Rachel Scott and Elliott Smith met at a brewery—the type where, according to Rachel, “No one remembers the cross street, but everyone remembers the vibe: dimly lit and filled with laughter.” On this particular Saturday evening in May of 2019, the Emmy-winning White House correspondent and the Yale University administrator had one thing in common: neither of them wanted to stay for long.
At the time, Elliott’s friend Jose worked at the brewery. “Elliott set a timer for 30 minutes, desperate to leave his ‘go-to spot’ to try something new,” Rachel remembers. “I was attending a friend’s going-away party, but didn’t plan to stay for too long because I had an early shift covering the White House the next day.”
But then, they stumbled upon each other. “I wandered to the end of the bar in search of a glass of wine and saw Elliott,” Rachel recalls. “He was surprised they actually served more than beer.”
When Rachel went back for a second drink, they struck up a conversation. “All of a sudden, that timer he set went off,” Rachel says. “He quickly silenced it and told Jose that he wasn’t in a rush to leave.” Rachel and Elliott ended up talking for hours. At the end of the night, Jose turned to Elliott and said, “She’s the one.” Meanwhile, Rachel got into her car at the end of the night and texted her best friends, “I just met the most amazing guy. I pray I get to date someone like that.”
Six years later, she married him, and they still visit the same brewery. “Same stools, same order,” Rachel jokes. “We’re still finishing that conversation.”
On a family trip to Italy in 2023, Elliott asked Rachel’s father for his blessing. After receiving it, Elliott spent the next several months planning every detail of the proposal—even roping in Rachel’s best friends to visit the venue in Dana Point, California and conduct a rehearsal.
In December of 2023, Elliott proposed at the Waldorf Astoria by a gazebo overlooking the water, just as the sun was setting. “My family and friends worked overtime to throw me off,” Rachel remembers. “So much so that as we walked toward the gazebo, I thought the proposal was for someone else and initially refused to walk closer. I didn’t want to ruin another couple’s surprise! I was terrified I’d be that girl in the back of all their photos.” The surprises kept coming as Elliott threw an engagement party later that night with all of their family and friends.