White House Correspondent Rachel Scott and Elliott Smith Married Overlooking the Ocean in Santa Barbara

They had a long engagement, which they both considered a blessing given their busy professional lives. “I was covering the 2024 presidential campaign and spending weeks on the road, so finding time to plan a wedding in an entirely different state was not easy,” Rachel admits. “Luckily for us, we had the most exceptional wedding planner, Tal Orion. I often joke with her that I’m amazed she has other clients, because she has this remarkable ability to handle every detail with such care and attention as if my wedding was the only event she’s planning. We were able to completely immerse ourselves in the love and joy of celebrating our next chapter without worrying because we knew she had every step covered.”

The search for a wedding dress wasn’t quite as effortless. In the lead-up to the wedding, the bride tried on 21 dresses. “I was starting to feel like I was on some sort of reality-TV show,” she jokes. “I was getting quite frustrated, and then I made an appointment at NWLA Bridal. I wish I had found its owner, Nadia Williamson, 21 dresses earlier. With Nadia, everything just clicked. She was pulling dresses so in line with my style—that I almost said ‘yes.’”

But then, Rachel’s dad suggested she try on something a bit more “modern” and in a “classic white.” He pulled out a strapless, hand-painted tulle A-line gown with a magnolia bodice and florals. “I thought, This definitely is not the dress, but for Dad, I’ll try it on,” Rachel admits. “I’m so happy I did.”

Sure enough, when she walked out, her best friends’ jaws dropped, and her mom and dad both were in awe. It was, in fact, the dress. “Dad, once again, was right,” Rachel admits. “There was just something about those monochromatic florals dripping down the dress. It has a quiet elegance.”

She paired it with slingbacks designed by Danielle Frankel that featured hand-painted ivory florals that matched the dress. “I am known for wearing monochromatic suits covering the White House—so I personally loved finding the perfect shoes to match,” Rachel says. “For my second dress, I wanted something soft with a lot of texture. I chose a lace halter by Francesca Miranda—my mom picked this one out. It fit like a glove and had sparkles stitched throughout.”

Elliott wore a custom Enzo Sartori tuxedo in Super 180s navy wool, finished with a black peak lapel and satin accents. He accessorized with his late father’s watch and coin.

On the weekend of the wedding, the festivities kicked off with a welcome party at a brewery—a nod to how the couple met. They ditched the long rehearsal dinner speeches and instead opted for a “roast or toast” format, with their wedding party and family doing quick one-minute speeches roasting them—or making a toast. “Most opted for the roast!” Rachel remembers. “Our parents heard too many stories they were never supposed to know!”

When Rachel and Elliott first started dating, life had them constantly on the move—weeks on the road, miles apart. During this early stage in their relationship, they started sending each other postcards from wherever they landed. “So we decided to handwrite all 182 guests’ personal welcome postcards that we designed with our wedding venue pictured,” Rachel says. “It was our opportunity to personally thank the people who have shaped us and made us who we are. It took us forever, but the payoff was totally worth it as we saw the reaction from family and friends.”

They also paid homage to both of their families during the wedding weekend. “My parents met when my dad was a steel drum instructor,” Rachel says. “So we brought in a steel drum band called Steele Parade to play during the cocktail hour as a nod to how my parents met.”

The bride’s grandfather, Gene Chandler, was an oldies singer best known for the hit song “Duke of Earl,” so they had the band learn his songs and surprised him during the reception. “At 80 years old, he jumped right up and danced like old times,” Rachel remembers.

Instead of a first look, they held a traditional Native American ceremony in honor of Elliott’s Ramapough Lenape heritage with close family members present. His uncle Steve led the blanket-wrapping ceremony and spoke in the native Munsee language. “It grounded us,” Rachel says. “The blanket—a symbol of our shared home—is a tradition passed down throughout the decades, honoring ancestors and those who came before us. Elliott’s mother also gifted me a five-pointed star charm that I placed on my bouquet. I plan to pass both the blanket and the charm to our children one day.”

Rachel loved the setting at Bella Vista Estate so much that she wanted to hold the entire wedding outside. “People tried to convince me otherwise, but I am happy I stuck with my vision,” she says. “It was a little warm, but eventually, the sun slipped into the clouds and our guests enjoyed their cocktails and meals with a nice breeze.”

The ceremony, on the other hand, was unconventional. “We transformed the pickleball court at our venue for our service,” Rachel says. “Once again, Tal proved that with the right touch, anything can turn into magic. We didn’t want to distract from the view our guests had overlooking the water, so we decided to keep all florals low to the ground. I wanted a long aisle—almost runway-like—to really soak up every single moment of walking into my next chapter.”

Guests were greeted with a glass of prosecco upon arrival as a violinist played classic covers. Then Rachel’s best friend and Elliott’s cousin officiated together. “It made our ceremony so much more personal and sentimental,” the bride says. “Adding a layer of intimacy that no one else could.”

During the traditional Native American ceremony, they were reminded to embrace the wind as a symbol of change, movement, and transformation. Ironically, the wind would not stop blowing during the ceremony—flinging Rachel’s veil across her face. “We eventually embraced it,” she says. “We improvised and swapped sides mid-ceremony. We got lost in each other’s eyes so much so that I forgot to say ‘I do,’ and Elliott completely botched ‘till death do us part.’ It was all a reminder of what I said in my vows—love isn’t about the perfect plan, but about holding your hand through the detours and all the quiet, everyday moments that matter most.”

After the ceremony, the newlyweds made their grand entrance to the cocktail hour with sparklers glowing, and Rachel’s brother made the first toast of the night. “Then it was on to the party,” Rachel says. “And the next chapter of our lives together began!”

Later in the evening, the bride changed into her third look of the night for the after-party. “No one expects the bride to wear black on her wedding day,” Rachel admits. “But hey, you make the rules! And I could not pass up the opportunity to wear this
black-based navy blue crystal-embroidered dress by Falguni Shane Peacock, styled by Eleanor Schain. The blue crystals felt like stardust scattered across the sky. It was my ‘something blue’ to end the night.”

A few weeks later, Rachel and Elliott are still overjoyed. “When I started this wedding planning process, I was so focused on making everything perfect,” Rachel reflects. “The secret is: There is no perfect wedding. You can’t control the weather. Things will undoubtedly go wrong. Perfect is a feeling on your wedding day. It’s looking around and seeing all the people who have shaped you along the way. It’s about that person looking at you on the other end of the aisle, ready to do life together. Find a way to make it yours. That’s the real beauty. That’s the real perfection.”