Delaware bride proposed first; he waited until they were at altar to ask her to marry him

Betsy Price
The News Journal

Ciara Louise Pigliacampi and Ryan Daniel Ross

May 5, 2019

THE INTRODUCTION: Ciara Pigliacampi and Ryan Ross met in July 2016 while both worked at Applied Body Science, a personal training gym in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. At first acquaintance, she thought he was arrogant and egotistical, and he thought she had her head in the clouds. Ciara was 24 and living at her parents' home in Chadds Ford. Ryan was 27 and living with friends in Newark. After working together for a while, they began to change their minds about each other. When he broke up with a longtime girlfriend, Ciara tried to cheer him up. He realized he had misread her and that she was naive and innocent, and he appreciated that. In January 2017, Ryan returned to West Chester University, where he'd already earned a degree in physical therapy, to tackle the science-heavy courses such as organic chemistry he would need to apply to med school. He wanted to be an orthopedic surgeon. He cut his hours at the gym. Ciara missed him and started texting him, first on the pretense of asking questions about the gym schedule, which he had helped manage. Ryan started flirting with her, asking if she missed him, and she played it cool, but dropped multiple comments about how her favorite food was Mexican. He hates Mexican food. "It does not do well on my stomach," he says. 

THE FIRST DATE: Ultimately, though, just like Ciara hoped for, Ryan asked her to dinner at Sante Fe in Newark, the only Mexican restaurant he knew of. They went in late February 2017, about eight months after they'd met. The evening started awkwardly and then got weird. He ordered enchiladas, and she ordered a beef chimichanga. They weren't sure how to act going from co-worker to date. Then Ryan's brother, Chris, walked in. An outgoing, funny personality who's the life of a party, Chris started questioning them. "He wasn't aware how new our relationship was," Ryan says. "He was just very forward with the questions." Both Ryan and Ciara were a tad horrified. Ryan's stomach was upset for three days, and to top it off, Ciara left her doggie bag in his car, which smelled like Mexican food for weeks. Despite all that, they both felt like they had real chemistry. "We found real joy," Ryan says.

THE FIRST KISS: Ciara invited Ryan to go with her to the 2017 Shine A Light fundraiser for The Queen Theatre. Ciara's mom's band Kategory 5 was playing that March 4. The night started badly. Ryan is a stickler for promptness, and Ciara was more than an hour late. He was, however, thrilled with their VIP tickets and experience. They watched the show from the balcony, a very romantic setting, Ryan thought. A friend of theirs, Deepa Singh of Newark, walked up to take a photo. "You guys should kiss," she said. They did, and both think the photo is "so awkward" because they'd never done it before. The relationship developed quickly after that. First, Ryan's class load increased and he quit his job, focusing on private personal training. About two months into dating, Ryan invited Ciara to go on vacation to New Orleans with him, telling her that if things went well, they would move in together. Things went terribly. They blame it on lots of alcohol. But when they got back to Delaware, he said, "Well, that was awful. Let's move in together anyway." Despite warnings from family and friends, they moved into a 250-square-foot studio apartment in Chadds Ford and instantly struggled with the close quarters, trust issues, finances and more. "We came across all the big, big problems and we beat them," he says. 

Ciara Pigliacampi and Ryan Ross/May 5, 2019

THE PROPOSAL: By July 21, they had settled into a routine and were happy. He was making dinner one night when Ciara suddenly dropped to one knee and asked him to marry her. "I just knew right then and there," she says. Ryan was shocked. "Are you sure?" he kept demanding. One of the things that had drawn them together was that neither wanted to be married. Both were children of divorce. Ciara's proposal came with a clause: "You have to propose to me." He said yes, and came to think of her proposal as a promise ring of sorts. Then their world flipped upside down again. He had increasingly become more interested in alternative medicine and was accepted into the Logan University College of Chiropractic in St. Louis. He had gone through life thinking chiropractors were quacks, but after being recruited out of West Chester, he came to appreciate their focus on helping the body heal naturally. That meant a move and the wedding would have to wait, but it also gave him time to obsess about how to propose. He quickly, however, came to realize Ciara must have a ring. All of her clients kept telling her that if Ryan really loved her, he would buy her a ring. "For the longest time, I was wearing a ring that was big, a fake ring," she said. Then one day in their driveway, Ryan held out a box and said, "Here." It was a diamond ring. "I feel like love should not have a value, but that's fine," he says.

Ciara Pigliacampi and Ryan Ross/May 5, 2019

THE CEREMONY: Ciara and Ryan married at the Carriage House at Rockwood Park on May 5. They had planned on an outdoor ceremony, but Mother Nature declined to cooperate and the wedding was moved indoors beneath a floral-and-twinkling-light display. The music was provided by sisters, harpist Katherine Fenstermacher and cellist Carolyn Peck. Just before the two were about to say their vows, Ryan turned to Ciara and dropped to his right knee and asked her to marry him. Nobody knew she had been the one to propose, and no one expected it. "I was wracking my brain for the last year about how I could give her the perfect proposal, this person who is traditional and contemporary, new age and classically spirited," Ryan says. "She prefers big family with a touch of quirkiness that hasn't been seen before. Then I decided the best was in the location she picked, with family and friends."

THE DRESS: Ciara wore a gown designed with seamstress (and cellist!) Carolyn Peck of Sewclassy. Peck is a family friend who had worked with Ciara's mom making theater costumes. The strapless, body-hugging bodice showed off Ciara's fit figure and featured a corseted back laced in an intricate pattern with an A-line skirt that had a sheer lace overlay. The groom and his attendants wore traditional tuxedos, his a Vera Wang and theirs Calvin Klein.

SOMETHING OLD: The bride carried a handkerchief that had belonged to Eva Donovan, a great grandmother on her dad's side of the family. Eva had given it to Ciara's aunt Carrie Lewis to wear on her wedding day.

SOMETHING NEW: The wedding gown.

SOMETHING BORROWED AND BLUE: Her Missouri boss, Laura Harper, at OsteoStrong, couldn't attend the wedding, but loaned the bride a ring with blue jewels.

Ciara Pigliacampi and Ryan Ross/May 5, 2019

THE RECEPTION: Twinkle lights became the theme of the reception at the Carriage House, brightening up the gloomy weather outside. The couple's first dance was to "I Choose You" by Sara Bareilles. Their biggest laugh came while cutting the cake. The wedding coordinator told them to cut "there and there" and the piece would just fall out. They gave each other a side look that clearly communicated, "That's not how that works." They cut. Nothing happened. They cut again. Nothing happened. "We got to the point that we were really aggressive," Ciara says. "We basically stabbed it," Ryan says.

THE MOST POPULAR GIFT: Tupperware. This sort of puzzled them, but they think their family and friends know they do a lot of meal prepping and are on the move, and could use it. 

THE MOST SENTIMENTAL GIFT: A family heirloom from China given to them by Tina Cooper, Ciara's grandmother on her mother's side. 

Ciara Pigliacampi and Ryan Ross/May 5, 2019

THE HONEYMOON: They are delaying the big trip until December when they will go to Universal and Disney World. They had a mini-moon to Woolverton Inn in New Jersey, near New Hope, Pennsylvania.

THE FAMILY TREE: The bride is the daughter of Kat Pigliacampi of Chadds Ford and Paul Pigliacampi of Hockessin. The groom is the son and stepson of Keith and Debbie Ross of Landenburg, Pennsylvania.

WHAT'S NEXT: The newlyweds live in Chesterfield, Missouri, with their very needy Australian Shepherd mix named Aster, short for Disaster. "He's a handful," Ryan says. Ryan grew up in Newark, but lived in Pike Creek for a bit and attended Avon Grove High School in West Grove, Pennsylvania. He expects to graduate from chiropractic college in August 2021. Ciara is a personal trainer and OsteoStrong session coach. She attended Unionville High School and then earned a psychology degree from Messiah College. Ryan says he's very careful about what he says around her. "You have no idea," he says. They don't know where they will live after his graduation, but expect to move West, perhaps to Colorado or California. She hopes to add counseling and life coaching to her personal training work. They'd like to add another dog to keep Aster company, perhaps a St. Bernard. When their finances are more stable, they hope to have children.

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To have your ceremony considered for this feature, you must fill out a questionnaire and send us a photo. Please email Sundaylife@delaware online.com or call (302) 324-2884 for a form. This is a free service, and we cannot guarantee a specific ceremony will be chosen. Couples also may have their ceremonies appear in Celebrations, (844) 544-1619.