Their Wedding Day: Private Residence, Woodland, NJ

Caitlin and Ryan are one of those couples who makes anyone they meet feel like friends instantly! I was so honored when they chose me to be their wedding photographer, and it’s been such a fun experience working with them ever since! I knew we’d get along when Cait’s first email to me mentioned their love of their dog, local breweries, and brunch! 🙂 My kind of people!!

Covid-19 threw these two for a loop, and they embraced every crazy change and curveball that came their way! Nothing was stopping them from getting married this year, and they found such a beautiful way to celebrate with their gorgeous rustic backyard wedding! Cait’s cousin offered to host their wedding at their home, which was absolutely perfect for this tented backyard celebration! They called it “The Marziano Estate” and her cousin, Kristin, officiated the wedding for them! Surrounded by endless nature and trees, Cait and Ryan vowed to love one another forever and laugh together for a lifetime!

I loved every detail from their day from their great style and fashion sense to the unreal floral ceremony set up by Layers of Lovely Events to the tables lined with photos and memories from their years together! It was so much fun getting to work alongside one of my fave videography teams, Sara Jane Videography! They had such a relaxed, laid-back day with plenty of time for them to just enjoy and really be present with their friends and family. From food trucks for dinner (yaaas!) and a packed dance floor all night, the new Mr. and Mrs. Rickus rang in marriage in the best dang way! It was such an honor to capture an incredible couple who deserves all the love and happiness in the world get the big day of their dreams! <3

Their Love Story:

Ahhh, Cait and Ryan’s love story is just the sweetest! As you’ll see as you scroll through this gorgeous day, they reconnected at a bar, so they honored that special day through their custom beer koozies! Cait told me all about their love story – she said, “Oh, he definitely knew I had a crush on him! We kissed a couple of times in high school and I used to message him on AIM allllllll the time…woops! He still teases me about it! Luckily for me, he pursued me before we started dating this time around because duh. Our first date consisted of catching up on the past 6 years and I also broke the news that I for sure gave him mono in high school. My bad. But after that night it just came very easily for us: our first vacation together was 6 months in, we moved in at a year and a half and now we’re engaged AF.”

She had no idea he was proposing the day he did! She says she remembers what he said, but Ryan claims that she said yes before he could even get anything out! They spent the afternoon drinking beers, calling family and friends, and making plans!

Their typical date night usually consists of dinner and drinks, the occasional concert or trip to Philly to try new bars and change the scenery, or you can catch them at home making drinks and dancing around their bar. We headed out to Philly to explore and grab beers together for their engagement session – one of my all-time fave sessions! They love spending nights staying in with Netflix and Bear, their sweet furbaby who they paid tribute to throughout their wedding day through photos and custom favor bags!

Ryan’s favorite quality about Cait is her quirkiness, awkward comedic skills, and her drive to explore. He said, “Her need to try new things makes me explore new areas that I thought I never would.” Caitlin loves how confident Ryan is in himself! She says, “he makes me want to do better and go for what I want. But also if I can brag for a minute, I love how thoughtful he is. Just today he texted me when someone rang the doorbell (we have the Ring camera) while I was home “Just mail” because he knows I hate answering the door! Or like when he goes out to lunch and comes back with my favorite chips or snack 💕” I love how much these two adore one another! They were both beaming over finally getting engaged because they are finally officially stuck with each other for life!! xo

Cait & Ryan,

You two have truly been a dream to photograph and get to know since the day we met! I’ve adored every second we’ve spent together, and I hope this is just the start to an amazing friendship that we’ve built so far! We’ll be neighbors in Philly, and I can’t wait to grab some drinks together soon! Thank you so much for your laid-back spirits and lust for life. Your passion for having a great time no matter the circumstance is truly admirable and I’m grateful to know you both! Your wedding day was one for the book, and such an amazing way to close out my 2020 wedding season! <3 Love you two so much – congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Rickus!!