Ryan & Jen
December 17, 2022
Ryan and Jen's Love Story
Like most millenials, their love story started when they both swiped right on a popular dating app. They decided to meet up for ice cream in the middle of a pandemic. Ryan ordered mint chocolate chip, and Jen ordered a key-lime sorbet with sprinkles, which Ryan thought was a "unique" choice. They clicked right away, and almost immediately were seeing each other every day. They went to restaurants, took weekend getaways to San Francisco, went on hikes, and began to talk more and more about the future.
Jen: I never expected to find such an amazing man on a dating app and had really low expectations when we met the first time, but the first night I met him I was so surprised and impressed by his humor, depth, and thought provoking questions; I knew he was special.
Ryan: The first time I met Jen, I was completely blown away. First dates online come with low-expectations, but I was caught off-guard by how great of a person she was. She was more beautiful than her pictures, which is usually not the case when online dating, and she was so easy to talk to, light hearted and fun to be around. I was pinching myself from the minute I saw her, and by the end of the date, I didn't want to leave.
At six weeks into the relationship Jen was moving for a new job in Nashville, TN and Ryan had a difficult decision to make. Ryan decided to take the plunge and get on the plane with her leaving his family, friends, and the Bay area behind.
For five weeks they lived separately in Nashville, but ultimately decided they wanted to know the good, the bad, and the ugly about each other as soon as possible.
After moving in together they realized what they had was truly special. Not only did they enjoy each other more living together, but making financial decisions, raising a new puppy, and general life stressors made them closer and stronger as a couple. They learned each other quirks, learned to compromise, grew to know each other more deeply, and became continually stronger as a couple.
A year and some change into the relationship, they knew this was it. Ryan proposed on a hike in Nashville, TN in Sept 2021.
Ryan: We had talked about it quite a bit, so I knew she would say yes, but I was still so nervous I was getting short of breath on the hike. I barely made it to the lookout. It was a rainy day, but for that hour long hike, the rain had stopped, no one else was around but us, and the moment was perfect.
Jen: I had been ready and waiting for him to ask for several months, but I was not expecting it. He nailed it! It was a perfect proposal - it was a surprise, but not a shock, surrounded by nature, not a soul in sight, and the ring was everything I had wanted and more!
Shortly after, they started debating how they should get married. Jen had dreamed of eloping on a beach in Italy or Greece. Ryan was fine with a courthouse wedding. Ultimately, they felt like something would be missing. They want everyone they love to experience their joy and excitement. So they went back to the drawing board. Their family and close friends live in: Northern and Southern California, Tennessee, Washington, Virginia, Missouri, Texas, Canada, and the Cayman Islands. Where were they going to have this wedding if its a destination wedding for most family and friends no matter where they chose?
Jen: I wanted an experience for everyone; something that everyone could take part in and enjoy. I didn't want our wedding to be just about Ryan and I. I want it to be about celebrating family, friendships, life, and love. How often is everyone special to you all in one place? We want to create memories for a lifetime for everyone involved, all the people most important to us.
Ryan: My first thought was to have a local, convenient wedding, but as we discussed it became clear that no matter where we chose to get married, it was going to be a destination wedding. This set the stage to decide on a more memorable experience with our family and friends at a beautiful resort in Mexico. I can't imagine a better way to start our life together!
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Brother of the Groom
Brother of the groom
Ryan & Jen
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