Real Columbus Wedding: Rachel and Ben Willford

The third time was a charm for this Columbus family.

Columbus Monthly

Rachel and Ben Willford married on May 14, 2021, at Pinnacle Golf Club.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story misspelled the couple's last name. The story has been updated to correct the error.

May 14, 2021 | Rachel (Cardi) and Ben Willford can’t quite remember when they first met, having worked together at Penzone Salon + Spa for years. But “in 2015, we were tricked into a date by a co-worker/mutual friend, and we’ve been inseparable ever since,” Rachel says. Their son, Vince, was born the following year, and Ben proposed in 2018 during a hike in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park (where they also ended up spending their honeymoon).

Like many couples, the Wilfords’ wedding planning required a lot of flexibility due to COVID-19.

“Our wedding was the ‘third wedding’ we planned, so it became a running joke that ‘the third time’s the charm,’ [which we] even included on our invitations,” Rachel says. Plan A was an April 2020 destination wedding in Florida, which was postponed to November of that year. “We were faced with the reality that having everyone travel out of state was not the best option,” Rachel says. “It was really important that we had our family and friends with us to celebrate, so we went back to the drawing board to plan a wedding here.”

She and Ben toured just one venue—Pinnacle Golf Club—before deciding it was the perfect place to wed. “We didn’t have the original wedding we planned, but our day at Pinnacle was absolutely perfect, and we couldn’t have been happier with our decision,” Rachel says.

“We’re so grateful to have all of our family there to celebrate with us,” Rachel says. That included Vince, who served as Ben’s best man.

Find more local wedding inspiration:Sign up for a free print subscription to Columbus Weddings and join Countdown Club