Registry Bistro Wedding with String Lights
Bethany and Ryan’s love story began in February 2021 when they met through Bumble. Bethany reached out to Ryan because she saw that he was doing a fellowship at the Stanford Constitutional Law Center and she loves the Constitution too. After chatting for a bit, they met in person about a week later and hit it off.
Despite their busy schedules, they managed to keep their relationship going, even though they were mostly long-distance. They share a love of cooking (especially breakfast), spending time outside, and most of all, having good conversations with friends and each other.
Ryan had an elaborate plan to propose to Bethany. He told her that he needed to stay in California until a Saturday in December, but in reality, he secretly made plans to propose and be home that Friday at the Toledo Art Museum. To make the plan work, he tricked Bethany into going to the art museum by stealing her phone and asking her friend Molly to suggest going there to celebrate the end of finals.
The plan worked beautifully: Molly reached out to Bethany, Bethany suggested going to the art museum, and Molly agreed and suggested that the two of them get dressed up. When Bethany showed up at the museum, Ryan was waiting for her with a ring and wearing a nametag that said “Molly.” Ryan proposed (in part using Bethany’s favorite line from the Declaration of Independence), and Bethany said yes. Yours truly was there to capture the joy! Bethany also proposed to Ryan a few days later at Zingerman’s in Ann Arbor, where they enjoyed coffee and pastries. She gave him a copy of John Gottman’s book they both really liked, The Seven Principles For Making Marriage Work, and asked him to marry her as well.
With a lineup of only 44 guests, lots of care and attention was given to each individual one and the day was personalized to give their guests a wonderful experience. Each guest received a handwritten note from the couple when they walked into the ceremony and could grab a glass of sparkling wine. Their reception was focused on creating an elegant dinner party filled with good food, good wine, and good conversation with friends. The decor could be described as romantic industrial, with black and white colors and pops of burgundy and gold accents. The Edison bulbs and amber tones set the scene perfectly.
There was no dancing at the reception, just a focus on conversation and friendship. After the couple walked into the reception, they thanked their guests for coming and they invited their guests to give a toast as well. It was a very unique and special experience!
The wedding cake had two small 2D representations of their rabbits in an inconspicuous spot, which I made sure to capture in photos. After cutting the cake, the couple had a nod to a favorite snack, popcorn, with a stocked popcorn bar for guests.
I feel so honored to have captured the special moments of Bethany and Ryan’s wedding-related events! From the elaborate proposal to the elegant ceremony and dinner party reception, every detail was thoughtfully curated to reflect their love story. We spent hours on their portraits of the two of them and came up with some really creative and unique ideas, which is rare but always a treat with a couple! It was a joy to witness their emotional ring exchange and the heartfelt toasts from their loved ones. Congrats, Bethany and Ryan!
Wedding Vendors:
Wedding Coordinator – Bee for the Day
Hair Stylist – Select Salon Studios (Dory Geisel)
Ceremony Venue, Reception Venue, Caterer – Registry Bistro
Lighting and Decor – Mager Designs
Florist – The Flower Mercantile
String Quartet – Millenius Strings
Cake – Zingerman’s Cake Studio
