Do you ever look at a stranger’s wedding photos and really, really wish you had somehow been invited to the wedding because it looked like such a great time? That’s what Rebecca Adelson and Quentin Cantu’s wedding was like.

Adelson, an Austin actress, singer, and model, tied the knot with Cantu, one of the cofounders of popular Austin hard seltzer company Ranch Rider Spirits, in New Jersey on July 25, 2021.

But the couple has actually known each other for 15 years, Adelson told me over Zoom. They met in college at George Washington University. It’s a story worthy of a romantic comedy.

“We met freshman year, and he was obsessed with me immediately,” Adelson said, laughing.

Adelson had a boyfriend, so they couldn’t get involved. But they kept running into each other. She sang with an a cappella group, and he was in a band. They shared a rehearsal space. After graduation, they ended up living in the same neighborhood. One night, they even ended up at the same bar. And the rest is history.

Cantu proposed during an anniversary getaway in a rental house on Lake Travis. The two were eating chicken wings for breakfast (there are no rules on vacation!) when he got down on one knee. He had a room full of their loved ones waiting for her when they got back from their trip, and hey celebrated even more when Adelson’s band played a gig at The Oasis.

“My band does a version of ‘At Last,’ and I had our other vocalist sing it so we could do a little ‘just got engaged’ dance,” Adelson said.

After that, the path to the altar wasn’t an easy one. Like many couples, Adelson and Cantu had to reschedule their wedding twice due to the pandemic. They were supposed to get married in August of 2020…then May of 2021…then it finally happened in July 2021. And it was worth the wait.

The couple got married at the Art Factory in New Jersey, a venue which was formerly a rope factory, so it fits the industrial vibe the couple was going for, Rebecca said.

And of course, Cantu being a founder of Ranch Rider Spirits, they had plenty of Ranch Rider on hand. Including an extra-special twist on the “his and hers” specialty cocktails that are popular at many weddings. An Aperol spritz for her and a mezcal ranch water for him, both canned with special labels featuring childhood photos of the couple.

There are so many special moments Adelson remembers most about that day, but there are a few that stand out. They loved their Austin rabbi so much, they flew him out to New Jersey to perform the wedding, so Adelson has fond memories of the ceremony.

“He’s so charismatic and he’s also an incredible musician and singer, so he was singing a lot of traditional prayers, and everyone was blown away. I loved every minute of that.”

She also loved incorporating Jewish traditions into the ceremony. Family members came up to give the traditional seven blessings, and she used her late grandfather’s shawl for the ceremony. They also got married underneath the same chuppah that many of Adelson’s family members have used for their weddings.

“All the cousins have used it, and we’ve had our Hebrew names embroidered in it, so I really loved that part.”

“His and hers” canned cocktails (an Aperol spritz for her and a mezcal ranch water for him), featured special labels with childhood photos of the couple.

  

Rebekah Paul Photography

“His and hers” canned cocktails (an Aperol spritz for her and a mezcal ranch water for him), featured special labels with childhood photos of the couple.