During the summer of 2011, Ryan was coaching my younger brother’s lacrosse team. I traveled to New Jersey to see my brother and his team play and met Ryan on the team bus after the game. The rest was history! We dated long-distance through the remainder of Ryan’s college years in North Carolina. Graduation came and went, and Ryan moved home to Baltimore. While he started his career working for a sports marketing company, I worked my way through grad school and then became a Speech-Language Pathologist.

Our first date was at The Rusty Scupper in Baltimore, MD. Each year, we would go back to the restaurant on that same day to celebrate our anniversary. We made a point to go only on our anniversary, so that it would remain a special place in our hearts. On December 12, 2016, Ryan wanted to go against our tradition and attend a holiday party held at the restaurant. Reluctantly, I agreed. We got there “early” and took a walk along the water. The weather was unseasonably warm for December, and we had a complete view of the Inner Harbor. We had turned around and walked back to the restaurant when he got on one knee and proposed! Our families were waiting inside to celebrate with us. The night could not have been any more perfect.

We set our date and the planning began! We had only 10 months until the big day, so we had our work cut out for us. I decided to shop locally at Gamberdella Bridal Salon in Towson, MD. I took with me my maid of honor, mother in law, mother and grandmother. I had shown Mary, the salon owner, a picture of a style I thought I might like. Without hesitation, she pulled a Paloma Blanca gown with gorgeous pleats, cummerbund waistband, and dainty sparkling straps. It was the third dress I had tried on, and I knew it was the one. You know you got it right when everyone in the room is crying!

Fast forward to the big day. We were married at St. Mary’s Church and celebrated at The Bond in York, PA. The reception venue was an old warehouse, given new life with chandeliers, an eye catching mural, and floor to ceiling windows spanning the length of the room. We danced and sang the night away with 225 of our closest friends and family, and it was perfection.