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Home • News

Groom From Viral Surprise Wedding Video On How to Make It to 'I Do'

His sweet same-day proposal and surprise wedding made headlines, but how can you meet a good guy like Ryan? We asked him!
Groom From Viral Surprise Wedding Video On How to Make It to ‘I Do’
Justin Vagle
By Charli Penn · Updated October 27, 2020

Motivational speaker Ryan Leak is having an incredible year and an even better week. This summer, he proposed to his longtime girlfriend Amanda and married her in a surprise wedding all on the same day —he actually used her Pinterest boards to plan the wedding of her dreams. (Yes, he’s that good.) When Ryan posted a video about how much they love each other on YouTube last month, it was quite a tearjerker and word of his grand romantic gesture spread fast. The video shows his proposal and concludes with a ceremony so heartfelt and moving you’ll need a box of tissues to get through it.

The video has since gone viral and the couple was featured today on Good Morning America. Plus, you can’t check your social media timelines without seeing that someone has shared it. On his website, Leak, who is now a spiritual consultant and public speaker, says he has three goals in life: “(1) Tell the greatest story not told enough through my life. The one about the Jesus. (2) Win Husband of the Year award. Every year. (3) Help people.” Okay, we’ll admit that we’re smitten, too. Every woman wants to find a man who loves and cherishes her in the way Leak does Roman. So, we called him up and asked him for some pointers to point all the single ladies in the right direction.

Be Your Greatest Self
“Honestly, I believe that as awesome as media has portrayed me to be, a guy like me pursued a woman who’s better than the man I am. My advice would be to be the best that you can be. That’s what guys like me are interested in.”

Get a Coach
“I encourage every person and every couple to get counseling – every couple should be in counseling – prior to the marriage and during it. We have a really great relationship, but we’re still in counseling. Every relationship needs a referee. If professional athletes, who are the very best at what they do, need referees, what makes us think we’re any different?”

Practice Intentional Conversation
“You should create a culture in your relationship that doesn’t allow games. If you were to sit a male and female who are in a relationship together down and ask them each where they stand in that relationship, you’re going to get two different answers. The more intentional communication you can have the better.  A woman can say, ‘Hey, I don’t want to pressure you with anything, but I just want to be intentional with you and I don’t want to waste your time or mine.'”

Be On the Same Page
“You really have to have a similar moral foundation to work off of. If you don’t have that, one person has the right to just go crazy. They will feel like they can just do what they want in a relationship. Timing is a major piece of it.”

Love Goes Both Ways
“There are things that Amanda has done for me that mean the world to me. They will never be documented on YouTube, but they’re that special in my heart. A guy’s going to be a guy, and some guys don’t know what they have until they lose it.”

What do you think of Leak’s advice? Let’s talk about it below!

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