Ryan and Meghan's Wedding in Richmond, Virginia

The story of our wedding

We got married at Linden Row Inn in the garden courtyard (where Edgar Allan Poe played as a child) surrounded by about 75 of our closest family and friends. Meghan wore a strapless high-low Oleg Cassini gown (with pockets!) & a fascinator (referred to as "Susan" leading up to the wedding so that Ryan would be surprised). Ryan wore a custom suit made by Indochino. Ryan's parents walked him down the aisle to a string trio's rendition of "In My Life" by The Beatles and Meghan's mom walked her down the aisle to the trio playing "The Book of Love" (originally by The Magnetic Fields). Meghan carried a bouquet with a picture of her father who passed away from cancer 7 years earlier attached. Ryan's high school friend officiated the ceremony, Ryan's sister did the same reading from I Corinthians that Ryan read at her wedding years earlier, Meghan's sister read an excerpt from Edgar Allan Poe's "Annabel Lee," and six of the couple's friends led them in community vows. The couple exchanged rings after they had been passed around by all guests in a ring warming ceremony in order to be "warmed" with well wishes and love. At the end of the ceremony, Ryan and Meghan began to recess while the string trio played David Bowie's "Heroes," but we had a surprise up our sleeves before cocktail hour was to begin... As Meghan and Ryan stopped recessing halfway down the aisle, the officiant, Shawn, announced that Meghan and Ryan would like guests to have a seat so that the photographer could capture a photo of the couple with all of their guests present. After the photo and the completed recessional, guests gathered for a cocktail hour, Ryan and Meghan had their first dance to The Beach Boys' "God Only Knows," and everyone enjoyed toasts from the bride's mother, the groom's father, & a surprise toast read by a dear friend on behalf of the couple's second officiant who was sadly unable to attend the wedding. Guests enjoyed wine provided by the bride's mother, beer, dinner from The Urban Farmhouse, donut holes from Duck Donuts, and fudge made by the groom's mother. The couple cut a personal wedding cake made by the bride's sister and then the rest of the evening was spent either on the dance floor (music provided by DJ El Capone - My Fellow DJ) or taking pictures in the photo booth (Oh, snap! RVA Photo). When the time came for the party to wind down and Meghan and Ryan to leave (really to just walk around the block since we were staying at the Inn), guests bid them farewell with a bubble send-off. The night was everything Meghan and Ryan could have wanted and more (we even got each other the exact same wedding day card without knowing)! We were so grateful to learn from multiple people after the wedding that guests found it to be "the warmest wedding" they had ever attended.