Steven & Ryanne

Wedding Date: 10/4/19

The Story

Funny enough, we moved from Buffalo, NY to escape the snow which without it we never would have met one another. Steve picked a blistering cold weekend to visit his sister, Melissa, who was attending UB (my alma mater) to earn her master’s degree.

When he went to drive back to Ithaca College, his alma mater, he experienced his first lake effect snowstorm and was forced to stay a few more days in the 716. Had the snow stopped falling, Steve would’ve made the 3-hour trek back to the finger lakes and we never would have met.

Five years later, I still thank God for stranding him so I could meet my husband.

Steve and I have had a standing Sunday breakfast date ever since I began working overnights at the hospital. That morning after a stressful night at work, I came home to a kitchen lacking scrambled eggs, bacon, and avocado toast.

I didn’t want to complain of starvation with NOTHING to eat so I quietly (very unlike me) got ready for bed and maybe gave him a little bit of a cold shoulder. Twenty minutes of pouting later and in comes Steve with a prime filet mignon with eggs that “he had planned all along“, I just came home from work “too soon“. Obviously, I scarfed down the plate and fell asleep around 10 knowing that around 1 o’clock I’d be woken up to attend an Oyster Roast, we had tickets to for weeks.

FOURTY-FIVE MINUTES LATER. I REPEAT. FOURTY-FIVE MINUTES LATER.

I heard Steve slowly open the door handle and make his way over to rub my back while softly saying, “Honey, I think its time you get up and we start getting ready to go.” Anyone that knows me, knows I’m an ANGEL when awoken from my slumber after 45 minutes and that I NEVER would have yelled at him for even DARING to enter the room to wake me up knowing, all well, that I was scheduled to show up for work again later that night.

Trying to please my boyfriend, I get up and make my way to the closet to clothe myself in a baseball hat and yoga pants because after all, I was told we were going to a “dirty” oyster roast. Can you believe he had the audacity to tell his future wife to “maybe shower and maybe put some makeup on?”

Still having no idea that I’m about to have the absolute best question asked to me, I angrily got in the car squeaky clean and looking GOOD to then have to make a detour at the beach, because “when else have we been blessed with a 75 degree day in January.” At the verge of nearly ending our relationship due to sleep deprivation, I complied.

Minutes later, I was walking along the beach when I stumbled across what I thought was a piece of trash that I mistakenly didn’t pick up. Steve called me out on it and guiltily I picked the glass bottle up to throw away. After some coercing and me finally getting the hint, I realized that message in a bottle was intended for me.

After a long, sleepless morning I realized I was about to be asked to spend my life with my favorite person in the world. I couldn’t believe that after all of my complaining, he still wanted to share Sunday morning breakfasts with me.

Steve and I were proud owners of a new golden retriever puppy, Sam, when we decided to take a vacation to South Carolina. On the itinerary was a visit with my sister Krista, in Hilton Head and a pit stop in Charleston.

After spending the weekend at Tides Hotel on Folly Beach, we were quickly falling in love with the “southern charm” Charleston has to offer. At dinner one night we imagined our lives in a beach town but never dreamed it would become a reality. A few months after returning to our apartment in Buffalo, we decided to pull the trigger and put our 2 weeks’ notice in at both of our jobs. We traveled back to Charleston in July for a whirlwind 48-hour weekend trip to look for a new place we’d call home and jobs. It was scary how quickly everything fell into place, almost like it was supposed to be. A month later, our U-Haul was packed, and we said goodbye to both of our families in New York.

Almost 2 years later, we wake up every day loving our 5-minute commute to Folly Beach and downtown Charleston. While it may not be the place we grow old, we can’t wait for it to be the place we say “I do!”

Venue: Alhambra Hall | Church: St. Luke’s Chapel | Dress: Palmetto Bridal Boutique | Flowers: OK Florist | Catering: Hamby | Florist: Karen’s Krafty Nook | Wedding Planner: Pinnacle | Hair/Make-up: Canary Rock Salon | Photo Booth: Little White Box Photo Booth | Transportation: Caroline’s Executive Limo