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Lauren Golt '03 and Ryan Schultz '97 Married
Look at those shoes: She had no clue proposal was coming
Lauren Golt '03 and Ryan Schultz '97 Married Sept. 21, 2012
Lauren Golt '03 and Ryan Schultz '97 Married Sept. 21, 2012
Written by Betsy Price
THE INTRODUCTION:Lauren and Ryan both attended Tower Hill School in Wilmington but never met, because Ryan is seven years older. But Lauren knew Ryan’s mother, the school’s nurse. In July 2007, Ryan and Lauren were in a Trolley Square Houlihan’s. He was playing wingman to a friend and she was attending a birthday party. Ryan noticed Lauren when she walked into the bar and was excited when she and her friend, Emma, started walking toward him. It turned out Ryan’s friend, Jay, was Lauren and Emma’s high school basketball coach and they were coming over to say hi. Jay introduced Ryan, and he and Lauren chatted about Tower Hill. Eventually Ryan asked, “So would you like to maybe hang out sometime?” Lauren smiled, reached for his cellphone and saved her number to it. Ryan thought Lauren was beautiful. Lauren wasn’t sure if she could go on a date with the nurse’s son.
THE FIRST DATE: A couple of days later, Ryan called and asked Lauren to dinner. She said yes, but they didn’t pick a time or place. A few hours before they were going out, he called to confirm their plans and suggested meeting at Buckley’s Tavern in Centreville. Lauren didn’t tell Ryan that she had completely forgotten. She had just finished eating a burger and fries from Five Guys. They met and ate dinner on the Buckley’s rooftop. Both ordered a pasta dish and drank vodka tonic cocktails. They talked and laughed for more than four hours.
THE FIRST KISS: At the end of the night, Ryan kissed Lauren after he walked her to her car.
THE PROPOSAL: Ryan proposed to Lauren in January 2011, after nearly four years of dating. Ryan’s mom and stepdad took the two of them to Italy on a family vacation. Ryan thought it was the perfect place to propose. Lauren had no idea it was coming. On their first morning in Tuscany, Ryan suggested they go for a walk. She rolled out of bed, threw on jeans, a big sweater and her ugly rain boots. They walked to the side of a nearby chateau to look at the view. “You know I love you, right?” Ryan asked Lauren. “Oh my gosh, what’s wrong?” she responded. Before she knew it, Ryan was on his knee proposing. Her first response: “I can’t believe I’m wearing these ugly shoes.” Then, “Yes, absolutely.” And then, jetlagged and emotional, she said, “I’m pretty sure I’m going to throw up.”
TELLING THE PARENTS:Ryan’s mother knew, and had carried the ring on the plane for him. Before they had left, Ryan asked both Lauren’s mother and father for permission, and he told Lauren’s closest friends. From Italy, Lauren called her parents and Ryan called his sister to tell them the news.
THE CEREMONY: The couple married at the Yellow House of Willowdale in Kennett Square, Pa., Sept. 21. A close friend of the bride’s father, Kim Ryan, performed the ceremony. The couple wrote their own vows and asked for their favorite quote to be shared during the ceremony, a long Dante passage that began “Remember tonight, for it is the beginning of always.” That quote had been featured in the show “One Tree Hill,” which Lauren watched with her father, the late Bill Golt, who died in June 2011. A few years ago, Ryan surprised Lauren with a trip to the show’s set in North Carolina. Before they went, they watched past seasons and Ryan got hooked on the show, too.
THE DRESS: Her champagne-colored vintage chiffon dress, from a small shop in Santa Monica, Calif., had a V neck, beaded mid-section and waves of ruffles. The groom wore a custom Ralph Lauren tuxedo. Lauren asked the bridesmaids to choose their own long dresses in a palette of pink and purple.
SOMETHING OLD: The dress.
SOMETHING NEW: Her shoes, Diane Von Furstenberg heels for the ceremony and Jack Rogers sandals for dancing.
SOMETHING BORROWED: A simple diamond band belonging to her grandmother, the late Eleanor Mauray, borrowed from the bride’s mother.
SOMETHING BLUE: Her garter, a gift from her maid of honor, Carlie Volin.
THE RECEPTION: The reception at the Yellow House of Willowdale used the entire property, with personal details everywhere you looked. The inside of the house was decorated with photos of friends and family. A vintage suitcase sat on a table in the living room to hold cards and monetary gifts. Next to it was a jar for guests to fill out wedding wishes for the bride and groom. The couple opted for a small wedding cake and an assortment of cupcakes, including carrot cake, because that’s Ryan’s favorite. Ryan and Lauren sipped cocktails out of “his”- and “hers”-marked Kate Spade glasses. Guests sat at long rows of tables covered with black-and-white-striped table runners with Mason jars full of wildflowers. Dinner was served family-style. Wine bottles were decorated with chalkboard paint and numbered to mark the tables. The bridal party was individually introduced and each member did a dance as they entered the reception.
THE MOST SENTIMENTAL GIFT:The wedding photographer, Amber Shader, who became a close friend of the bride, gave Lauren a charm with her father’s picture in it to attach to her bouquet.
THE HONEYMOON: The couple honeymooned in the French Riviera, where they spent a few days at a bed and breakfast in Cassis and the rest of the time in Cannes. They hiked, spent a day at a spa, drank wine, sat by the pool and took a day trip to Monte Carlo.
THE FAMILY TREE: The bride is the daughter of Brenda Golt of Wilmington and the late Bill Golt. The groom is the son of Madalyn Schultz-Petit and George Petit of Middletown and Elizabeth and Mark Ryan Schultz of Salem, N.J.
WHAT’S NEXT: Ryan and Lauren live near Rockford Park. Lauren is a marketing professional. She and a close friend recently started Social Stylate, a creative marketing boutique. Lauren is also co-owner of her late father’s business, Delaware Attorney Services, a process serving company. Ryan is an insurance broker with Kelly Benefit Strategies and head swimming coach at the Western YMCA. They have a dog, Daisy, and plan to have children one day.
