Real Wedding Wednesdays: Rylie Goodwin and Ben Meer

We love when a meet-cute story comes full circle, so when we found out that Rylie and Ben Meer got married at the place where they first met—St. Christopher’s in Grandview—we were already melting into puddles on the floor. “It took several months of us sitting closer and closer to each other before we actually had a conversation,” Rylie recalls. “Shortly after that, we went on our first date to Jeni’s Ice Cream. We have been together ever since!”

After dating for two and a half  years, Ben proposed while on a family trip to Norris Lake in Tennessee. He played off a habit he and Rylie shared of sending bitmojis to each other. Ben printed five versions of Rylie’s bitmoji with potential answers to his big question: YES!, Hot Diggity, So Excited, Awww Yeah and NOPE, NOPE, NOPE. Rylie’s niece and nephews stood in a line and flipped over one image at a time. At the end of the line, Ben flipped a card of his own, which said, “Marry me?”

Just six months later, Rylie was walking down the aisle. “When the church doors opened and we saw each other and all of our family and friends for the first time, that was definitely a highlight,” Rylie says. “It was important for us to share the day with those we cherish the most. … We were able to include our siblings, nieces and nephews in the ceremony … [and] we chose to have our siblings sit at our head table.”

One more sweet, familial touch: The Meers’ wedding day, Dec. 17, was also Rylie’s parents’ 39th wedding anniversary. From us to the Meers and the Goodwins, happy (belated) anniversary!

The Details

Wedding date: Dec. 17, 2016

Wedding colors: Navy, cream, light blue and silver

Attendants: A maid of honor, a best man, a flower girl and a ring bearer

Bride wore: Sareh Nouri gown, plus a veil, shoes and accessories from Trousseau Bridal

Hair and makeup: Makeup by Design by Anne, hair at Raven Salon & Bridal

Groom wore: Suit from Macy’s

Rings: Diamond Cellar

Rehearsal dinner: Spagio Restaurant

Ceremony: St. Christopher’s Church

Reception: The Loft at dock580

Caterer: In-house

Cake: Eight Cakes a Week

Florist: Petals and Leaves

Photographer: Derk’s Works Photography

Invitations: Birdhaus Co.

Reception tunes: Ryan Smith, DJ

First dance: “Bless the Broken Road” by Rascal Flatts

Guest favors: Homemade cookies

Registries: Crate + Barrel

Transportation: Bexley Beat

Guests stayed at: Hampton Inn and Suites

Honeymoon: New Zealand