Gone too soon - RIP, Rachel.

I posted about this on Facebook last month, but wanted to post here as well, as today would have been Rachel & Hao’s third wedding anniversary.

I met Hao about six years ago, when he moved in a few houses down from us (with my son, actually). He was full of energy and personality and talked about Rachel every chance he got. I couldn’t wait to meet her and when I finally did, I could see exactly why he was so smitten’. She has one of the biggest smiles I’ve ever seen and she just radiated kindness.

I was absolutely honored, when they asked if I would be their wedding photographer. We had a great time during their engagement session, so I knew their big day would be fun. And I was right. It was an amazing day, at a beautiful venue, with a couple that was madly in love. The way those two looked at each other…you could FEEL how in love they were.

On February 29th, Rachel was in a fatal car accident, on her way to work as a kindergarten teacher. She and her family moved back to her hometown of Glide, Oregon, a few years ago. So, not only are her husband and family missing her, but there’s also a group of kindergarteners, a school, and an entire community feeling her loss.

This is not the first bride of mine to pass away, but this one is definitely the hardest and seems the most unfair. She was only 27 years old.

Although I shared Rachel and Hao’s wedding photos back in 2021 (you can view that blog post HERE), I thought I’d do something different for this blog post. Instead of sharing the photos that essentially show a summary of the whole day, I wanted to share photos that focused specifically on Rachel and her beautiful smile.

Hao, I am so incredibly sorry for your loss. I cannot even begin to imagine what you have gone through or what you will continue to go through. You and Rachel will forever be on my mind and in my heart.

RIP, Rachel.