Anna and Oli’s Race & Religious wedding was something out of a fairy tale. It had a seemingly malevolent arc that would make you worry a bit about how the day will pan out, but Anna and Oli’s love for one another is undoubtedly something that even Disney couldn’t contrive. Despite raining cats and dogs all over their venue, decor and table runners Anna and Oli bore the rain and said I do while surrounded by their closest family and friends.
I always love learning about how two people came to desire spending every waking moment together, and so, I asked Anna and Oli how they knew the other was their person and they shared their answers below:
Anna – When Oli and I met while traveling in Europe one summer, there was an instant connection. I was immediately captivated by him. He was witty, smart, adorable, and our banter was on point. I had never felt so instantly drawn to someone before. Seeing as we lived on different continents, I didn’t think that anything more than friendship was possible. Well, Snapchats turned to WhatsApp conversations which turned into Skype sessions and before I knew it I was bearing my soul to someone thousands of miles away. We decided that our connection was one that we couldn’t ignore and we needed to meet again in person to determine if it was real, or if we were just romanticizing things in our head. And so I bought a plane ticket.
I was a bundle of nerves getting off the plane, but the second I saw his face I instantly felt at ease and all of my anxiety, what ifs and nervousness was gone. In this instant, I knew he COULD be the one. He’s been easing all my troubles ever since (a difficult task seeing as I’m more than a little high strung). After that day, it was a gradual process that confirmed that he was, indeed, the one for me. Lots of laughs, tears, travels, experiences, conversations, planning, an unfortunate bout of food poisoning in a hut in Costa rica, and a cross country trip in a TINY teardrop trailer solidified our love. Slowly, something that once seemed impossible became something I couldn’t imagine doing life without.
Oli – Knowing Anna was ‘the one’ for me was both immediate and gradual. I knew from the day I met her I wanted to get to know her better and I was drawn to her. My love for her has grown and is growing through every trip, adventure and every second I’m with her .We first met in a hostel in Budapest and we hit it off from the start. I vowed to send Anna a letter, which I did. Letters turned into Snapchat, Whatsapp and Skype. She made the long journey over to England to visit me and it was like living in a dream. After seeing Anna again in England, I realized that we HAD to make what we originally thought was impossible, possible.
I’ve always been independent and frankly used to like it that way, but Anna completely changed that. I very quickly found myself being obsessed with her. I’ve found myself opening up in a way I never thought I would to another person. She’s funny, kind and is incredibly intelligent and compassionate, and I can’t remember what it was like without Anna in my life, nor do I want to!
We spent a lot of time going back and forth to England and America, with a lot of teary goodbyes. One summer we embarked on a road trip across America and when I left America, I knew the next time I returned I would ask Anna to marry me.
Race & Religious was the perfect setting for this incredible wedding day (and they also have a phenomenal draining system that ought to be noted more often). Anna looked like a princess thanks to Glam on Location and wore the most stunning gown by Hayley Paige. Her shoes (or should I say Choo’s) were out of this world… Oli was naturally wearing a wool suit by TM Lewin. Antigua Floral had the most diligent and hard-working team and made some serious magic alongside Firefly Ambience – both of which worked incredibly hard to make sure everything was set up despite the delay put on by the weather. The gorgeous tables and furniture were provided by LoveGood Rentals and Sweet Life Baker stole the show with their incredible shag cake. Ralph Brennan’s kept everyone happy and well fed – so important. And of course, YESKATEYES kept the party going by perfectly mixing Oli’s love of Oasis throughout the dancefloor.
I also asked Anna and Oli to share their favorite moments from their wedding day and their responses were just too sweet to not share.Anna – The whole wedding was a DREAM, and also a blur. Note, that I didn’t say “the whole day” because the lead up to the wedding was a bit stressful, with the torrential downpours prior to the ceremony (see my high strung comment above). One moment that stands out in my mind, was when we were taking our portraits. I was honestly so upset because it was POURING outside. Raining all over my beautiful flowers, and carefully planned details, and I was distraught (RIP emerald green table runners). Then as we were standing in the darkened bedroom attempting to take serious pictures, I couldn’t stop laughing and smiling. I looked at Oli and in that moment, I didn’t care if we got married outside during a tornado, I was finally getting to marry the best manboy on the planet. There he was again, easing my troubles per usual. There were tons of great memories, but that specific moment is one I reflect on and think about how lucky I am.
There were also all the tears. So. many. tears. Oli is quite the softy so I expected him to get a little emotional, but his reaction to literally EVERYTHING the whole day was to cry. Not just tear up, we’re talking ugly cry. During our first look, I swear he was bawling before he even turned around and saw me. It was so sweet, and made me feel so special and loved. I’m not sure he feels the same way about the waterworks though. He has said more than once, that he’s so sorry he “ruined the pictures” with his face looking like “a baboon’s bottom”. I, personally, think that made everything a thousand times better. I love his ugly cry face. He is the sweetest.
Another favorite memory from the day was my dance with my dad. We had carefully chosen an Etta James song that was fun, and suited us. What my dad didn’t know, is that I asked the DJ to switch to a Chingy song in the middle of our dance. My dad’s love of Chingy has been a running joke in my family since 2003. After that, any time ANY rap song came on the radio he liked he would say “is this Chingy???” excitedly. You should have seen his face when “Right Thurr” started playing during our dance. It was hilarious.
My sister, as a whole, STOLE THE SHOW. Her attire was fabulous, she was the life of the party, and I wasn’t even a little surprised when she rapped her MOH speech to the rhythm of the Fresh Prince theme song. She also started the pool party portion of reception. No surprise there. She should win a matron of honor award. I’m honestly thinking people should start hiring her to go to their weddings, and be the party starter. She’s so fun, and I’m so lucky to have her.
It was also so great to have all of the people who are special to us together in one place. I have so many different friends from different times in my life and different circles. Having EVERYONE in one place was unreal. Then making it even better, was how well my special people and Oli’s special people got along. They had an absolute blast together the whole weekend. You would’ve thought that they had all been friends forever. It didn’t hurt that our fabulous DJ did a perfect job mixing my request for “middle school dance” music with Oli’s love of Oasis. The reception was such a jamfest/dance party, which is exactly what we wanted. Apparently Kentucky+England=one hell of a party. We both have exquisite taste in people, if I do say so myself.
Oli – One of my favourite memories was the second line. I had just put a ring on my best friend, I was followed by some of the best family and friends I could ever wish for and there was an incredible atmosphere. The brass band playing, hankies were swaying, I had Anna’s hand in mine and I was just on cloud nine. I couldn’t stop smiling and I remember wishing that we could do that every day (I still wish we could).
Another of my favourite memories was when the spotlight was taken off us slightly. It was when we were all seated for food. The skies had cleared, the tables looked beautiful and the lighting was incredible. Race and Religious was a mini paradise and the whole atmosphere was euphoric. Anna and I were watching our friends and family mix, drink, eat, sing and do whatever they were doing. I watched my friends sing Oasis, watched them mingle with Anna’s friends and just watching them have a whale of a time. I had Anna, the most beautiful bride by my side and my family to my left. I told myself to remember all of the emotions and atmosphere at that point in time, but I just can’t sum it up in words.
