The Riverview

Wedding Day

Fall

Formal Attire - Adults Only - Unplugged Ceremony

Our Wedding

From swiping right, to walking down the aisle

Their story began on a dating app called OkCupid when they discovered they had both swiped right on one another. Though Ryan only had one picture on his profile, and Gabby wasn't all together certain that he wasn't a "catfish" or a serial killer because of it, she gave him a chance anyways. After exchanging conversation through the app for some time, the two exchanged their social media information, but most importantly, their gamer-tags. Though they were physically 45 minutes from one another, a special connection was formed through spending endless hours together talking and playing Stardew Valley with each another online. Ryan and Gabby would spend their days working and texting each other throughout the day until the moment they clocked out and could hop online and play the game with one another all night; the two had to practically force themselves to stop playing to go to bed and get some rest, just to do it all over again the next day.

After spending all of this time getting to know each other, and Gabby verifying through Snapchat that Ryan was indeed real, Ryan asked Gabby out for their first date. The two decided to meet on Sunday December 8, 2019 at Bobby V's in Windsor Locks, CT as it was a halfway point from where each lived. They excitedly, and nervously, met to watch the 1:00pm Patriots vs. Kansas City Chiefs game. That game ended and the two proceeded to sit and watch the next game that was on...and then the next game, until Bobby V's announced "last call." The two were having such a fabulous time and didn't want their night together to end, so they found a bar close by and raced there to continue hanging out, until they also announced "last call" at 1:45am. They were each clearly smitten with one another and were having such a great time. They still didn't want the night to end, so they decided to go to the only place around that would still be open...good old reliable, Denny's. They sat in a booth and proceeded to talk about life and everything in between until 4:00am at which point they made the decision to call it a night as they each had to report to work in just a couple of hours.

Ryan and Gabby excitedly made plans to hangout again two days later where they discovered their rivaling competitive personalities through bowling. To this day, Ryan likes to say that he "schooled Gabby," a comment that she will roll her eyes to. They continued spending time together in person, as much as they could, with the passing days. On December 18, 2019 the two were out for dinner and drinks and Gabby was a bottle of wine in, blabbing on and on telling some story. Ryan simply sitting there smiling, taking it all in, abruptly said, "will you be my girlfriend?" Being the socially awkward person that Gabby is, she laughed and pretended to not have heard him and said, "what?" Confused, she watched as Ryan asked the waiter for a pen and a piece of paper, and then began to jot something down. When finished writing, he folded the edges of the paper together and slid it over to her; the paper said "will you be my girlfriend?" with varying response boxes. Again, being the awkward person she is, Gabby checked off "maybe" and then excitedly scratched that out to check off "yes."

The two began dating, met each others family and friends during the holidays, and spent time traveling together to places like New York and Pennsylvania. Eventually Ryan moved in with Gabby to her small, but cozy, studio apartment. When COVID-19 made its way to the United States, they bunkered down during the lockdown and would have dates with one another that consisted of trying to find a roll of toilet paper (I know...remember that?). Gabby had been in school to be a Veterinary Technician, but had decided to switch paths and go into Finance. Ryan also decided to pursue his desire of earning a degree and enrolled in a bachelor degree online school program like Gabby through Southern New Hampshire University; Ryan enrolled in a Computer Science program, and Gabby enrolled in Accounting.

In December of 2020, Gabby purchased a house in Connecticut, and the two moved there together. They learned the joys of home-owning, such as a leaky roof, unwanted rodent guests in the attic, or that the wiring was set up so that you couldn't have both the AC and the microwave running at the same time without blowing a fuse. They fine tuned their painting and landscaping skills and learned how to fix things around the house from Gabby's father, but most importantly, the two worked together to make the house a home.

On Saturday January 29th, 2022 Ryan and Gabby had plans to have a stay at home date day since they hadn't had much time together as of late due to conflicting work schedules and rigorous school schedules. They had planned to start the evening with a game and then proceed with dinner and playing video games with one another for the night. The game they began the evening with was constructed so that the two got each other small gifts based on a list like, "the other person's favorite color, the other person's favorite snack, the other person's favorite drink, something that reminded them of the other person, and lastly a surprise gift." They began playing it, each giving each other what they got the other for each round, the other person's favorite snack, and so forth. It then came down to the surprise round, and Ryan handed Gabby a small box containing a beautiful ring, and he asked her to marry him.

And that brings the couple to now...meticulously planning and preparing for the wedding of their dreams. The dress has been purchased, the venue and date has been locked down, a talented photographer, videographer, and DJ have been booked...they're ready to party and most importantly celebrate their love with you on their big day!

Our Story

The Bride & Groom

The Zoo - Milo, Yoshi, Mowgli, and Milton

Photos

Jake Kulinski

Brittany Hogan

Jon-Erik Schneider

Danielle Rose

Izzy (Patrick) Khublall

Carissa Burkhard

Steve Lovejoy

Julie Ganey

Eden Ganey

Wedding Party

Q + A

**WHEN MAKING A RESERVATION, MAKE SURE TO TELL THEM YOU ARE A PART OF THE WARD WEDDING FOR A DISCOUNTED RATE. ROOMS BOOK QUICKLY, SO MAKE SURE TO MAKE YOUR RESERVATION WELL IN ADVANCE** In Weatogue (Simsbury Center)Make yourself at home in one of the 98 individually decorated guestrooms, featuring refrigerators and LCD televisions. Your pillowtop bed comes with down comforters and premium bedding. Complimentary wireless Internet access keeps you connected, and cable programming is available for your entertainment. Private bathrooms with shower/tub combinations feature complimentary toiletries and hair dryers.Located in Weatogue (Simsbury Center), Simsbury Inn is within a 5-minute drive of Penwood State Park and Performing Arts Center at Simsbury Meadows. This hotel is 2 mi (3.3 km) from Talcott Mountain State Park and 3.4 mi (5.4 km) from Farmington Valley Arts Center.Distances are displayed to the nearest 0.1 mile and kilometer. Talcott Mountain State Park - 4 km / 2.5 mi Penwood State Park - 3.2 km / 2 mi Performing Arts Center at Simsbury Meadows - 3.4 km / 2.1 mi Farmington Valley Arts Center - 5.4 km / 3.4 mi UConn Health - 5.4 km / 3.4 mi Bloomfield Crossing - 7.6 km / 4.7 mi Wampanoag Country Club - 9.3 km / 5.8 mi Gillette Ridge Golf Course - 9.5 km / 5.9 mi Wintonbury Hills Golf Course - 9.5 km / 5.9 mi Copacos Shopping Center - 11 km / 6.8 mi Sycamore Hills Recreation Area - 11.1 km / 6.9 mi Talcott Mountain Science Center - 11.3 km / 7 mi McLean Game Refuge - 11.6 km / 7.2 mi St. Joseph College - 11.8 km / 7.3 mi University of Connecticut-Hartford - 11.9 km / 7.4 mi The nearest airports are:Bradley Intl. Airport (BDL) - 22.2 km / 13.8 mi Westfield, MA (BAF-Barnes Municipal) - 40 km / 24.9 mi Oxford, CT (OXC-Waterbury - Oxford) - 65.9 km / 41 mi The preferred airport for Simsbury Inn is Bradley Intl. Airport (BDL). Enjoy a range of recreational amenities, including a health club, an indoor pool, and a sauna. This hotel also features complimentary wireless Internet access, concierge services, and wedding services.Featured amenities include complimentary wired Internet access, a 24-hour business center, and express check-out. Planning an event in Weatogue? This hotel has facilities measuring 4361 square feet (405 square meters), including conference space.Enjoy local cuisine at Evergreens, one of the hotels 3 restaurants, or stay in and take advantage of the room service (during limited hours). Snacks are also available at the coffee shop/cafe. Quench your thirst with your favorite drink at the bar/lounge.

Gabrielle + Ryan

Gabrielle + Ryan

Registry