Local Love: Elizabeth and Ryan

October 12, 2019

Taking inspiration from their travels, Liz and Ryan, brought parts of the world to their wedding day. Their wedding was the perfect blend between bohemian and laid-back countryside. You can bet there was no shortage of fun!

Here’s Elizabeth and Ryan to tell you all about their love story and special day.

THEIR LOVE STORY

We met in New York City in 2010, while attending Fordham University. For our first date, we took the subway from the Bronx all the way to Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and enjoyed a walk in McCarren Park followed by cocktails and snacks at a small bar. While at the bar, Ryan mentioned that he had tickets to a concert at a theater in Times Square. It was the Grateful Dead cover band “Dark Star Orchestra” so he was not sure if Liz would want to go. Ryan is described to have been very casual about the show, insisting that it was ok if they were to skip and just hang out in Brooklyn. As it turns out, Liz was 100% on board with going to the show (she was a fan of the Grateful Dead). The two headed back into Manhattan and danced for several hours at the show, capping off a very memorable evening.

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THEIR INSPIRATION

The couple got engaged in Kyoto, Japan, out front of Yayoi Kusama’s “Pumpkin Forever” exhibit displayed in the courtyard of the Forever Museum of Contemporary Art. Their trip to Japan was incredible, so it was only fitting to choose the Lauxmont Farms Japanese Gardens as the reception venue. Liz and Ryan had traveled to several other countries in addition to Japan, including Mexico, Germany, Peru, and the Netherlands. International travel consequently developed as the inspiration behind the special day, as vintage suitcases, globes, and world travel postcards were utilized in the décor and seating assignments. To embellish the October / fall theme and tie it all back to Japan, Liz and Ryan spent the days leading up to the wedding painting black dots on pumpkins, a clever nod to Yayoi Kusama. The pumpkins were displayed within the Japanese Gardens during the reception.

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THEIR FAVORITE PART

Liz and Ryan feel a tremendous amount of gratitude towards family and friends for making their wedding day so memorable. Several highlights come to mind, including the gorgeous church, spectacular Susquehanna view at Lauxmont Farms, and the talented musicians both on Friday evening at the rehearsal dinner, as well as at the cocktail reception where we had a Pennsylvania bluegrass band – Serene Green – play for guests in the Japanese Gardens. For Ryan though, perhaps the best part about the wedding day was the moment the church doors opened and Liz stood there ready to walk down the aisle. She truly was a beautiful angel.

THEIR ADVICE

One piece of advice would be to make sure you address all the important issues that will arise during a marriage, such as finances, career aspirations, where you want to live, how many children to plan to have, politics, religion, pets, etc. Since we were married in the Catholic Church, we participated in the pre-cana program at our local parish, and found it helpful as we made our lifetime vows of marriage.