Irrevocably Intertwined 

A lifetime of searching, waiting for the right person, turns into something only fate can design.

Arianna Lain Smith & Jesse Taylor Davidson
Cornwall, United Kingdom | 5.9.23

PHOTOGRAPHED BY mollie mcausland photography
WRITTEN By devin lacy

There is a duality of energizing joy and relieving peace that comes with finding your person. As Arianna Smith and Jesse Davidson know, it can be a long and arduous journey interwoven by many ups and downs, but finally coming face to face with the one you were meant to spend your life with makes the other moments worth it.

Their paths shouldn’t have crossed, but fate knew the immense error it would be for these two kind souls to never meet. When COVID-19 caused global shutdowns, Arianna—an international flight attendant from Charleston living in New York City—was furloughed. She moved back to her beloved hometown to wait things out, taking on a new job at a children’s museum in the meantime—the very same museum where Jesse, a Kentucky native, was working as an exhibit technician.

During her orientation at the facility, Arianna and Jesse met for the first time, setting their future together in motion. “I had to walk past the security office every day, and I started trying to time it to when he would be there,” Arianna remembers. Meanwhile, Jesse was dropping by her desk to chat about their shared love of gaming—or drop off an umbrella if the weather called for one.

It was just over a year later when the two were grinning at each other over dinner at Arianna’s favorite Koreatown restaurant, the newly presented blue sandstone and sapphire engagement ring sparkling happily on her ring finger. “She was very different from anyone I had ever met before. We just kind of immediately clicked with the way we got along and conversed,” Jesse says. “It feels like we’ve known each other forever.”

intimate and true

Arianna and Jesse are quick to admit that they aren’t your typical couple, and their atypicality was of course reflected in their wedding planning. The couple loves to travel and decided an elopement abroad would be the best fit for them—something unique yet personal. However, they were also aware of the limitations and challenges that such a decision would bring. Together, they decided to first legally wed at their local courthouse before jetting off for a more traditional ceremony.

The day of their courthouse nuptials was atmospheric, just cloudy enough to make the light Arianna and Jesse exude that much brighter. Immediate family and friends gathered with them at the Kanawha County Courthouse for a small and happy ceremony.

Arianna wore a 1940s-style satin dress that fell just past her knees. A brilliant red faux fur coat added a pop of color that delightfully complemented a small bouquet of pink sweetheart roses and the cheerful pink blush settled high on her cheekbones. She accessorized with a vintage beaded bag and a satin bow, with a shoulder-length veil for a romantic and classic look. A black tweed suit and vintage necktie fitted Jesse into the timeless aesthetic, and the day perfectly encapsulated the 1940–’50s feel they were aiming for. It’s nearly impossible to look at the photos without being transported back in time, a giddy and much-in-love Arianna and Jesse at the center of them all.

A small reception took place at the bride’s historic family home, Oxley Manor. As lovers of vintage aesthetics with a penchant for the sentimental, the two focused on incorporating special details that reflected who they are and what matters to them. Tea sandwiches and croissants were served on antique china with the sterling silver belonging to Arianna’s great-grandmother. The newlyweds toasted with the same glasses the bride’s parents used at their own wedding. “You can forget a lot of smaller details in doing these things.” Arianna says. Color schemes, guest lists, timelines—they can take your attention away from the true heart of the day. “We really wanted it to be about us and our love story, the people that we really love and who love us.”

across the pond

While immensely pleased with their courthouse union, the day was a gleeful precursor to a bigger celebration. The morning of their second wedding day, in Cornwall in the United Kingdom, dawned similarly to the last, cool and cloudy but no less bright. The venue, a stunning country house called Treseren, awoke slowly as preparations commenced, bathed in a light rain unable to dampen any spirits. Once again, the bride and groom transport us back in time—to something inherently Austen and just as unique as them.

Arianna and Jesse prepared for the day separately. Arianna’s gown moved away from tradition, a soft green in color with a corseted bodice and a skirt adorned with floral appliqués that the mother of the bride applied herself. The cathedral-length veil Arianna wore once belonged to her mother, a lovingly cared for piece dyed the perfect shade of green and placed in the bride’s hair for an ethereal touch. Jesse wore a dark green tweed suit with a complementary scarf in the Davidson family plaid—a nod to his Scottish heritage—and white Doc Marten boots to match the bride’s.  

We often use the word “intimate” to describe small gatherings, cozy and personal in feel. Arianna and Jesse’s Celtic ceremony was the epitome of the word. They worked with Cornish Celebrant Fiona Solomon to create a ceremony to honor their history and that of the place they chose to say their vows. “To do a wedding abroad, we really wanted to respect the history and culture there,” Arianna says, to which Jesse agrees. “We wanted to do it the right way and really embrace all that.”

The two were also thankful for the care and understanding that was put into their day by the Treseren team, who were able to accommodate their sensory needs. “Something that me and Jesse have really developed a bond over is that we’re both autistic,” Arianna shares. “It’s something really important to our relationship specifically. It’s who we are, and we accept each other for who we are. It’s the unapologetically ‘us’ part of it all.”

A dozen or so guests were in attendance, traveling from six states and three countries to support the couple. The small wedding room felt light and airy, filled with flowers and smiling faces as Jesse stood at the front, awaiting his bride. It was when Arianna arrived that the emotions of the day began to overflow and carried them throughout the evening.

“As I came down the steps and started down the aisle, the harpist started playing ‘Merry-Go-Round of Life’ by Joe Hisaishi. I saw Jesse and just lost it,” Arianna says, emotion still coloring her voice all this time later. “Seeing the love of my life after everything we had been through and knowing we found each other—it was just really, really special.” Jesse couldn’t watch their wedding video for over a month after they received it, knowing the emotions of their perfect day would strike him all over again. “What was going through my mind that day was: ‘Finally, I found the person I had been looking for my whole life. This is real.’”

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