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The couple. Elizabeth Meyer Kirkpatrick, 29, and Ryan Cummings Kirkpatrick, 32, crossed paths occasionally before they fell in love, but it wasn’t until they both attended graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania that they became close. Ryan took Elizabeth to New Orleans, a standard vacation spot for his family, for the first time in February 2010, and popped the question over oysters at his favorite oyster bar.
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Planning from afar. The pair lives in Manhattan, but chose to travel to the Eastern Shore to get married at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels. The Kirkpatrick family has owned a home on the Miles River for more than 10 years, making the Shore a special place for their family. Because the museum is right on the river, it was just right for their outdoor wedding.
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The day of. “I remember waking up to the most beautiful sunrise I have ever seen on the Eastern Shore,” says Elizabeth. It was a great start to the day of the wedding, which was officiated by a dear family friend. After the ceremony, guests enjoyed a raw bar, just as the pair during when Ryan proposed, during cocktail hour, followed by a tented reception right on the water. The biggest surprise of the day came during the reception, as Elizabeth’s parents had arranged for a fireworks show over the Miles River. The party didn’t end there—the festivities moved into the museum, where a DJ spun tunes. “The after-party was a huge hit,” she says.
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The speeches. ‘The most personal aspect of our wedding was the truly special toasts,” Elizabeth says. “Ryan’s father was his best man, and that speech was beautiful as well. My best friend of 10 years gave a hilarious and crowd-pleasing speech.”Elizabeth didn’t stay silent either—“ I am not a huge fan of weddings where the bride does not speak, so I gave a toast to thank the guests, my friends, family and of course my hubby. Ryan is a wonderful speaker and said some of the most beautiful things to me and our guests.”—all 330 of them.
The honeymoon. Ryan and Elizabeth crossed the Atlantic for their honeymoon, spending two weeks Italy. It was the first time in the country for both, which made it even more special, and they spent time in Florence, Tuscany, and Rome. “I studied classical languages in college,” Elizabeth says. “So being able to see Rome for the first time with my new husband was one of the best experiences of my life.”
