The Wedding Story of... Carrie & Joe Ryan

DANCING WITH THE RYANS

In high school both Carrie Balzer and Joe Ryan spent as much time with friends as possible, and as fate would have it, their social circles overlapped. It happened that an upcoming homecoming dance gave Joe the opportunity to ask Carrie to escort him, and the two got to know each other on a more personal level.

Although only friends at that time, Carrie recalls hearing that Joe took another classmate on a date. She remembered her disapproval and said with a laugh, “I decided I didn’t want him to take other girls out.” And that was that. A lifetime relationship began.

The two finished high school as a romantic couple and took it on the road to Purdue where Carrie and Joe were in the same group of close friends. Post college the two relocated to Chicago and after a short while moved in together.

December 2008, ten years since their high school introduction, Joe tucked a ring into the pocket of his sport coat and planned to ask for Carrie’s hand in marriage on the night a surprise birthday party was planned in his honor. During dinner and bowling everyone inquired, “Why don’t you take off your sport coat, Joe?” So the bowling alley wasn’t to be the location.

On Christmas Day Joe decided he would do the surprising. He hung Carrie’s stocking above the fireplace with a special box inside. After a round of board games with family Joe insisted Carrie open her gifts. Carrie removed the glistening ring from the special box in her stocking and without hesitation replied, “YES!” to Joe’s proposal. She adds, “Before I was 21 I knew I wanted to marry Joe. He was my best friend, and I never had a doubt.”

Carrie, a meeting planner for the American College of Surgeons, knows the importance of securing locations and dates. She didn’t lose time booking the church and reception site for July 10, 2010. After that the planning went smoothly. With over a year and a half to plan, Carrie says “We never felt cramped for time, and I’m good with making decisions. When I liked it, I booked it.”

On the morning of July 10, Carrie, her mother, and sister woke up at her grandmother’s house awaiting a day of unforgettable moments. Carrie recalls how the women in her family got ready together and commented, “Although I knew what I wanted, I also wanted my mom and sister’s opinions. I was very grateful to them, and I really liked that during our wedding day everyone I love was there.”

As she took her first steps down the aisle toward Joe, Carrie recalls, “I remember feeling overwhelmed. After twelve years of dating, this was the culminating moment.”  It was also a visibly emotional moment for Joe because his groomsmen mentioned they had never seen the special look in Joe’s eyes as he watched Carrie coming toward him.

As she approached her love and offered vows, Carrie remembers thinking, “This is the best day of my life.”

Carrie loves to dance and had often dreamt of her own “Dancing With the Stars” moment (one of her favorite TV shows). She decided her wedding was the perfect opportunity. To prepare, Carrie talked Joe into ballroom dance classes to perfect their first dance. Although there wasn’t a film crew, her family and friends’ cameras captured the moment. Dancing to Al Green’s Let’s Stay Together, the newlyweds performed a “Foxy” number, a version of the Foxtrot and Waltz, to which they added a “swingy jazz” fusion including Rumba and Hustle dance steps. Their moves delighted and entertained their guests, and when they struck their final pose the panel of judges (Carrie’s loving bridesmaids) enthusiastically waved their number “10” paddles in the air.

The crowd agreed... Carrie and Joe equal a perfect score.