Blue Blood star Vanessa Ray and musician Landon Beard have the sweetest love story.
Shortly after Ray’s divorce from Derek Baynham in 2009, the actress met Beard during a rehearsal and the twosome quickly hit it off.
Ray and Beard announced their engagement in March 2015 and tied the knot in June of that year.
Nearly nine years after their intimate wedding ceremony, the couple shared that they adopted their son Isaac in November 2023.
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“Isaac Ray Beard was born on November 7th and he kind of came into our life, it was quite a whirlwind,” Ray told People in February 2024. “My husband and I weren’t totally sure if we were going to have kids, at what point in our life that made sense and all those things. I was at work one day, honestly I was about to do a family dinner and I just had this overwhelming sensation of family and what I love about our life and all of these things.”
Keep scrolling to learn more about Ray and Beard’s relationship timeline:
March 2015
Six years after meeting at a rehearsal, Beard proposed to Ray in the most adorable way.
“He convinced me to go for a walk to one of our favorite spots – Pier 84 – on the Hudson River in the freezing cold,” Ray told Hello at the time. “Thinking about it now, I could feel his heart pounding even through the many layers of clothing we had on out there. He pulled out the ring, we cried, and I started asking a million questions. ‘Did you ask my parents? My brother? Does Kelly [Sullivan] know? Does she like the ring?’”
Ray’s best friend, Sullivan, was also able to witness the proposal.
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“She was disguised in a black wig pretending to be a tourist taking pictures during the whole thing,” Ray explained to the outlet. “It took me a long time to realize the lady with the camera was my best friend. There was a lot of dancing and tears of joy. Only regret: Not wearing waterproof mascara.”
June 2015
Ray and Beard said “I Do” during an intimate ceremony in Pala, California. The couple were surrounded by several famous friends, including Sasha Pieterse, Kim Matula and David Hill.
January 2021
Ray opened up about how being diagnosed with bipolar disorder and seeking treatment affected her relationship with Beard.
“[After I came back from treatment] Landon and I had to have a ton of therapy as well within that,” she said in an interview with Women on Top at the time. “Because here I am, changing, starting to take accountability for myself, trying to be present, and all of those things. And my husband is someone who takes care of everything. And so all of a sudden I was like, I don’t need your help. It was difficult in our marriage and it was the question of whether or not either of us wanted to be in a marriage where we completely flipped the script.”
Ray explained that thanks to some specific books and therapy, the couple worked through their challenges.
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“Ultimately, we’ve come out on the other side, thanks to like, you know, Codependent No More. That’s a great book. Everyone should read it,” she shared.
June 2021
The couple celebrated their sixth wedding anniversary.
“5-1 good to bad. We made it to 1st grade (6 years.) Ya make me laugh Don Don. Happy anniversary,” Ray wrote via Instagram at the time.
June 2022
Beard celebrated Ray’s birthday with a sweetInstagram tribute. “She loves pockets. Happy Birthday to my person. YOUDABEST!!” he wrote at the time.
November 2023
The couple adopted their son Issac, who was born on November 7. Ray recalled speaking to actor Peter Hermann before going through the adoption process.
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“Graciously, he really held our hand and walked us through everything that we would need to know about adoption,” Ray told People in February 2024. “It’s a lot of first dates almost. It almost feels like there’s a ton of heartbreak that comes along with it.”
After taking a year to find a lawyer and fill out the required paperwork, Ray shares the adoption process went rather quickly.
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“It went super fast,” Ray shared. “She was like, ‘He’s due in four weeks, so we have to do this quickly.’ We were like, ‘Whoa, okay.’”
Ray also said becoming a mother has not been that challenging to her.
“I don’t want moms and dads to come for me everywhere, but he does sleep,” Ray explained. “We’re just so focused on him right now. And just showering him with love and trying to absorb every single moment we can of his just littleness, his little life.”
