Auburn Wedding Inspiration: Honey Bee Good {Get to Know}

Mallory and Ryan have such a fun and comfortable relationship they made us feel at ease! We loved having them as our Real Couple Models, and although this year threw them a curve ball (for our shoot and their very own wedding), their ability to see the positivity in things really made them a joy to work with. Get to know the below!

Spring Wedding Park Victorian Auburn Hawk Meadow Studio Mallory and Ryan

Check out the expanded digital edition here!

What made you want to model for this photo shoot?

I loved browsing the style ideas in Real Weddings Magazine and when my good friend, Katie (Fontes) Schermerhorn, was a cover model finalist, I looked into the opportunity, which I hadn’t actually known about before. It sounded so fun to play dress-up for a day.

Tell us about your modeling experience. What was your favorite part of the day? How did you feel afterwards?

It was a great experience, although probably different than most, with the shoot being delayed and us doing the couple shoot independent from the styled decor shoot. My favorite part of the day was seeing the different looks the team came up with for Ryan and I, especially one or two I wouldn’t normally try myself. Ryan says his favorite part was watching me try on different wedding dresses and see the different looks on me.

What was it like to model with your significant other?

It was very comforting having Ryan next to me. It felt nice to not be the only one getting stared at! Ryan says modeling in general is foreign to us, so it made it easier to have each other nearby to laugh about what we should do with our hands.

Spring Wedding Park Victorian Auburn Hawk Meadow Studio Mallory and Ryan

Tell us about your love story. How did you meet? What was the proposal like?

We met at work and have been together for four years. We deeply care about each other and our families. We love teasing each other, and both love the other’s sense of humor. In November 2019, Ryan took us up to Sonoma for a wine-tasting weekend. We had plans to go to drinks and dinner. I was of course running late getting ready for dinner. Just before we were walking out the door, I broke the nail on my ring finger. As we walked to dinner we came up to a water fountain with candles lit up around the edge. I was about to keep walking past it, when I heard Ryan say, “Wait, Mal…” and tug on the back of my dress. I turned and saw Ryan was down on his knee in a big puddle next to the fountain. He asked, I said yes and immediately started crying, at which point he immediately started apologizing that the ring came late so he had to propose with a loaner ring. It was still beautiful, and I actually thought it was kind of funny. I realized a woman from the concierge was taking photos of us, which was so sweet for Ryan to arrange. When we looked through the photos, all of them were pitch black. We just started laughing. It was all a little messy and imperfect and it was great.

Tell us about your wedding day.

Our wedding was supposed to originally be about 300 guests at a winery on a warm summer night, all outdoors, with dancing under the stars. With COVID-19 restrictions we are still doing a warm summer night outdoors, but it’ll be at a beautiful rental property in wine country with just our 15 immediate family members. We are going for an intimate backyard feel and my dad will now be officiating! A larger celebration will be sometime in 2021 when we will renew our vows.

Spring Wedding Park Victorian Auburn Hawk Meadow Studio Mallory and Ryan

If you could offer any advice to engaged couples what would it be?

Read the force majure section of your contracts carefully…just kidding! No, we would say: Planning can be overwhelming, but if you spread out your checklist over multiple weekends and free slots in your calendar, and if you both commit to helping plan, it will come together. Even if it’s completely different than what you thought your wedding would be. Lean on family and friends for help. You’d be surprised who wants to jump in if you just ask.

And celebrate small victories and accomplishments—a little wine seems to make planning much easier.

Spring Wedding Park Victorian Auburn Hawk Meadow Studio Mallory and Ryan