30 times in a row because I had little anxious thoughts throughout the day, or quite literally spoke for hours at a time about nonsense. We became inseparable, spending almost every weekend together. When Brendan began law school in Seattle, he decided to move from Everett to Capitol Hill. He was committed to not only being present in our relationship but also creating intentional time to be with one another. Brendan would drive from Seattle to Snohomish almost every Friday after I got off work and we would spend the weekend book shopping, lego building or trying out new restaurants. Even on our laziest day, we never grew bored of one another. We committed ourselves to growing in our relationship and showing interest in each other's hobbies and favorite things. For example, Brendan is a huge Marvel fan. I am a huge Friends fan. We agreed that if I watched all the Marvel movies and tv shows, he would sit down and watch all 10 seasons of friends. We are home bodies at heart. We have spent countless hours building legos to complete Brendan's collection, spending Friday nights with take out and finishing puzzles or playing board games until Brendan loses and accuses me of cheating (it isn't cheating, it is just using things to your advantage Brendan). After nearly 2 years of the back and forth drive, we moved into a house in Seattle together in May 2024 where we now live with our four pets. We have Honey and Nori, our two Korean Jindos as well as our 2 cats, Arthur and Ferguson. In February 2024, while at our favorite bookstore, Third Place Books, Brendan proposed. Now, most people would assume this was a surprise however for me, it was hard to ignore the signs. For example, Brendan asked me WEEKS in advance to keep 2/2/25 free. He also continuously asked me "you are going to get your nails done 2/1/25 right?". lol. The kicker was he thought it would be cute to merge our calendars. While scrolling through our schedules one evening I noticed he put "TODAY'S THE DAY" in bold highlighted letters on 2/2/25. So in the romance book aisle, he asked me to marry him. And then I gave him an awkward thumbs up. He knows I don't love crowds or a lot of attention so later that night, he re-proposed in our home with just us two. He placed petals and candles in our living room with balloons and ribbons along the wall and floor. He had even brought over the two lego character we had created for each other and staged it as the Brendan lego proposing to the Rachael lego. While our days mostly consist of working now that Brendan is finished with Law School, we still strive for creating intentional time whether that is cooking together, going on movie dates, exploring new coffee shops and bookstores or simply spending time at home. We are so excited for this next chapter and a chance to celebrate each other and our love with you all!

Our story

Our Story

Photo Gallery

Q + A

Registry

Hotels near our venue

Megan

Ashley

Caitlin

Lauren

Maddie

Ryan

Rachel

Alex

Antonio

Casey

Evan

Mina

Spencer

Nathan 

Lujan

Wedding Party

Visit our proposal spot! We have fallen in love with this bookstore and would highly recommend stopping by for all our book lovers!

Third Place Books

Looking for a good brunch place? Check out our favorite spot near Snohomish. When traveling back and forth from my apartment in Snohomish to Brendan's apartment in Seattle, we would often stop in for brunch. The cinnamon roll is a must try!

Maltby Cafe

If you like Thai food, we would recommend trying out our favorite Thai spot down the street from our Seattle home. Brendan's go to order is a level 5 Crispy Chicken while mine is the Chicken Drunken Noodles

2CThai Bistro & Spirits

We love Grain bakery! Not only are they gluten free, but they offer amazing and unique desserts, coffee and classes! I would recommend their earl grey cake along with their lavender latte. Take some time to stroll down first street in Snohomish while you are there!

Grain Artisan Bakery + Market

We love this little local German bakery located near our Seattle home. Not only do they offer different pastries, desserts and take-home items but they also make a delicious coffee :)

Kaffeeklatsch Seattle

As we are committed to sustainability and supporting local businesses, we also have included our favorite thrift store on Whidbey island- WAIF thrift. This thrift store donates back to the community and local homeless pets needing food and medical attention.

WAIF Thrift Store

One of our favorite Mexican food places for when we want something quick and comforting. Brendan and I first went when moving to Seattle and it quickly became a tradition to go after a hard day at work, at school, to celebrate accomplishments or just have a lazy day on the couch.

Aceituno's Mexican Food

Located in Brendan's hometown of Monroe, this is one of our favorite date night locations. Beautiful views, great consistent food and lovely staff!

El Paraiso Mexican Grill Monroe

One of my favorite used bookstores. Twice sold tales is in Ballard and is run John and his cat Beau.&nbsp;Nothing is better to me than floor to ceiling books and a cat roaming the aisles.

Twice Sold Tales

Contos was a staple in the Woldstad household growing up with their amazing pizza and grinders and quickly became one of our favorite places to go as well.

Contos Pizza & Pasta

One of our most frequented coffee drive thrus when we were living in Snohomish and now when we visit Monroe.

Snoho Mojo

This is right next to our venue on the water. Would highly recommend stopping by for great food, shops and activities right on the water :)

Point Ruston

One of our favorite walking trails is Green Lake. It is a beautiful walk complete with a coffee shop at the entrance.

Rachael + Brendan

Rachael + Brendan

R&B