Last week, we shared the real wedding of Megan Archer and Ryan Mercer at The Balcony Ballroom in Metairie. In sharing their wedding details with “Let Them Eat Cake,” the couple shared the story of how they met and how Megan said, “Yes!”
Like many modern love stories, Megan and Ryan met on the dating app Hinge. Each had had their share of stories for the dating app, but one November, around Thanksgiving, Ryan was on the app and found Megan’s profile. After a little chatting, Ryan asked Megan to meet for coffee.
“It was Sunday, November 28,” shared the couple. “We met at French Truck Coffee and immediately hit it off! Megan claims she wore her hair in a ponytail, and Ryan insists she wore it down, but the most important thing is that we both knew right away that we had each met someone we admired and respected.”
Ryan and Megan officially began dating right before Christmas and the rest was a quick history.
“By April, we had some serious conversations about getting engaged and getting married in the fall,” they shared. “By the time we brought it up with our families, we knew we wanted to be together for the rest of our lives! At the end of April, Ryan invited her parents Mr. Al and Ms. Ashley to stop by his house and asked them for Megan’s hand in marriage.”
The Proposal!
Here is the full story shared by the couple:
When the day of the proposal rolled around, Megan had no idea it was coming. We had talked about getting engaged in June, and after that conversation, Ryan conveniently avoided any discussion of a timeline for the proposal.
Megan had always wanted to go on a picnic date, so Ryan suggested a picnic at the Avery Island Jungle Gardens. Not sure what to wear, Megan asked Ryan for advice, to which he responded, “how about that cute white sun dress?”
After meeting at Ryan’s, we drove to Whole Foods in Lafayette to pick out food for the picnic. Ryan suggested that Megan pick out flowers for our special date. We packed everything in the picnic bag, along with one extra special item tucked away at the bottom.
We arrived at Avery Island and took ourselves on the Tabasco Factory tour. Ryan acted totally cool the whole time (it’s true!). We then drove to the picnic area and ate our way through the picnic bag course by course.
After dessert, Ryan said, “I have one more thing to share with you,” and proceeded to pull out the ring. Megan was beside herself with surprise. Ryan got on one knee; Megan said yes before he could finish asking and then said yes again for good measure. Meanwhile, Ryan’s good friend Kristina was snapping pictures of us nearby!
Megan was stunned, and Ryan was over the moon!

Megan and Ryan were married on October 22, 2022. Click here to see their Real Wedding highlight.
Click here to submit your Real Wedding and here to submit your Real Proposal to New Orleans Bride and “Let Them Eat Cake.”