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WEDDING WOR DS : MEGA N E LGI N P H OTOG R A P H Y : SC H E R L I N G PH OTO GR A PH Y, A L E XA N D R A GA MB L E
Heidi + Ryan JULY 1 1 , 2020 Faith is a recurring theme for Heidi and Ryan — from their first meeting, to what carried them through wedding planning during a pandemic. Fargo native Heidi was involved in a campus ministry program called Chi Alpha while studying nursing at UND. Ryan’s brother Mark happened to be the head pastor for the ministry. Ryan, an NDSU graduate who was living and working as an engineer in Alabama at the time, attended a ministry sponsored church event while visiting his brother where he crossed paths with Heidi. After a short conversation, Ryan knew he wanted to know more about her and the couple spent the next few months getting to know each other better long distance. When a new position brought Ryan back to Minnesota, the couple began meeting in person and eventually started dating. Originally Heidi and Ryan planned for a wedding one year after their engagement in May 2019. “In March, it became increasingly apparent that weddings were not going to happen in the near future, so we collaborated with our venue to check for alternative dates,” Heidi says. “With faith, we picked a new date of July 11, 2020.” As the new wedding date approached, COVID-19 had more curveballs to throw at the couple. One week before the wedding, the vendors they had
VENUE: Avalon Events Center VIDEOGRAPHY: Caleb Wilkinson, CJW Files BRIDAL DRESS: RSVP by Alan Evans BRIDESMAID DRESSES: David’s Bridal MEN’S ATTIRE: Halberstadt’s WHITE ARCH: Avalon Events Center WOOD CROSS: Borrowed from Hope Lutheran Church DESSERTS: Sam’s Club FLOWERS: Mother of the Bride
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:: areawomanmagazine.com