Rachel Elizabeth Lancaster and John Latané Lewis V were those friends who kept insisting there was nothing romantic between them, until they gave into everyone’s repeated asking of “Why won’t you just date already?” From their first date at Up & Up in Greenwich Village, Rachel felt like she’d found her person.
And two-and-a-half years later, Jack proposed in Spain; Rachel was surely surprised. “Bonus points to my brother who was proposing to his girlfriend that weekend, which further convinced me we weren’t getting engaged,” she shares. “I trotted off to Europe with my nails done bright red. Jack planned a hike between the towns of San Sebastian and Pasai Donibane. We trekked quite a long way and wondered if we may be lost. Then, the ocean came into view and Jack got on one knee to propose.”
Wanting their wedding to feel like a mini vacation for everyone, the couple chose to host everyone at Keswick Hall in Charlottesville, Virginia, in the spring. Lane Stewart Events planned everything, while Kylie Martin and WhiteFlair Productions were on-hand to lens special moments. Sue Corral Ink set the tone with a beautiful invitation suite.
Rachel’s favorite part of wedding planning was finding her fashion in NYC with her mother. For the first night, she chose a custom dress by Samuelle Couture. And for the following day—as she was getting married in a church—Rachel chose a traditional drop-waist dress by Sahar Fotouhi, found at Spina Bride. She accessorized with her grandmother’s pearls and a bouquet by Tupelo Floral Company and had her hair done by a team from Grace Salon. That night, the bride changed into a blush Amsale dress, followed by a raw silk set from Reformation with Dior slingbacks.
On May 24, 2025, Rachel walked down the aisle at St. Paul’s Memorial Church, and Reverend Will Peyton married the couple. “I didn’t know how I would feel when the doors opened and I would walk down the aisle—nerves, emotion, etc.,” the bride reflects. “When I did get to that moment, I felt nothing but joy. Walking down the aisle with my dad, I have never had a bigger grin on my face. After the ceremony, everyone was recounting how I was ‘bouncing’ the whole time.”
Once officially married, a horn section from EastCoast Entertainment led the newlyweds’ grand entrance with the wedding party. “A packed dance floor was the goal, and we succeeded; we danced the night away with our closest friends by our side,” Rachel says. “We danced until we couldn’t dance any more.”
The party continued at a bar on-property with billiards tables. “We made a very quick appearance and left because our flight for our honeymoon was early the next day,” Rachel quips.
The honeymoon was a complete surprise to Rachel, who was whisked away on the trip that Jack planned. “We went to Sardinia—with the bluest waters I have ever seen—and Lake Como—my absolute new favorite place in the world,” she says. “Please eat at Ristorante Mella—the best family run local cuisine. And finally we went to Venice, where we ate more cicchetti than I could have dreamed.”
