West Hartford Wedding: Meredith Cook & Ryan Dowd - We-Ha

West Hartford Magazine celebrates local weddings in its printed pages and is pleased to showcase them on We-Ha.com as well. Congratulations to Ryan and Meredith. Please enjoy this feature, including bonus photos.

Photos by Melissa Stimpson Photography

Ryan and Meredith met during their freshman year at Providence College. The two remained close friends throughout college and after graduation they moved to Boston, and then to NYC.

Fast-forward to their proposal weekend, which started out with a hurricane! Meredith expected a simple weekend with Ryan on Block Island together with friends Liz Morton and Conall Chabrunn. What she got – after the storm delay – was a walk on the beach that included a proposal by Ryan.

She assumed they would celebrate the news with only Liz and Conall. But when they arrived at the restaurant, 35 of their closest friends jumped out to surprise them.

The bride’s parents are Guy and Cyndi Cook, who reside in Des Moines, IA, and winter in Oro Valley, AZ. Guy is an attorney and Cyndi is a retired ultrasonographer.

Ryan’s parents are West Hartford residents Kevin and Cathy Dowd. Cathy is an attorney with the State of Connecticut Judicial Branch and Kevin is in-house legal counsel for UBS Realty Investors LLC in Hartford.

Ryan and Meredith were married at the only Catholic church on Block Island: St. Andrew. The Sullivan House gave them the outdoor reception of their dreams, with 360-degree views of the water, rainbows, and fireworks!

Ryan and Meredith picked Bora Bora for their honeymoon because it was a once-in-a-lifetime destination for them, providing ample opportunity to unplug and relax. Highlights of the trip include snorkeling, sunset sailing, and swimming with sharks.

Meredith has been working for Bullhorn, Inc. for five years. Ryan is an account executive with NetSuite. They live in New York City.

Thank you to Oscars Tux and Argelia Novias Bridal for sponsoring weddings in West Hartford Magazine. To submit your own wedding, please see the instructions and form at this LINK. Content originally published in our sister publication, West Hartford Magazine. To subscribe, please click here.