When Ryan was a sophomore at the University of Washington, a friend living in a nearby sorority asked him to do her a big favor. “To carry on her sorority’s tradition, she was required to come up with a special performance as a surprise for her newlyassigned freshman little sister,” described Ryan.
“When she asked me to play the guitar and sing the John Mayer song, “Your Body is a Wonderland,” my immediate response was “no way,” but she continued continued to press me on it so I gave in a few days later.”
On the day of the serenade, Ryan arrived at the house in nervous form. He became terrified when he saw 25 other guys in line (with their own acts) who would be watching him sing a sappy love song while most of them had more comical skits to work with. “I was handed a huge bouquet of flowers and a piece of paper with the name of the girl I needed t0 sing to. It was a torn out piece of college ruled notebook paper with “Ashley Guimond” written in blue highlighter marker. Next to it, just so I wouldn’t screw up the pronunciation it said “Gee – mond,” recalls Ryan. “That was the first time I met Ashley.”
On top of already having knots in his stomach, Ryan was instantly enamored by Ashley’s beauty and thought “Wow, she’s cute!” Not only did Ryan manage to get through the awkward performance, but he nailed it and received a standing ovation and props from all the other guys. Word got out that Ryan wanted to see Ashley again (and have a conversation this time around) and the following weekend they hung out with some friends.
“Here we are over 8 years later, and I’m sure glad that piece of paper had the love of my life written on it,” said Ryan.
Fast forward from one incredible chapter to the next- and check out Ashley and Ryan’s big day. As you can see, the bride and groom make an absolutely stunning couple! The two planned an epic summer wedding near Seattle without the help of a professional coordinator. This made every decision more special and meaningful to the both of them.
Of all decisions to be made, hiring Jen Repp to photograph their special day was a no brainer. “Her work speaks for itself and she is just so talented,” said Ashley.
I couldn’t agree more with the stunning bride…These images tell such a beautiful story and don’t even need captions!
There were many heartfelt moments that the bride and groom will never forget.
One of them was when Ryan saw his bride for the first time.
Ashley looked radiant and Ryan’s reaction was priceless!
The couple had a romantic ceremony full of sweet sentiments and personal touches. One moment that stood out from the rest was when Ryan’s sister, a bridesmaid, concluded the service by singing “Forever” by Ben Harper.
It seems like singing love songs might be in Ryan’s family genes?!?
“Unlike many grooms who sit back and let the bride work out the details on her own, Ryan was very much involved in the planning process which meant a lot to me,” said Ashley.
She added, “While I had a vivid image of what I wanted my wedding to look like, it was my sister who really helped me bring all the details to life. She handmade all of my save the date cards and wedding invitations, she found the yellow vases that were then wrapped in lace for our centerpieces, she helped me create the place card stands using easels, which were later used to display some of our childhood photos, and on and on. I don’t know what I would have done without her!”
Love is Sweet, indeed!
Overall, the three most important factors were food, photos and fun! The food was delicious, the photos turned out incredible and everyone had such a blast. ”We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect wedding,” said the bride and groom.
Finally, the perfect image to sum up Ryan and Ashley’s unforgettable wedding… pretty dreamy, right?
If you are a soon to be Mrs, your to do list and calendar is probably filling up rather quickly these days.
Above: A real preppy bride and groom (Shannon and Chris) found on 
Photo credits:
A few years ago, when it was my time to find the perfect wedding dress, I didn’t take advantage of the opportunity to play dress up. After putting on my second gown, I felt that immediate connection that told me it was “the one.”
