LEEANNA + RYAN STEP INTO THE LIMELIGHT | ST. PETERSBURG YACHT CLUB | ST. PETERSBURG, FL

Ryan and LeeAnna’s Love Story:

It all began in 2007. Ryan worked as a manager at the local Block Buster in Northeast Shopping Center. LeeAnna would drive over and rent movies and would call Ryan “Best Friend.” Ryan likes to refer to LeeAnna as a “stalker”.

In an unrelated circumstance, Ryan transferred stores with his new job being in south side St. Pete near Eckerd College…and at the same time LeeAnna left to start college in North Carolina. Years later in 2010, when LeeAnna’s brother Bob was a Residence Assistant at Eckerd College, he befriended an employee at Block Buster. His Block Buster friend asked if his Block Buster Manager, Ryan, could hang out with them. They took to each other quickly and Bob and Ryan became fast friends so much so that Bob decided to invite Ryan over for a feast at his family’s house.

As dinner progressed, polite conversation ensued. When Bob and LeeAnna’s parents asked what Ryan did for a living, he said “Manager at Block Buster.” Jaw drop…look of surprise…”Are you THE Ryan?!?”

“Yes?” at this point Ryan isn’t quite sure what he might be guilty of. Amongst the shock they had to explain to him that Bob’s younger sister, LeeAnna is the one who used to call him “Best Friend.” LeeAnna, too, was away at Campbell University, so it was just a “small world” encounter.

LeeAnna came home for Spring Break in 2011 and was visiting Bob at Eckerd when she became reacquainted with Ryan. As young adults, they seemed to hit it off and began a relationship.

Full stop…screech…LeeAnna was only home a week!

So LeeAnna being LeeAnna, said, “I love you?” off handed as a response to accidentally elbowing Ryan.

After a family dinner outing, while sitting in LeeAnna’s parent’s family room, LeeAnna went into her bedroom on the other side of the wall from where Ryan was sitting on the couch and sent him a text message…breaking up with him only to return moments later and sit back on the couch right next to Ryan like nothing had happened... awkward! Basically, I am going back to college, so peace out.

The good thing is Bob and Ryan remained very good friends and their relationship blossomed and grew.

In May of 2012, Bob and LeeAnna were graduating from college and needed a roommate for their newly built home. Well, Ryan was the perfect choice. Everyone got along great and the awkwardness quickly dissipated. Bob and Ryan were on one side of the house and LeeAnna had the master bedroom all to herself! They all became so close that at one point LeeAnna would introduce Ryan as her other brother.

They began acting like siblings (or a couple), arguing, appreciating each other, helping each other, disagreeing, fighting, hurting each other’s feelings, and relying on each other.

Oh and in the meantime, dating other people, a lot of other people, pushing back on others when they suggested they should date. They were going to hockey games together, playing board games together, Ryan joining on family vacations, and even being there on Christmas mornings, Ryan was always watching out for LeeAnna and making sure she was safe if she drank two, er, too much.

It was noticeable to everyone except them that they had become each other’s significant other. Even family that wasn’t around all the time would notice the obvious. Family members and neighbors would suggest to LeeAnna to date Ryan but her response was always the same, “Ryan is the perfect guy, like really perfect, just not for me.”

In the late summer of 2015, LeeAnna moved out of the house and into her Papa’s house alone and the boy’s had their house to themselves. LeeAnna started to realize how prevalent Ryan was in her life as they still continued to do things together, but now they weren’t together all of the time under the same roof. LeeAnna and Ryan began looking at each other a bit differently, but still, oblivious to what was right in front of them.

All the while, their affection was growing, undenounced to them…STILL. (hockey games, helping pack up MeMaw, movies, Disney trips, wrapping Christmas presents, teasing each other, cleaning together, coming to each other’s rescue).

Just after ringing in the New Year of 2016, LeeAnna and Ryan felt it was time to discuss the “elephant in the room”…24 hours later, Ryan said, “Are we doing this?” to which LeeAnna responded, “Yes?” and that began their Happily Ever After!

Knowing how much LeeAnna loves Jelly Rolls at Disney’s Boardwalk, he set the stage for a New Year’s Eve Proposal on December 31st, 2017. He pulled it off and she was so surprised!

On LeeAnna + Ryan’s wedding day you could see the excitement in everyones faces as they got to celebrate their union, just as everyone noticed all along…LeeAnna + Ryan were made for one another!

Congratulations LeeAnna + Ryan, I am excited to see what the future has in store for you!

Lead Photographer | Dafne Spencer
Associate Photographer | Chloe Dennis