It was probably inevitable that Ashley and Ryan would meet someday. After all, their family and friends were acquainted already in so many ways. For example, Ryan’s uncle was on Ashley‘s grandpa‘s football team at Toms River High School South many years ago. As a result, Ashley‘s grandparents knew Ryan‘s grandparents before Ashley and Ryan were even born! Then there was Ashley‘s cousin who played Little League with Ryan, and Ashley‘s other cousin who played baseball at South with Ryan. Last but not least, and this is where the story gets interesting …Ashley‘s grandma, Christine, and Ryan‘s parents, Karen and Dan, lived in the same townhouse community and they ran into each other while walking their dogs, Lola and Bubba, respectively. After catching up, Ashley‘s grandma and Karen, Ryan‘s mom, realized that both Ryan and Ashley were single. They talked about what a nice couple they might make. Karen even suggested that they try and set something up, but Christine didn’t feel comfortable getting involved, even though she was very fond of Ryan.

One Sunday in October 2022, Ashley decided to take her puppy, Lucy, for a walk. She called her grandma to see if she wanted to go for a walk with her dog, Lola. Christine said she’d love to, so Ashley went to her grandma’s and they walked their dogs. Lola did what she usually did and pulled Christine (and Ashley and Lucy) right to the Shiffer townhouse. Lola always did this because she and Bubba, Karen and Dan’s Labrador, had a serious case of puppy love and always wanted to visit each other and play. The same held true on this day, only when Karen came to the door to let Bubba out, Ryan went with her to say hello. There he saw Christine and her lovely granddaughter, Ashley! They ended up chatting for a half hour or so and both Ashley and Ryan were definitely intrigued. Shortly after, Ryan asked Ashley to go to The Distillery downtown five days later, where they had their first date, followed by their first kiss!

The rest is history… Ryan moved in with Ashley and became Lucy‘s “father who stepped up” in the summer of ‘23. On December 16th of that year, Ryan proposed to Ashley with Ashley‘s mother’s original engagement ring in Seaside Park at the Bayside Beach, complete with a photographer to capture the whole magical moment. This was followed by a party where both families and friends came together to celebrate Ashley and Ryan’s engagement… what a wonderful Christmas gift for all! Right after the holidays, Ashley, who is both a physical therapist and a wedding planner, got right to work planning the wedding. After visiting only a few venues, Ryan and Ashley decided to have their wedding at The Reeds at Shelter Cove in Stone Harbor on Friday, December 6th, where the rest of their beautiful story will continue!

Written with Love by the Mother of the Bride, Christine