Ryan met Juju before she was Juju. At the impossibly tiny age of three, John Ryan Kissick met his new neighbor, Juliana Long Tyson, on Napoli Drive in Pacific Palisades, California—completely unaware of the destiny that lay before them. Juliana’s bedroom window looked directly into Ryan’s bedroom window, but she wouldn’t notice this until about eleven years later (and Ryan was too focused on his math homework to ever notice this). According to Ryan’s childhood nanny, Julie, “Ryan was VERY picky when it came to friends.” Contrary to what you might expect of modern day Ryan, toddler Ryan was a bit of a loner…a bit of a toddler snob…which is why Julie was so surprised to see that Juliana, the audacious, wild-spirited, rule-bending, kooky-curly-haired-girl from across the street, was one of the only people Ryan actually wanted to spend time with. It was an adorably unexpected friendship. Alas, Ryan and Juliana went to separate schools, and their interactions were limited to annual Christmas caroling serenades and the occasional selling of Girl Scout cookies.
Almost twenty years later, inside a slightly-less-than-reputable bar in Santa Monica, California, Ryan met Juliana…again. Amidst a packed birthday party for their friend Josh (a friend they did not realize they had in common), Juliana noticed a familiar face from across the room. Josh’s girlfriend, Allyson, confirmed that this familiar face was, in fact, Ryan Kissick of Pacific Palisades—the boy from across the street. A boy who, by this time, was not at all a boy but, rather, an outrageously tall and handsome man with joyful energy and whose hearty laughter seemed to fill the air with light. Juliana mustered the courage to reintroduce herself, an introduction that was, of course, laced with crass, sass, and sarcasm—Ryan remembered Juliana immediately. Conversation was had, numbers were exchanged, and exactly one year later (after Ryan had moved back to Los Angeles from Stanford), Juliana and Ryan went on their first date. It was a date that would change the course of their lives forever, a date after which Juliana would rush home to her roommates and exclaim, “I just ate mac and cheese with the man I’m going to marry!” And, well, she was right.
Come with us to a magical place to celebrate a magical love. We so look forward to celebrating our future together amongst our beloved family and friends.
Sincerely,
Juju and Ryan
