Candace Crissey and Ryan Walterhoefer met on a blind date at the insistence of mutual friends. Two years later, they wed in a romantic outdoor wedding shot by Elizabeth Fogarty Photography. Check out their dreamy summer ceremony and reception below.
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Candace Crissey and Ryan Walterhoefer met on a blind date. A friend of Candace’s had recently gone on a joint work trip with her husband and her husband’s coworker, Ryan. She asked whether Candace would be willing to meet him. Although neither Ryan nor Candace was looking to date at the time, their friend was persuasive: she sent Ryan a picture of Candace along with a cheesy bio she’d pulled together and Candace’s phone number. The next day, Ryan texted Candace and they agreed to meet.
For their first date, they decided to go fun and casual. Ryan picked Candace up at her apartment and they went for dinner and drinks at El Centro in Georgetown. “I was excited for our first date from the moment I heard his voice and saw his huge grin,” says Candice. “Ryan introduced me to his favorite Tequila, Don Julio 1942, and we laughed and laughed.”
The couple dated for fourteen months. Then, the Thursday before Labor Day weekend, Candace came home after a long day of work and dropped all her bags off in the kitchen. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed the pier in their backyard looked different: it was covered in a red carpet and lined with candles. She immediately understood what was happening.
As she exited the house and headed down the pier, she could see Ryan standing under the boathouse between two large bouquets, with dozens of candles lit all around him. Hanging from their chaise lounge were small wooden letters that spelled out MARRY ME. When she finally made it to the end of the pier, Ryan got down on one knee and proposed. Candace was so flustered that Ryan had to ask her twice, but when she finally responded, her answer was yes. They popped a bottle of Don Perignon to celebrate and kicked off an amazing holiday weekend.
After a year-long engagement the couple traded vows at Wye River Conference Center in Queenstown, Maryland, in a classic outdoor wedding. Candace wore an elegant beaded strapless gown with a long sheer veil, and held a brimming bouquet of peonies, ranunculus and greenery tied with a silk sash. Her bridesmaids were dressed in blush and fawn hues, while the groomsmen wore pale grey-blue for a soft, romantic effect.
The newlyweds had their first dance to Ray LaMontagne’s “You Are the Best Thing” under an outdoor tent before cutting a lemon cake with buttercream icing. For their honeymoon, Ryan and Candace jetted off to a tropical retreat in Kauai and Maui, Hawaii.
VENDORS
Photography: Elizabeth Fogarty Photography | Wedding and Reception Venue: Wye River Conference Center | Event Coordinator: Kathie Covell of Wye River Conference Center | Bride’s Gown: Ellie’s Bridal | Groom’s Tux: Jos. A. Bank | Bride’s Hair: Danielle Sinicrope | Bride’s Makeup: Amber Kwong | Cake: Caroline’s Cakes | Florist: Floral and Bloom | Ceremony Harpist: Mike Nielsen | Reception Entertainment: Big Ray and the Kool Kats | Invitations: Ribbon and Ink | Bridesmaid’s Dresses: Amsale from Bella Bridesmaids | Flower Girl Dresses: Nellystella from Wren Bridal | Wedding Rings: Radcliffe Jewelers | Bridal Party Robes: Piyama
Hayley is an Associate Editor at Washingtonian Weddings. Previously she was the the Style Editor at The Local Palate, a Southern food culture magazine based out of Charleston, South Carolina. You can follow her on instagram @wandertaste.
