Rocky grew up in Wheeling West Virginia and Rebecca grew up in Ithaca New York. Their lives would not have overlapped except for the Cornell connection and story below!

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How did the two of you meet?

It all started back in Ithaca at a 40th birthday party; Cornell, football and wine tasting!

Allie asked Rebecca for some wineries to celebrate Barrett’s birthday. Coincidently, Rebecca was back home in Ithaca for the month of August 2022 and joined the party. Knowing only those two, she quickly made friends with the rest of the party, made of Cornell football friends and their significant others.

Sometime at the second winery and a few glasses in, Rebecca ended up chatting with a girl named Amy and her husband Clayton. As Rebecca recalls, Amy was shocked that she was still single and insisted she had the perfect man for her; Amy’s brother-in-law Rocky! The football guys overheard and the whole crew was insistent that this Rocky guy was the best. Rebecca was very excited, shared this news with her parents (that she just met this couple from West Virginia who sounded just like her cousin Jake and they have a brother to set her up with).

Meanwhile, Rocky received a text and photo mid-day on Saturday from Amy of her and this pretty girl who lived in Austin. Rocky, mindful of the distance between Austin and Wheeling, along with the busy schedules that each maintained, was hesitant at first to pursue.

However, five months later, Rebecca got an Instagram friend request from Rocky.

They had their first date in Austin on February 24, 2023.

What was your favorite memory of your wedding day?

Rebecca – all of it. Getting ready was fun. But the ceremony was so special. I remember being fully focused and taking everything in. Janet performed a beautiful ceremony and I loved incorporating our friends and family in. The lake with the light rain and the sun made for a magical time and everyone that we loved was under the tent with us. I smile thinking of my last friend reading the passage about rain, while it’s raining and the whole tent laughs together. What an incredible feeling to have those moments with so many special people.
Rocky – the ceremony. Standing there and holding hands with Rebecca with the beautiful backdrop and all of our friends and family looking on. It was very imitate atmosphere and it’s etched in my mind. I can replay those moments in my mind with great detail.

What were the main influences behind the style of your wedding, its location and your venue choice for your big day?

It’s funny because Rebecca originally applied to Cornell’s Hotel School with the goal to graduate and become a wedding planner. That dream changed pretty quickly but a theme continued. She worked during her Senior year in college as a wedding bartender at The Aurora Inn. And since then, major family events and milestones are celebrated at The Aurora Inn, birthdays, anniversaries. On one of Rocky’s initial visits to Ithaca, he joined Rebecca and her parents to celebrate her mom’s birthday, and also fell in love with The Aurora Inn. When we engaged, everyone wanted to book The Aurora Inn, and luckily, there was one last wedding weekend left for 2024. And a wedding was planned in less than four months.
For design influences, we wanted to keep the wedding very elegant but approachable, meaningful and fun. The colors of black and white were chosen to allow the natural colors of the beautiful lakeside setting to showcase itself. This was then combined with classic design of The Aurora Inn for a very graceful wedding!
And lastly, it was very meaningful for all the guests and relatives to join us in Ithaca! Some guests hadn’t been back to visit for a while and others had never been. Ithaca is a special place for both families so it was important to have meaning in all parts of our wedding.

What would your top tips be for somebody planning their wedding?

Find the right vendors! Spend time researching and meeting the vendors to make sure they’re the right match for you.

What made you decide to hire a wedding videographer? Any tips for couples on the fence for a film?

We wanted to capture memories in another form aside from photography. Video is such an amazing way to really showcase the wedding.

What did you like about working with me?

Your attitude and positivity! Anytime we spoke with you during the planning process or during the actual wedding, you always had a smile on your face and were so upbeat and happy. That really made us feel at ease and created a level of trust for the whole process.