Alexis & Ryan at The Virginia House

June 7, 2025

How They Met
Ryan and Alexis were set up on a blind date by a mutual friend in February, 2019 while they were both students at JMU. “We were immediately captivated by one another, finding any excuse to rationalize our desire to see the other again. We started dating in December, 2019 and became inseparable.”

The Proposal

Alexis and Ryan moved to Richmond in June of 2023 and visited Maymont within their first week. Alexis jokingly hinted that the Italian Garden would be the perfect spot for a proposal, only to find out later that Ryan already had the ring and was planning to propose there. The date was August 5th, 2023. Ryan planned the perfect proposal, but he had to overcome a few unexpected obstacles to pull it off. He hadn’t realized there was a concert scheduled at the park that day, and after spending hours printing and hanging over 500 photos in the Italian Garden, a security guard showed up just as he finished, announcing that the park was closing. “Ryan pleaded his case for them to let him stay, and let me through the gate.” Alexis started to catch on when she arrived at Maymont. She made her way through the gardens admiring pictures from all stages of their relationship. When she got to the end, she found a letter. “After I finished reading, Ryan popped out from behind a bush and got down on one knee asking me to marry him!”

The Unique Element
The couple incorporated help from friends and colleagues in their special day. Alexis shares, “This made it all the more special for us! Ryan previously worked for a florist in Harrisonburg, and we’d been taking pictures with our photographer since Ryan graduated college. Ryan is now an audio engineer and one of his coworkers was our DJ. Our best friend and my Maid of Honor officiated our wedding. We also booked Pizza and Beer of Richmond for the after party, as Ryan previously worked there.” Another unique surprise was the surprise ring bearer during the ceremony. “We picked a chair before the ceremony to tape the rings under and our officiant prompted everyone to look when it was time. It was a very fun way to involve our guests.” All of these elements made our day so much more special.

The Special Touch
The couple found special ways to include the love and marriages of their guests as well. “I had added all of the first dance songs for every couple in attendance to our cocktail hour playlist. It was amazing to see everyone become sentimental and share about their own wedding as the music played.”

The Favorite Part
“My favorite part of the day was our private last dance. Being able to be under the string lights, looking at the table scapes, just being with each other to take in the day. It’s a memory I truly won’t forget. Ryan’s favorite part of the day was the first look, he was crying before he turned around.”

Advice From the Couple
“Ignore the feelings or expectations of things you ‘should do’. Your wedding day will be memorable because you decided on things that make you happy. And stay by your parnters side! The day goes by quickly and you want all of your memories to include them alongside you!”

Further Credits

Photographer: Katie Showalter PhotographyWedding Planner: Emily Cloud with Evergreen Collective |  Caterer: Garnish Catering | Rental Company: Classic Party Rentals of Virginia | Lighting Company: The Event House | Hair Stylist / Makeup Artist: Diane, Avenue 42 | Gown/Veil Salon: Urban Set Bride | Alterations: Fashions by Evelyn | Formalwear: Black Tux Company | Florist: Blakemore’s Flowers | Cake/Sweets: Pearls Bake Shoppe | After Party Venue: Pizza Beer of Richmond (PBR)

*All information provided by the featured couple. Richmond Weddings® is not responsible for discovering and adding vendors who were not on the completed submission form.*