theirs became a tsunami when by chance , Ryan came across a wedding venue in Tampa , Florida , that was only available two dates in December – just three months away .
“ I found the yacht [ named ] Starship , and we frantically called family and friends to see if the December date would work , and they all said yes ,” Ryan recalled . Everyone pitched in to rent an enormous mansion that had 12 bedrooms and 12 bathrooms . It was the ultimate family trip .
“ The mansion must belong to a celebrity – it was amazing ,” said Ryan . “ We used a floorplan to figure out where everything was , and we assigned rooms and filmed a video that we sent to family and friends , so they could have a scavenger hunt when they arrived at the house .”
The weekend of celebrating , poolside chats , golf , and catered dinners culminated with Ryan and Brad ’ s nuptials on the yacht . Brad ’ s sister , Lakin Wooldridge , officiated the ceremony , which included personally written vows and special nods to little Rorie Sea .
“ It felt like a family vacation that just happened to have a wedding on a yacht in the middle of it all ,” chuckled Brad . “ The weather was perfect , everyone we love was together , and we just relaxed , had fun , and oh yeah , got married .”
“ There was dinner and dancing , a chocolate chip wedding cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes , and everyone just had a blast ,” added Ryan . “ It was simple and intimate . We all lived in that moment .”
Little did they know that their Dec . 20 , 2020 , wedding was on the heels of a worldwide pandemic .
The world changed , but they moved forward together through a tumultuous first year . Their business – which Ryan joined as a mortgage broker and marketing coordinator – continued to grow , they moved into a new home in New Albany , and in March 2021 , welcomed their first child together , a little boy named Beckham .
The busy family is active in the community , navigating Kentuckiana Mortgage Group , two children , and hours of community support with charities close to their hearts , including Exit O homeless outreach , the ( Jimmy ) V Foundation , the Floyd County Animal Shelter , Relay for Life and more .
Their next adventure , Brad joked , is surviving parenthood . “ We have all we need ,” Brad said . “ I ’ m looking forward to kicking back and enjoying life and the kids for a while .”
“ We are happy , and healthy , and at the end of the day we have each other ,” Ryan added .
“ That ’ s what life is about .”
32 EXTOL : AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2021