Our Story

I recently got an e-mail from Wedding Window that our wedding website hosting term would soon expire and would be deleted from their system in two weeks. We set up our website about a year and a half ago, a month after we were engaged so keep friends and family in the loop while our wedding details started becoming reality.

While I'm the one with the blog, Ryan is most definitely the writer in our family. I just wanted to share his version of "our story" which he wrote for our website.


I turn on my computer. I wait impatiently as it connects. I go online, and my breath catches in my chest until I hear three little words: You've got mail. I hear nothing. Not even a sound on the streets of New York, just the beating of my own heart. I have mail. From you.” – Kathleen Kelly, You’ve Got Mail

Janie and Ryan met at the top floor of Barnes & Noble in New York City’s Union Square on February 15, 2006. She thought he was too skinny and his hair was too short while he was surprised how tall she was and distracted by her long scarf and large hoop earnings. They walked to Starbucks and shared smiles, laughs and stories for several hours. There were encouraging signs of compatibility, but neither Janie nor Ryan could possibly have foreseen the significance of that night or the long journey ahead.

Truthfully though, that post-Valentine’s Day meeting was not the first time Janie and Ryan met. She first met him when she logged on to her Match.com profile and saw a message from Goggles182. Shortly after starting an email correspondence, Ryan became sick with the flu. It was the worst illness of his entire life. However, the week spent at home in quarantine allowed Ryan to have long conversations with Janie over instant messenger. This led to the first phone call where Janie famously asked Ryan during a brief pause in the conversation, “Are you bored or do you just have nothing to say?” He was initially horrified by this blunt directness, but would soon come to appreciate Janie’s no-frills candor. Having survived the bumpy telephone call only moderately traumatized, Ryan suggested the two meet in person at a romantic location: the magazine section of the largest retail bookstore.

On their first official date, Janie and Ryan ate dinner at Heartland Brewery. Throwing caution to the wind, Ryan ignored his embarrassingly low alcohol tolerance and ordered a beer in an effort to look normal. Meanwhile, Janie passed the time by rearranging her entrée, since eating in front of others makes her uncomfortable. But the night would take a turn for the better when Janie and Ryan went to the movie theatre to watch the animated feature film adaptation of Curious George.

Two-thirds of the way through the movie, Ryan overcame his incapacitating shyness and leaned over his left shoulder to plant a fleeting peck on Janie’s lips. When he went in for the second smooch, Janie sunk slightly in her chair (hopefully she wasn’t trying to escape) so Ryan ended up kissing the tip of her nose. As Ryan sat back in his chair with his adrenaline racing and his heart pounding furiously, Janie calmly reached out and took his hand, holding it softly yet assuredly, silently reciprocating his sweet, if poorly executed, display of affection. With Janie holding his hand, Ryan felt his heart was in safest place it would ever be.

Flash forward to February 15, 2009 at the FAO Schwartz flagship store in Manhattan. Janie met Ryan at the toy store under the pretense of picking up a gift for his cousin’s daughter. After they rode up the escalator to the second floor, Ryan led Janie to a small area off to the side that overlooked the entire store. There she saw two giant stuffed dogs and two smaller dogs (symbolizing Ryan, Janie and their two real life puppies Barley and Zoey), a bouquet of roses and a guitar. He fumbled through a short song he wrote for the occasion, with his voice trembling and his fingers missing the designated notes. Then Ryan knelt down on one knee to present an engagement ring to Janie, the love of his life, and asked her to marry him and make him the happiest, luckiest guy in the universe. There in the world’s most famous toy store, Ryan wished that he and Janie would grow old together while always remaining kids at heart and fill their household with the joy and imagination that children find in toys.

Janie and Ryan are very distinct individuals with separate strengths and idiosyncrasies. They are a perfect match because they complement each other perfectly. Where one lacks, the other flourishes and as a team there’s nothing they cannot accomplish. Though they may differ in opinion or taste, they always unconditionally respect, support and love each other. Janie and Ryan look forward to sealing the deal in Brooklyn on April 17, 2010 and hope their family and friends will be able to share this wonderful occasion with them. The wedding will be a top-notch affair…see you there!

<3 you hun!