There is so much to say! Ryan and Abby are some of the most energetic, warm and joyful people I know. They are the kind of love that you see in movies – the kind that makes you tingly inside and melt when they look at each other. (You’ll see what I mean when you see the photograph of Ryan looking at Abby in a completely candid moment a little further down) It was an absolute joy to be a part of their day.
Ryan and Abby had an early start to the day, getting ready in the Salon Gallery and the Speak Easy lobby at the beautiful Millennium Center in Winston Salem, NC.
The mood was high, sentimental and sweet as family and friends shared tender moments with Ryan and Abby, giving them wishes and their blessing.
Abby and Ryan exchanged secret gifts, a soft and meaningful communication between them as they anxiously awaited seeing each other on their wedding day.
Emotions rose – tears. laughter – as Ryan and Abby gathered for prayer, holding hands around the old oak door outside the Salon.
Then Abby’s dad came to see her for the first time. Swelling with love and pride, you could see the tears in his eyes and the joy he had for his little girl.
A few deep breaths, a dance passed on from mother to daughter, cheers to calm those last little butterflies and then sweeping out the door to see each other, Ryan and Abby’s excitement was overflowing! This was it…
Sometimes words fall short of a moment. A moment akin to when Ryan laid eyes on Abby for the first time. A wave of awe swept over his face and receded into sheer overwhelming joy and love, a surge of emotion that encapsulated the room.
Their ceremony was beautiful. Friends and family recited special readings, a string quartet harmonized an uplifting and soft version of Ryan & Abby’s son “Here Comes the Sun” by the Beatles, mothers exchanged tissues across the aisle. Ryan and Abby laughed, jubilant, as they exchanged their vows. A tree planting ceremony was held, using dirt from both Ryan and Abby’s childhood home to represent the joining and growth of their new family, rooted in family support.