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When Your Sister-in-Law Gets Engaged!

When your sister-in-law gets engaged, you are the happiest of happies!! Erica & Ryan have been together nearly 10 years… they met in 8th grade & despite being multiple timezones worth of long distance, they stayed together through high school before they found themselves at the University of Virginia for college. They were first years when Kevin & I were fourth years, so we loved spending as much time with them as we could. I convinced Erica to join my sorority & we quickly became best friends. Not a day goes by that I’m not thankful for Kevin having such a wonderful family – I seriously lucked out in the little sister department (and parents-in-law!). We moved to Seattle the next year, and Erica & Ryan moved to DC after graduation, but we regularly visited each other & always looked forward to our fun adventures. Fast forward to November when Ryan found out that he could be transferred to Seattle for work – a bit sooner than expected, and we were PUMPED. We immediately got them added to our Sounders season ticket block, found them an apartment less than 5 minutes away from us & began daydreaming about how great it will be to finally live in the same city together. They made the drive cross country & both hit the ground running with work. Kevin & I got engaged shortly after making a similar cross-country move together 4 years earlier, & they had definitely been planning on eventually getting engaged, so we waited on pins and needles for it to happen. Ryan finally cornered us at Erica’s birthday celebration back in December & told us he was thinking about proposing a month later on his birthday in efforts to surprise her the most. She wouldn’t expect to get engaged on his birthday, right?! I see Erica often, so imagine how hard it was for me to keep this secret from her for SO LONG! Meanwhile, Ryan would message me about rings, plans, etc. – & always through Snapchat so there wouldn’t be a “paper trail” – and Kevin & I got more and more excited the closer we got to his birthday weekend. Finally it was the day of Ryan’s birthday – we had all planned to head up to Woodinville for a day of beer & whisky tasting. I called Erica to make our excuse for having to join them later, as instructed by Ryan, and then hopped in the car to meet up with them at Chateau Ste Michelle & join for the celebration after the proposal. Kevin & I hid in our car in the parking lot until Ryan gave us the green light to come find them. Erica was still wiping away happy tears as we yelled congratulations across the courtyard & seeing the look of pure joy on her face in that moment was priceless. They were both beaming ear to ear, and naturally I brought my camera so I could take a few post-proposal photos for them. We spent the rest of the afternoon toasting the happy couple, eating Ryan’s birthday cake & watching them call all of their friends & family to share the happy news. It was the best day.

Erica & Ryan – I am SO happy for you two & cannot wait until Ryan is officially part of the family! (It has been a long standing joke that Ryan isn’t allowed on the “Ruth Clan” group text until they are married, so he is anxious to get on that list!) My advice to you for the coming months of planning is to stay true to your vision for your wedding day, prioritize the important things & let the other details roll off your backs. Also, you know I’m here to help with all of your wedding questions! It’s going to be a blast & you are going to be MARRIED which is the greatest thing. We love you guys so much – congratulations!!!

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I believe in all things bright, happy & colorful! Specializing in capturing the JOY of life's greatest adventures!

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