Rachel La Bozetta and Nick Tebben first met as ninth graders at Fort Hayes MEC.
“We began dating during Nick’s first year of college at OSU,” says La Bozetta. “After 10 years of dating, we decided, why the heck not? Let’s get married!”
“When we decided to get married, the Park of Roses was the first location to pop into our minds,” she says. “We chose the perfect time for our wedding when all of the roses were in full bloom.”
The park holds special significance for the couple, who now live in Baltimore, Maryland. Tebben grew up in Clintonville, while La Bozetta grew up in Berwick. He spent a lot of his childhood in the park.
“In high school, Nick and I (quite often with friends joining us) would go to Whetstone to walk the trail by the creek, skip stones in the water, and just hang out and have a good time,” remembers La Bozetta. “Even after we moved to Baltimore, we would always visit the park when we returned to Columbus to visit friends and family.”
Planning an outdoor wedding sometimes gets worrisome when weather does not cooperate. The June Saturday they were to be married started off a bit wet.
“All morning, the sky was gray, and it just wouldn’t stop raining,” says La Bozetta. “Miraculously, the rain stopped shortly before our ceremony began in the rose garden. The ceremony was performed, photos were taken, and no sooner did we get into the reception, it starting pouring again. Talk about luck!”
The park allowed their guests to enjoy the wedding as well as the beautiful roses and creek that are features of the Park of Roses.
For wedding decorations, La Bozetta folded 1,000 origami cranes.
“I am a very crafty and arts oriented person and really wanted that to come across at the wedding.,” she says. “It was really a DIY kind of wedding. A lot of the decorations were made by me, the cranes, the invitations, the boutonnieres, the flower arrangements.”
The couple exchanged wedding vows they wrote themselves and Nick Sico, the groom’s good friend since pre-school, officiated the wedding.
“Nick wanted to have someone that we know perform our wedding ceremony,” says La Bozetta.
Their wedding rings have each other’s fingerprints engraved on the inside.
The groom’s brother Alex Tebben stood as best man and the bride’s friend Katie Chio as matron of honor. The bride’s niece and nephew (Caitlin and Josh La Bozetta) were flower girl and ring bearer. La Bozetta’s mother made the flower girl’s dress and a vest to match for the ring bearer.
The bride walked down the aisle with a custom origami rose bouquet wearing a simple, off-white dress she found at Nordstrom.
“I wanted to find a dress that reflected our Mediterranean heritage,” she says. “I found just that.”
The groom wore a gray suit he owned and a red and off-white paisley print tie.
“Nick and I are very carefree people,” says La Bozetta. “We wanted a day where our guests could have fun and relax, where they didn’t have to wear a stuffy tux or purchase a new dress. Because we now live so far away from our friends and family, everyone being together for our big day, even if it was a laid back and simple affair, really made it special for us. We couldn’t have been happier than to have everyone there rooting us on and celebrating our future together.”
The couple honeymooned on Kelley’s Island.
Wedding Details
Ceremony and Reception Venue: Whetstone Park of Roses
Bride’s dress: Bought from Nordstrom
Bride’s hair: Studio Posh
Bridal and Matron of Honor necklaces: Made by Melanie Crowe of Damselle
Rings: Sterling silver custom set by Brent and Jessica Williams of Fabuluster
Officiant: Nick Sico
Ceremony music: Harp played by Lydia Weaver Haywood of The Elegant Harp
Invitations: DIY by the bride
Food: An Indian and Italian buffet by Berwick Manor
Flowers: DIY in the wedding colors of red and off-white by the bride and matron of honor
Cake: Piece of Cake
Wedding night: Harrison House
Photography: Rocky Dawson
All photos provided by Rocky Dawson.
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