Rachelle & Jeff’s Nashville Love Story

Love Story

Jul 23

On July 25th, 2021, Rachel and Jeff will join with family and friends to celebrate their love and to renew their vows after 17 years of marriage.

Rachel and Jeff first met while volunteering at an extracurricular activity in high school when they were just 16 years old. They hit it off immediately and dated for the next year and a half. After high school, they broke up and went their separate ways. Several years later, however, after living through the tragic events of 9/11 in New York City, Jeff decided to reach out to Rachel, after years of no communication. The two picked up right where they had left off and have been together ever since. They were engaged in 2003 and were married a year later.

Two years into their marriage, Rachel began experiencing some perplexing health issues. She had come down with a virus that would not go away and was enduring extreme fatigue and heart issues. After several months, she decided to see an autonomic doctor at Vanderbilt. While it took nearly a year and a half to get a diagnosis, the news that she received was heartbreaking. She was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, an incredibly rare condition that breaks down the connective tissue in your body.

Despite her diagnosis, Rachel pursued her academic career with tenacity, receiving a masters and doctorate degree from the University of Pennsylvania and landing a professorship at Vanderbilt. By 2014, Rachel was learning to cope with her disease, while juggling her career and the couple decided to adopt a baby. When their son was just two, her illness took a grave turn.

The past five years have seen many ups and downs for Rachel and Jeff as Rachel’s disease has continued to progress. In addition to sadly having to quit her career, Rachel’s pain and constant headaches are often debilitating and she requires help with most daily functions. She is trying to remain hopeful and to soak up what time she has left with her little family.

We were blessed to have met Rachel and Jeff and are honored to help them renew their vows. We teamed up with dear our friend, Laurie D’Anne Events and cannot wait to see what she has planned for our sweet couple.

As with our other collaborations, Laurie brought on board an incredible team of wish granters who are ready to shower our couple with all of the love.

Special advanced thanks to this fine crew:

Planning and Design: Laurie D’Anne Events

Planning Assist: Premier W.E.D.

Venue: The Estate at Cherokee Dock

Catering: G Catering

Photography: Kathy Thomas Photography

Videography: Ever Creative

Florist: T Villager Designs

DJ: Entertain!

Beauty: One 10 Beauty

Cake: Baked in Nashville

Lighting: Nashville Audio Visual