Ryan Albert first reached out to Eddie Irions on Instagram. Ryan was living in Charlotte, while Eddie was in Charleston, and they finally met at the Spoleto Festival in The Holy City. “We were both inseparable from that weekend forward,” Ryan shares. “It was as if we had been waiting our entire lives for each other, and we both immediately felt it.”
A year later, Eddie surprised Ryan with a proposal along the May River, a place they explored during their initial trip. And it was an easy decision to start planning for an October 2021 wedding in the Lowcountry—the location of so many of their relationship’s big milestones. “We wanted our aesthetic to be classic, elegant, and to capture the natural beauty of the Lowcountry landscape,” Ryan explains. To help bring their vision to life, the couple worked with planner Tara Davis and event designer Allison Newton of RMCDMC.
As the grooms—both dressed in classic, black tuxedos—walked in the chapel together through a side entrance, all of their guests immediately stood with applause. “It was a moment we did not expect, but one we will never forget,” Ryan reveals. Then the two stood in front of an arch—constructed out of palmetto leaves and other greenery by Jardiniere Events—to share their personal vows. Ryan’s were compiled of personal memories and milestones throughout their relationship, and Eddie’s reflected their love for each other and the depth of the commitment they were making. “We were both overwhelmed with happiness and love.”
Once Eddie and Ryan were announced as a married couple, cocktail hour immediately followed—but the newlyweds slipped away for the first half to take a private boat ride down the river with their photographer. “We were able to have a moment with each other following the ceremony, all while capturing some one-of-a-kind shots of us in the boat before joining our guests for cocktail hour,” Ryan shares.
Back in the airy reception space, the formal dinner started with May River crab cakes with cucumber cilantro lime slaw, followed by filet mignon or sea bass with buttermilk chive potatoes, broccolini, and charred onion jus. Afterwards, it was time for the couple to cut into their Live Oak chocolate cake for dessert.
The local group Motown Throwdown kept things lively from cocktail hour until the last minute of the night. And in one memorable moment, Eddie surprised Ryan with the band’s performance of their favorite song, “Proud Mary,” featuring backup dancers and cold sparks. “It was jaw-dropping! Everyone quickly rushed to the dance floor to get the party started,” Ryan remembers. After the last song was played, the new mister and mister excitedly exited through a sparkler tunnel and off into newly married life.
