Sydney and Ryan first met at a Pi Kappa Phi fraternity party at Florida Southern, soon after Bid Day. Sydney was in the kitchen talking to some of her junior friends, when one of them asked her who the cutest pledge was. The friends gave varying answers, but Sydney said, without a doubt, “Pitcher.” For months, they’d bump into each other at parties. Their first picture together was at a Margaritaville themed party, with Sydney’s best friend and Ryan’s fraternity Big, Cullen. On a few occasions, they found themselves in the same car with a DD heading back from a party, and began to develop a friendly banter. With Spring Break approaching, Cullen was planning a trip to the Florida Keys: both Sydney and Ryan agreed to go. In typical college fashion, there was a group of 10 people staying in a 2 bedroom house on Key Largo, with a popped air mattress, their friend Greg sleeping in an armchair, and Cullen sleeping on a hammock outside. One night, everyone was downstairs where Marco was grilling dinner for the group. Sydney and Ryan were the last ones talking downstairs on a hammock together, where they shared their first kiss under the stars. For about a month after the trip, the two began spending more time together. Ryan asked Sydney to get dinner with him in the caf one night, and they talked for over an hour. Ryan enlisted another Pi Kapp Sweetheart to help him ask Sydney to the Spring Formal, and she agreed. There is still a debate between Sydney and Ryan about which one of those nights constitutes their first date; they’ve recruited family and friends to help them settle it over the years, to no avail. As Ryan was the Fraternity President, many members of the fraternity took to calling Sydney the “First Lady.” Their friends continually asked them what was going on between them, and while Sydney would shrug and laugh it off, there came a time in the fall semester when Ryan told their friends that he was in love with her. Soon after, they became an “official” couple, and realized that they probably should’ve been all along.

Long distance grows the best kinds of relationships. Although it was difficult and sometimes painful going months without seeing each other, both Ryan and Sydney were determined to make it work. They always had a trip planned and a countdown until the next time they would see each other, whether that was in Florida with Sydney’s family, or at Florida Southern College; in the Bay Area where Sydney was beginning her work as a teacher, grad student, and Teach for America corps member; in Massachusetts, visiting Ryan’s family; or in another state where they met up, like Louisiana or Tennessee. In the summer of 2019, after graduating from Florida Southern College, Ryan spent some time at home with his family in Grafton, Massachusetts before embarking on a cross-country road trip with his stepbrother Jake. Upon arrival, Jake became fast friends with Zoe, and Sydney showed the two around Ryan’s new home. Jake and Ryan thought they could handle the temperature that day, in June, so they didn’t listen to Sydney when she told them to grab a jacket. By the end of the day, the two had to cave and buy San Francisco tourist sweatshirts at Pier 39. Within the first couple weeks of living here, Ryan had helped Sydney purchase and assemble more furniture. They moved from the house she’d shared with 2 roommates in Oakland, to a 2 bedroom apartment in El Cerrito with her best friend Alison, and her 13 year old chihuahua Bagel. While Sydney, Ryan, and Alison lived together harmoniously, Bagel and Zoe were another story. Zoe was 1 year old at the time, and would eagerly bring Bagel toys while he ignored her or harrumphed in her direction. Zoe still has some naughty habits that Bagel imparted onto her, such as growling. Bagel will be celebrating his quince this year. For the past two years, Sydney, Ryan, and Zoe have lived in their own 1-bedroom apartment in Alameda. They are close enough to the yacht club that they can walk Zoe to and from the coast every afternoon: about 2 miles roundtrip. They love that they can walk to get coffee or brunch, that there’s a pub a few blocks away, and that they’re a few minutes from the beach. While Ryan was hesitant to become a Bay Area resident, (he’s still an East Coast guy at heart) the two LOVE the Bay Area and are so excited for their East Coast family and friends to experience it. The couple had serious discussions about eloping, but one of Ryan’s strongest arguments for having a wedding was that “it’s probably the only time that we can have everyone we love come visit at once.” You’ll see on the Things to Do page of this website that the two got a bit carried away with recommendations. If you scroll past the touristy things, you’ll find some of their favorite local restaurants, hikes, breweries, wineries, and experiences. They have tons of other recommendations, so if you can’t do everything you’d like, you’ll have to come back and visit!

In April, during Sydney’s Spring Break, the couple traveled to Ireland with a few close friends: Greg, Lauria, and Alison. They’d originally booked the trip during the Pandemic and were uncertain for a while whether they would be able to go, due to covid restrictions and curfews in Ireland. They learned a few weeks beforehand that the trip was a go. Sydney loves all things vintage and antique, and follows many antique jewelry dealers online. When she saw this beautiful Art Deco aquamarine and diamond ring set in platinum, she fell in love. She showed Ryan, and reminded him that because it was an antique, there was only one in the online storefront: once it’s gone, it’s gone. Ryan assured her that he understood, but when it sold about a week prior to their trip, insisted that he hadn’t bought it; Sydney was very upset. Unbeknownst to her, the ring was on its way to from England, and arrived the night before their trip. While Sydney and Ryan had discussed potentially getting engaged on the trip, Sydney thought they’d decided against it, because she knows Ryan very well and was worried he would lose a ring if he had one. As it turns out, on their first night in Ireland he awoke his hostel mates in the middle of the night; they were surly and confused, but when he told them he thought he’d lost an engagement ring, they helped him upend the room and his luggage until they found it. They spent a week touring Ireland: learning of its storied history, trying soda bread and stew, walking beautiful paths in National Parks, learning to pour a proper Guinness, and relishing the pub scene. On Friday, April 8th, the group arrived at the Cliffs of Moher, which had been Sydney’s most anticipated location on the trip. Near the park’s castle, Sydney and Ryan were taking pictures with their friends Greg and Lauria. Sydney was a bit frustrated with Ryan about the camera angles and that he wasn’t looking at the camera: he seemed so distracted. When Ryan was intending to propose, it began hailing. He grew flustered, and the group took cover and put cameras away for a few minutes as they continued their walk. When the sky cleared up, they were at the other end of the park, with the castle in the distance. Sydney was taking pictures of the castle and cliffs and had her back turned to her friends and Ryan. Ryan got down on one knee, and tapped her back. But, it was so windy and had just been hailing, so Sydney didn’t acknowledge his gentle tap, or realize that he’d tapped her at all. After a heart pounding moment of being down on one knee, with other tourists waiting to pass them because Lauria was filming, Ryan whistled. Sydney turned around, saying “Did you just whistle at me?” to find him on one knee. Ryan was frozen and voiceless, but eventually choked out, “Will you marry me?” Sydney showed off the ring to her friends, the tourists, and the rest of the group when they returned to their bus. The couple contacted their families from their hostel that afternoon when they arrived in Galway, to share the exciting news. That night, the friends celebrated with a nice dinner at John Keogh’s, where Alison and Ryan bought the table bottles of champagne. They ended the night with live music and drinks at The King’s Head pub.