Elena and Ryan met when Elena attended a performance by Ryan’s band, The Break Lights. After the show, Elena got to go backstage and meet the band, and the two clicked instantly! Elena started to attend more Break Lights shows, and the performances she and Ryan would hang out and get to know each other.
Their connection deepened when they were both coincidentally planning trips to Vietnam. After Ryan saw Elena’s Facebook post asking for travel recommendations, he took a chance and messaged her asking if she might be interested in “meeting up somewhere along the way,” and next thing they knew, the two of them were cozied up watching a documentary about Vietnam! Elena and Ryan headed off on the first of many adventures, meeting in Chiang Mai, Thailand, the place their romance truly started and the city they both vow they’d move to in a heartbeat. They spent the next two weeks in Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia learning all about each other.
One day in the summer of 2019, Brandon, a photographer friend, invited Elena and Ryan down to the beach to help take photos, Elena was a little suspicious. But, when Ryan got down on one knee and proposed, everything around them melted away as they shared in this special moment. It marked the beginning of the next phase in their commitment to one another.
Elena and Ryan celebrated their big day at the Women’s Club of Glen Ridge in New Jersey. The wedding party processed down the aisle to Jason Mraz, played by Around Town Entertainment’s pianist! As Elena entered, everyone rose as the pianist played “Clair de Lune.” Elena looked radiant in her gown, and the smile on Ryan’s face when he saw her lit up the room. Everyone applauded as they were pronounced husband and wife, and they recessed back up the aisle to Ray LaMontagne’s “You Are the Best Thing.”
Elena, Ryan, and their guests then enjoyed cocktail hour out on the patio. Everyone enjoyed the scenic grounds as well as music from Around Town’s Jazz Trio, featuring a guitarist, a pianist, and a bass player!
After cocktails, everyone adjourned to the grand ballroom, where they were greeted with music from Around Town’s Authority Band! The bridal party made a lively entrance to “Can’t Stop the Feeling” by Justin Timberlake. Elena and Ryan then made their grand entrance to “Electric Love” by BORNS, before transitioning into their first dance, which was set to “Baby I’m Yours” by The Arctic Monkeys, a song very close to the couple’s hearts. The couple then shared dances with their parents, Elena and her father dancing to Chrisette Michele’s “Your Joy” and Ryan and his mother dancing to “Because You Loved Me” by Celine Dion. After the slow dances were over, The Authority Band was ready to rock! The band spent the night playing all of Elena and Ryan’s favorite songs, including Dua Lipa’s “Levitating” and “Only Human” by the Jonas Brothers. It was definitely a night to remember!
Thank you, Elena and Ryan, for letting us rock your special day!
