White House Correspondent Rachel Scott and Elliott Smith go west for a seaside wedding
Photography by VICTORIA GOLD
Words by CAROLINE CAGNEY
It began in May 2019 at a brewery in Washington, D.C., for senior political correspondent for ABC News Rachel Scott and Yale University administrator Elliott Smith. Sparks flew and the two talked for hours before exchanging numbers. When Rachel left that evening, she immediately texted her best friends to tell them about Elliott. “I felt like I was talking to someone I had known for years, even though I had just met him that night,” says the Diamond Bar–born anchor, who later found out that Elliott’s best friend, Jose, who was also at the bar, looked at him when she left and said, “She’s the one.”
“I felt like I was talking to someone I had known for years, even though I had just met him that night,” says Rachel Scott.
Fast-forward to December 2023 in Dana Point, when Elliott popped the question at the Waldorf Astoria by a gazebo overlooking the water. His well-orchestrated surprise had Rachel believe that they were having dinner with his family. “I saw flowers and cameras and I thought we were about to ruin someone else’s proposal,” Rachel says. “I then realized it was for me.”
The pair wed on September 6, 2025, before 180 guests at the Bella Vista Estate surrounded by sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean. Rachel discovered the venue in a TikTok post and enlisted event planner Tal Orion to execute her “timeless” vision. “I loved that it overlooked the water, and the polo field was just calling for an epic party,” Rachel says. Right before their vows — which were led by the couple’s cousin and best friend — the two held a traditional Native American blanket-wrapping ceremony guided by Elliot’s uncle, Steve, in honor of Elliott’s Ramapough Lenape heritage. The bride then made her entrance in a strapless embroidered Falguni Shane Peacock gown and was accompanied by her father as they walked down the rose-flanked aisle.
After cocktail hour by the infinity pool, guests gathered for the reception amid candlelight and white ranunculus, while the newlyweds headed straight to the dance floor for a bachata-style moment to “Stand by Me” by Prince Royce. They didn’t have to wait long for friends and family to join in, including the bride’s 88-year-old grandfather, Gene Chandler, an oldies crooner best known for the hit “Duke of Earl,” which the band performed, bringing Chandler to his feet. “Having that moment was so special,” says Rachel. From there, the magical evening continued with flowing cocktails, a taco bar, and more dancing under a canopy of glowing lights.
PHOTOGRAPHY Victoria Gold • FLORALS Renaissance Flowers Plus • CATERING Cottura L.A. • EVENT PLANNER Tal Orion • LIGHTING Space Productions L.A. • ENTERTAINMENT Steele Parade, DJ Kara, Blow Brass Band • HAIR & MAKEUP Carmen Currie • EVENT RENTAL MTB Event Rentals
Feature image: Celebrations continue.
This story originally appeared in the Winter 2025 issue of C Weddings.
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