Jodi and Ryan will forever be one of our favorite couples. I do believe we can call them friends and not just clients. They had a glorious Asheville Wedding starting at the Omni Grove Park Inn and ending at the Century Room in downtown Asheville.

One of my favorite things about this couple is their honesty and sense of humor. They met online and she pretty much blew him off for about 3 months. He persisted (see image below) and finally won the girl. We love their story! (You can read more about it at the bottom of this blog post!)

This might be some of my favorite wedding shoes ever. Wow!

The details.


The back of that dress!!! <3


We loved this necklace given to Jodi by her soon to be mother in law! It complimented her dress so well!

Mother of the bride moment.

Peeking at the guest arriving!

Ring bearer and his dad. I love this candid moment.

Flower girl and Mariah. (The awesome Mariah is the daughter of Ryan!)

Writing.

Ryan and his uncle, who was the best man.

The lovely Jodi and her bridesmaids!

So debonair.

Jodi was a stunning bride!

Shout out to Bobby with Bobby/Mark’s Design for these amazing flowers.

Jodi is gorgeous.


This was one of my favorite moments of the day. Jodi and Ryan had an “around the door” moment. She did not want him to see her but they wanted to talk and exchange/read letters to each other. All he had to do was see her hand and he lost it.



Then he saw his daughter Mariah. This one had us choked up for sure.



The ceremony was on the Vanderbilt Terrace at the Grove Park Inn.





We love you Ryan!








Jodi has the best smile. She was so so happy to be marrying her love.


Candid moment with family and friends.

Moments with Mariah.



These shoes may be pretty…

But they had to come off! 🙂

This day was gorgeous. This couple was amazing. What chemistry!







Trolley Ride to Packs Tavern!

The Century Room at Packs Tavern.




First dance moments.


Parent Dances!

A dance with his daughter.

Which ended with a dance with his girls.

Welcome speech and toast!




Party Time!


Party time for most that is.



Congrats Jodi and Ryan!! Cheers to an amazing life together!

Now, here is a bit more of Jodi and Ryan’s Story!

A bit about Jodi: (as written by Ryan) – Jodi is as sweet as she is beautiful.. She’s a loving wife, step mom, daughter, sister and friend. She loves music, especially going to see a live show from one our our favorite bands, at any chance we get. Her health is also very important to her and she takes great care of herself by working out and playing tennis. She is easy to love (except when UGA football is on ?) and she makes everyone around her feel really special. She’s also my favorite person in the whole world.

A bit about Ryan: Ryan is living proof that good men exist. He has the biggest heart and is genuinely kind and honest. He is from the Midwest and I think they just make them better up there. Ryan loves soccer. He plays it, watches it, and reads about it. He is always up on the newest and best soccer gear and plays in 3 leagues here in Atlanta. He is a wonderful father to Mariah and is handy around the house and cooks! My friends ask me to clone him but I think I’ll just keep him all for myself. :).

How did you meet? On a dating app called Hinge. Ryan messaged me 3 times over 3 months before I responded. I finally wrote him back and once I did our conversation didn’t stop. Talking to him was so natural. He was cute, charming, and genuine. It didn’t take long to figure out we had a lot in common.

Describe your first date? Ha. Funny story actually. We had dinner plans to go to a Spanish tapas restaurant in Atlanta. I meant to take nausea medicine when I got home from work that day but accidentally took an ambien. I pushed back our date a couple of hours and slept it off, showered, and drank coffee before he picked me up. I am so glad I still went. He was a gentleman and I instantly felt connected and attracted to the person he was. He got my attention and I wanted to know more and more about him. We had our second date just two days later and then the 3rd two days after that. Our time together quickly became frequent.

How long have you been together? 2 years in October.

What are your favorite hobbies and activities to do as a couple? Going to see music. We love going to shows. Specifically, The Avett Brothers and Kings of Leon, but we just love live music.

Who popped the question and HOW? Ryan asked me to marry him. He had a car pick me up from work and bring me to him at the place where we had our first date, Barcelona. He had both of our families there hiding around the corner. They came out as he started to talk to me about our relationship and surrounded us as he asked me to marry him. It was perfect. Then we got to enjoy a meal and toast as a family together. The manager at the restaurant was so moved he recorded the whole thing and every time we go back there they send out champagne on the house.

Why did you pick Asheville and the Omni Grove Park Inn? It was one of the easiest wedding decisions we made. We both had an individual love and appreciation for Asheville already. We went up last October to look around and quickly decided on the Century Room after Ryan told me about his favorite wedding he had attended there and we got a tour. Afterwards, we went to Grove Park Inn to celebrate our decision and enjoy the views and we saw them setting up the Vanderbilt terrace for a wedding. We talked to staff and with a look to each other knew we had to do our ceremony there.

What adjective best describes your spouse on your wedding day?

Ryan was amazing. He looked amazing, his words were amazing, his emotion amazed me. Everything about him was and is amazing.

Jodi was stunning. I knew she would look beautiful, like she always does, but she stopped the show. Not only with her outward beauty, but with the sentiment and sincerity that poured from her heart during her vows. I was truly in awe of my wife, a feeling I’ll never let go of.

What tangible detail of your wedding day did you love the most?

I loved my Grandmother’s diamond earrings that my Aunt brought to me to wear and the Chuppah my mom made for the ceremony.

I loved Jodi’s dress. It was sexy but classic and elegant at the same time. I also have to mention the brass train cuff links that belonged to my Grandfather. I kept them in my pocket through the whole ceremony.

How many guests attended the wedding? 117

What did you and your guests eat at the reception? We had food stations: a mac & cheese bar, pimento cheese sliders, roasted vegetables, chicken and artichoke skewers, meatballs and more.

What was the flavor of your wedding cake? It was my Mom’s famous lemon cake. Her Mom, my grandmother, always made it and it has since been passed down to my Mom. She made, iced and transported the whole cake. We are very appreciative and impressed.

What is the one of the funniest things that happened on your wedding day? The toasts from both the best man and maid of honor were pretty funny! Ryan and I also had some humor in our vows.

What was your first dance song and why did you pick it? Swept Away (sentimental version) by the Avett Brothers. We picked it because we love the Avett Brothers and the song is beautiful and Ryan has definitely swept me away with his love.

What stood out to you the most when you think of your wedding? Both of us answered this with “Our vows to each other” and having our parents hold the Chuppah that my Mom made over us was pretty awesome.

What is on your “bucket list” to do together as a married couple? We want to travel to the Pacific Northwest, to Europe, and to add to our family.

Shout out to these professionals that made this wedding amazing.

Wedding planning and design – Mark Arrington with Bobby Marks Designs
Venue coordinator – Chandler Guess and Lizzy at The Century Room at Pack’s Tavern
Dress Designer – Watters Willowby Miriam (With custom made straps!)
Where you purchased your dress – Atlanta Bride Couture
Makeup artist – Keri Campbell Sims of Davao
Hair designer – Laura Silverstein of Davao and the Bride’s sister
Floral designer – Bobby Hill of Bobby Marks Designs
Caterer – Pack’s Tavern
DJ or Band – DJ Tech from Sound Extreme
Officiant – Adam Baird (Groom’s Brother)
Cake designer – Rita Silverstein (Mother of the Bride)
Rental company – Classic Event Rental
Limo or car service – Gray Line Trolley
Videographer – Wedding Mix App/Cameras
Wedding hashtag- #ifyoureabairdimabaird