Weddings

Real Wedding: Lynn and Ryan

When it came to this couple’s engagement, a language barrier almost prevented a “yes.”

Lynn and Ryan on their wedding day on September 14, 2013. All photographs by Amy Raab.

Lynn Chheang and Ryan Hill took five years to make it to their first date. They were introduced by mutual coworkers and friends in 2005 during a happy hour. Despite instantly catching each other’s eye, it wasn’t until a chance encounter on Facebook that they forged a reconnection and set up a first date at Ray’s Hell-Burger in Arlington.

Madly in love, two and a half years later, Ryan, a fixed income trader at Fannie Mae and part-time graduate MBA student at Georgetown University, decided it was time to propose. He chose the scenic Japanese botanical gardens at Zilker Park in Austin, Texas, to pop the question. Wanting to ask in Lynn’s native Cambodian, Ryan had turned to her family for the right words in Khmer weeks before. “At first I did not understand Ryan’s proposal because his Khmer was poorly enunciated,” says Lynn, an accountant. “I finally realized what was going on when he got down on one knee and in English said, ‘I love you; will you marry me?’” Seventeen months later, they were wed at Baltimore’s Evergreen Museum & Library.

Details:

Photographer: Amy Raab

Venue: Evergreen Museum & Library

Officiant: Mr. David Payne

Event Coordinator: Chantal Rotondo, Cherry Blossom Events

Bride’s Gown: Liancarlo, Carine’s Bridal Atelier

Hair: Victoria Stiles for bride, Hair by Jewels for bridesmaids

Makeup: Victoria Stiles for bride, Behind the Veil for bridesmaids

Groom’s Suit: Isaia, Saks Fifth Avenue

Caterers: Chef’s Expressions

Cocktail: Moscow Mule

Pies: Pie Sisters

Pie Flavors: Bourbon chocolate, jumble berry, apple, and Key lime

Florist: Violets Florist by Connie Clark

Flowers: David Austin roses, cabbage roses, spray roses, hydrangeas, and succulents

Music/Entertainment: Canterbury Strings for the cocktail hour and ceremony, DJ Chizzau for the reception

First Dance Song: “Lucky” by Jason Mraz

Stationery: Minted

Photo Booth: Photo in a Box

Bride’s Favorite Detail: “The venue and the earrings I wore, which were a wedding gift from my parents.”

Groom’s Favorite Detail: “Biking details incorporated into the program, menu, pies, and napkins. I am a huge cyclist.” 

Biggest Surprise: “Ryan’s dad boogying and dancing the whole night!”

Theme: Elegance in the outdoors

Four Words That Describe the Wedding: Fun, Victorian, dreamy, beautiful

Honeymoon Spot: Nemacolin Resort in Farmington, Pennsylvania. “We are planning to take a longer trip to France and Spain once Ryan graduates from the Georgetown MBA program.”

Where They Currently Live: Arlington, VA