'Blue Bloods's' Vanessa Ray Is Married for 6 Years to Man Who Carefully Planned Their Engagement
"Blue Bloods" star Vanessa Ray has been married to Landon Beard since 2015. Discover the amazing preparations he made before proposing to her and more about their beautiful relationship.
American actress Vanessa Ray is mostly known for her roles in many popular television series. Some of her famous roles include playing Charlotte Drake on "Pretty Little Liars," Teri Ciccone on "As the World Turns," and Jenny on "Suits."
Ray also has a recurring role on the long-running American police drama series "Blue Bloods," where she portrays Officer Eddie Janko-Reagan, the wife of Officer Jamie Reagan, played by Will Estes.
Picture of Vanessa Ray on the set of TV show, "Blue Bloods" [left]. Picture of Vanessa Ray and her husband, Landon Beard [right] | Photo: instagram.com/vrayskull || Getty images
Ray has a well-known on-screen husband, thanks to her portrayal of Officer Eddie. However, she is also happily married in real life.
The actress has been married to Landon Beard since 2015 after dating him for a long time. Also, she was previously married from 2003 to 2009. Find out about her love life and marriage to Beard.
Vanessa Ray at the "Blue Bloods" screening during PaleyFest NY 2017 at The Paley Center for Media on October 16, 2017 | Photo: Getty Images
RAY'S FIRST MARRIAGE TO DEREK JAMES BAYNHAM
Before tying the knot with Beard, Ray was married to actor Derek James Baynham. They married on January 8, 2003. The former couple took part in the HGTV series "Marriage Under Construction." The show's first season showed how they bought, renovated, and sold a house in Toronto.
In 2007, Ray spoke to The Star about their lives as a couple. She revealed much drama was involved in buying and renovating a house and added:
"We've only rented and lived with roommates. Most of our marriage, we haven't even been in the same zip code, because one of us will get a job, so we've never lived in a place together."
During the interview, Ray admitted that renovating the house was challenging for her and Baynham's relationship. She revealed that people told them it was a terrible idea for their marriage and made them vulnerable.
The actress disclosed that money was the biggest issue as there were things she strongly believed they should not spend money on, but Baynham felt otherwise.
Also, there were things he felt strongly about that she did not. However, she said the renovation process had been good for them because they had always separated their finances and now had to really communicate about the money.
Ray and Baynham seemingly could not deal with the pressures of their relationship and divorced not long after taking part in "Marriage Under Construction" in 2009.
RAY GETS ENGAGED TO BEARD
Shortly after her divorce from Baynham, Ray became linked to Beard, a musician and member of the band Harbor Party. The lovebirds dated for six years before Beard popped the question to Ray on January 23, 2015. The proposal was memorable as Beard took his time to plan it and made many preparations for its success.
Ray revealed to Hello! just how Beard proposed to her. She disclosed that he convinced her to go for a walk with him to one of their favorite spots — Pier 84 — on the Hudson River even though it was freezing cold.
Recalling the beautiful day, Ray said she could feel Beard's heart-pounding even though they wore multiple layers of clothing to keep themselves warm. She revealed:
"He pulled out the ring, we cried, and I started asking a million questions. 'Did you ask my parents? My brother? Does Kelly know? Does she like the ring?"
Beard did not plan the special proposal all by himself. He solicited the help of Ray's best friend and actress and wellness guru Kelly Sullivan.
Unknown to Ray, Sullivan flew from Los Angeles to the proposal location and was disguised in a black wig pretending to be a tourist taking pictures while the proposal was ongoing.
Once Ray started making sense of the whole thing, Beard asked Sullivan to reveal herself. Ray admitted that it took her a while to realize that the photographer was her best friend and she had witnessed the beautiful moment.
However, while Beard's proposal went well, there was something he previously planned that he could not accomplish. Ray revealed that Beard tried to set up some girlfriends to convince her to do her manicure so her hands would look perfect that day since she would have many people looking at her hands. However, those plans did not materialize.
Despite Ray not doing her manicure, her engagement ring remained on display for everyone to see. She described her engagement ring as the prettiest pink gold sparkly ring custom designed by Jeano Georgiano.
Ray revealed that Beard ensured he got as many of her friends' opinions for her as possible. She disclosed that he took Jillian Bell, the "Workaholics" actress, with him when he bought the ring and added that she trusts Bell's taste implicitly.
RAY AND BEARD'S WEDDING
Ray and Beard tied the knot six months after their engagement on June 14, 2015. Their wedding was held at the Condor's Nest Ranch in eastern San Diego County. California.
The wedding ceremony was an intimate and relaxing affair. International Business Times described the wedding as the perfect indie wedding.
It featured floral crowns, crop tops, teepees, and so much more. The beautiful bride looked radiant in a white lace crop top with a high-waisted flowing skirt, while Beard shone in a blue suit with a floral dress shirt. Multiple stars attended, including Kim Matula, Sullivan, David Hill, and Ray's BFF on "Pretty Little Liars," Sasha Pieterse.
During the wedding ceremony, guests were given tambourines to create their own playlist of sorts, while Ray's dad officiated the ceremony. The beautiful wedding pictures from the intimate ceremony depicted how lovely it was.
Two months after tying the knot, Ray reminisced on her marriage by sharing a photo of her and Beard kissing each other passionately on their wedding day, with the rays of the setting sun adding a cinematic effect to the snapshot.
Interestingly, not long after Ray's real wedding, her character on "Blue Bloods" also got married on the show. During an interview with CBS, Ray and her co-star, Estes, revealed that her husband was on the set to help with her character's wedding dress fitting.
Ray disclosed that Beard gave his two cents on the wedding dress. She revealed that she and the show's costume person, Michael Woll, found a dress they were happiest with. She added:
"When I actually got married it was a nontraditional dress. This is the complete opposite; it's very traditional. Mine was pale pink with a green muslin skirt and a separate fitted top. It was a very hippie-girl-in-the-trees kind of feel."
RAY AND HER HUSBAND TODAY
Six years after tying the knot, Ray and Beard remain happily married. The actress seems open about their relationship on social media and often posts their pictures.
The couple celebrates holidays and monumental occasions together. Last Christmas, Ray shared pictures of herself and Beard in matching red tops, black pants, and Nike sneakers.
She shared more snaps of them wearing sweatshirts and cuddling each other and wished her fans a Merry Christmas in the post's caption.
Ray usually marks her and Beard's anniversary with loving posts on Instagram. Last year, she shared several photos of them during an outing, including one that showed them kissing.
From Ray's posts, her close bond with Beard is evident as she often calls him by a special nickname, "Don Don." It is great that the couple is enjoying their marriage. One only hopes they experience happier days ahead.