DESTINATION WEDDINGS IRELAND
We have been so fortunate to work with incredibly beautiful couples, over the years; couples who have gone on to become life-long friends of ours. Juliana and Ryan are such a couple and we are delighted to be able to share their thoughts about their fairytale wedding at Ashford Castle in Ireland. It was such a privilege to create this stunning experience for these two very special people.
JULIANA
Hailing from Pacific Palisades, California, Juliana began her career as an actress and professional dancer as a co-founder of Boom Kat Dance Theatre. After working in performing arts for several years, she rediscovered a childhood love of illustration, and founded the design house Good Juju Ink. Outside of work, she is likely to be seen dancing with friends, wishing Downton Abbey would come back, or eating some delicious cheese with family!
RYAN
Originally from Los Angeles, Ryan lives in San Francisco with Juliana and their cat, Wallace. He works on the Business Operations team at Glassdoor, while also working with Juliana to grow Good Juju Ink. He loves sports and nature, and he especially loves capturing nature’s beauty through photography. He also loves to travel, as evidenced by the fact that he and Juliana got married on another continent!HOW DID YOU FIRST MEET?
Ryan: Believe it or not, we met when we were three years old, as we grew up across the street from one another! According to our nannies, we LOVED playing as toddlers, and there are several pictures of us together as little children. However, we attended different schools, so we didn’t see too much of each other as we grew up. Fast forward many years. After returning back to my home city of Los Angeles after graduating from university, I reconnected with Juliana at a mutual friend’s birthday party. We went on a first date, which led to a second date, a third date, and ultimately our dream wedding at Ashford Castle!TELL US ABOUT YOUR ENGAGEMENT?
Ryan: As I mentioned in my vows, there is nothing better than surprising and delighting Juliana. From the very beginning of our relationship, I’ve taken so much joy in creating fun surprises for Juliana, including scavenger hunts on her birthday and holidays. Even though the scavenger hunts are sometimes silly, Juliana has always participated with such glee and levity. Therefore, when I thought about our engagement, it was obvious that I should create a fun, new scavenger hunt for her. Under the guise of our dating anniversary, I created a scavenger hunt that ultimately led Juliana to a gift sitting under a beautiful redwood tree in Woodside, California. Inside the gift was a framed picture of Juliana and me as toddlers. On the picture frame, I wrote “my girlfriend” on a piece of tape, along with “peel the tape.” When Juliana removed the tape, it revealed my intentions; inscribed on the picture frame were the words “my fiancée.” I knelt down on one knee and asked Juliana to marry me. And she said yes!
“Juliana and I both thought it would be wonderful to have a destination wedding at a place where our guests could experience an absolutely magical weekend.”
– Ryan
