♥ local love
ANDREA and RYAN
August 18 , 2017 // Dual Edge Photography
Sometimes , the best things happen unexpectedly . Just take Ryan and Andrea . They first crossed paths when Andrea , a new nurse at a small community hospital in Michigan , was trying to draw blood from a patient with difficult-to-access veins . Ryan , a medical student completing his rotations at the time , volunteered to help and Andrea immediately thought , “ Yeah right , this poor med student probably has no clue how to even use a butterfly needle .” Little did she know , Ryan had been a paramedic — he had no problems drawing blood on his first attempt . It was the perfect ice-breaker for further conversations , which eventually lead to their first date : Pizza and the Avengers .
The next pleasant surprise came when they visited Ryan ’ s hometown in Connecticut for the weekend and decided to go horseback riding with Ryan ’ s brother and his wife . “ We had planted a picnic basket on a random bench in the park we were riding through , and once we came across it we told Andrea to go open it ,” Ryan says . “ Inside there was a map showing where ‘ X ’ marked the spot of love .” That ’ s when Ryan got down on one knee and proposed while photographers and family were looking on from the woods .
During the planning process , their “ simple but elegant ” theme for the wedding just crept on them , while the location came about after the first venue fell through and relatives scoped out Belle Mer . Then , Andrea knew that she had found the right ensemble — a stylish two piece — upon seeing Ryan ’ s grandmother ’ s floored expression at her fitting , while Ryan was thrilled to find out that their DJ was able to create an atmosphere that rivalled his best nights of dancing in Miami . And , of course , their first look of the day was not to be spoiled : Having no better options , the couple chose to stay blindfolded while driving to the venue so they could still have their picture-perfect moment . But the biggest shock of the day was their impressive choreography to John Legend ’ s “ All of Me ,” which featured expertly timed steps , grand twirls and an epic dip finish . “ We took dance lessons for six months at Arthur Murray Dance Studios in Pennsylvania ( where we currently live ) and it took lots of blood , sweat and tears to have it come out the way it did ,” says Andrea . “ It was definitely an ‘ aw ” moment for our family members that know we can ’ t dance !”
122 | RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY ' S ENGAGED 2018