The Wedding of Tarah & Connor

Love Letters from 18802024 WeddingsSeptember Weddings

Oct 25

*Wedding party with bride and groom posing in the 1880 Union Hotel garden in front of the ivy lined brick facade celebrating the union of Tarah & Connor.*

Love Letters from 1880: Tarah & Connor

Wedding Date: 09.20.24

Welcome to Love Letters from 1880, a special corner of The Union Dispatch where we celebrate the couples who have become part of the 1880 Union Hotel’s story. Each wedding adds a new chapter to our century-old legacy, reminding us that love — like history — only deepens with time.

Today, we’re honored to share the wedding and love story of Tarah Merkl and Connor Neary. High school sweethearts turned soulmates, their journey from Ventura’s coastal trails to “I do” at the Union captures everything we adore about timeless romance, intimate celebrations, and weekends filled with laughter, friendship, and meaning.

**Interview with the Couple**

**How did you two meet?**
*We met in high school. Known each other since we were 13! Started dating right after graduation.*
**When did you know you had fallen in love?**
*About a year into dating (we were so young). No specific moment! Our love just continued to grow over the years and every year gets better. We are best friends.*
**Engagement? Where did it happen, and how did it feel?**
*On our favorite hike in our hometown of Ventura. Arroyo Verde Park wayyy back at the water towers.*
**What made you choose 1880 Union Hotel as your wedding venue?**
We loved that our whole bridal party could stay on site. Made it feel so laid back and cozy! Also was only an hour 15 from our house and easy for family to get to! Something really special about the venue and loved its history.

What was your favorite part of your wedding weekend?

I loved waking up in the suite and opening those gorgeous windows, and then ending the night in the bar dancing with our best people.

Were there any special details, themes, or personal touches you’d love to highlight?

We love how small town Los Alamos was and that 1880 seems like the center of it all. Almost like we got to play king and queen for the weekend and that was our castle/homebase. We loved how customizable and laid back the staff was when putting together our preferences for the day.