I (Joe) told Ryne that my friend/co-worker, Michael, wanted to take some nighttime shots at The St. Louis Botanical Gardens annual Garden Glow and had asked us to be his “models” for the shoot. We love having our picture taken, so it wasn’t out of character and very on-brand. The Gardens ended up being VERY busy so we had to wait outside in line for about 30 minutes in the cold before getting in, which Ryne was not very excited about. Then we finally got in and walked through all the beautiful lights stopping to take some modeling shots throughout. We finally reached this beautiful spot at the end that would be the perfect spot for me to pop to the question. There was a line for photos, which had me internally screaming. It was finally our turn and we took some cute couple shots, then Ryne thought we were done and started to walk away (more internal screaming), so quickly Michael and I both said “wait, one more shot!” Confused, Ryne comes back over, I grab onto him and say “Hey, I need to ask you a question” *drops to one knee* “Will you marry me?” He was completely surprised and had absolutely no idea and he obviously said YES! It was such a perfect night and a perfect moment, one that we will remember for the rest of our lives.
Wedding Day
Our wedding day was a magical experience – surrounded by all of the love from our friends and family, we got to celebrate our love in a way that felt grand, yet intimate. Because of COVID, the process of planning our wedding was unusual to say the least. From finding and booking our venue online without the opportunity to tour it beforehand to constantly worrying about how strict the safety protocols would need to be, we experienced quite a few unique roadblocks. But even through all of the uncertainty, the day of our wedding day came together in a way that exceeded our wildest dreams. The hours leading up to the ceremony passed in an exciting blur. Hair. Makeup. Pictures. Vows. Hugs. Tears. So much of every joyful emotion could be felt in every minute that ticked closer to the ceremony. Every milestone of the day (Getting ready, making our way to the venue, having our first looks, etc.) brought with it more anticipation and excitement. By the time we were ready to make our way down to the ceremony site, the both of us were buzzing like two champagne bottles waiting to pop in celebration. Filled with excited butterflies and thoughts of our future, we had our ceremony in the most picturesque setting overlooking the Rocky Mountains on a perfect June day. It smelled like grass and flowers, the evening warm yet still comfortable—even in a tuxedo. As we exchanged our vows, we knew the promises we were making were ones that we were all too happy to keep. Even when Joe had to ask the officiant to repeat a section because he couldn’t get my (Ryne’s) ring on his finger and didn’t hear what he was saying “I Do” to. We made one another laugh, cry, and we made a commitment to each other that we are excited to see last a lifetime.
