Alyssa and Bryan

Bryan and I grew up 6 blocks away from each other in Fountain Hill, PA. We went to the same elementary school and high school but didn't start hanging out until college. When Bryan graduated from college, he lived at his parents’ house for the summer before moving to D.C. to start his career. I was living in Bethlehem, so we spent a lot of time together. When Bryan moved to D.C., we kept in touch and eventually started dating.

Bryan was planning to propose on a trip to D.C. for the Cherry Blossom Festival which was my birthday gift. Unfortunately, we had to cancel the trip due to COVID, and Bryan had to change his plans. He asked if he could "do something special" for my birthday at home on a random Saturday since we weren't able to go to D.C. He planned an at-home date night and recreated a meal from our favorite restaurant in D.C. on one of our first dates in 2016. When he was giving me my birthday gift, which was a coffee table Cherry Blossom book, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him.

Dressed In Love was the only bridal store I went to, and my wedding dress was the second dress I tried on. My mom, sister, and I had so much fun that day, and Amanda (the owner) absolutely killed it with the dresses she chose for me to try on.

We chose Excelsior as our wedding venue because we loved the natural beauty of the 5 different spaces and the location in Downtown Lancaster. April 30, 2022 was the best day of our lives because of our amazing family, friends, and vendors. We wish we would do it all over again!