It all started in August 2015 in the most romantic city in America...... Plano, Texas.
Tony first noticed Anastasia filling out her nametag in the lobby of the Marriott Residence Inn in Plano, where they and their newly graduated colleagues nervously networked and small talked, waiting to board the shuttle to their orientation and first day of work at Infosys Consulting.
As this was the last shuttle of the morning for the last group (typical for Tony and Anastasia), they were quickly ushered to the shuttle which Anastasia entered first. She took stock of her new coworkers as they piled in, and found herself intrigued (and then slightly annoyed at the inconvenience of her intrigue) when she observed the last and tallest person of the group struggling to fold himself into the tiny shuttle. They locked eyes.
After six weeks of flirting, bets between coworkers, and not a whole lot of work (surprisingly), "Consultant Camp" in Plano came to an end, and the new couple decided to take the harder road and continue their relationship. This was heavily complicated by the fact that Tony was based out of Atlanta, and Anastasia out of Seattle, about as far apart as two cities could be.
Tony would fly out to Seattle between weekly business trips to Reno, Cupertino, and other client sites. Anastasia took trips to Atlanta when she could, juggling her consulting career and her newly started real estate career. Anastasia learned to send text messages with more than one-word responses, Tony stopped crying so much after the first year or so.
Anastasia and Tony stayed long-distance through career changes, city changes, ups and downs, over the course of four years. Eventually, they moved in together in Chicago in February 2019.
In Chicago they explored, ate and drank too much, forged strong friendships and made memories, all while finding stability and comfort in each other. They were finally able to spend the time they so desperately missed when they were apart, living the day-to-day of life together.
There was still plenty of travel (business and otherwise) all through the ensuing year leading up to March 2020, when the world changed. The couple ultimately had to leave Chicago in June 2020 due to the pandemic.
Tony's best laid plans, proposing to Anastasia at the family's massive Easter celebration, were thwarted by the COVID-19 pandemic. So, he had to pivot and come up with a new plan.
With the help of the wonderful women in his life, Tony organized his proposal in Atlanta's Botanical Gardens on July 12th, 2020. In Atlanta's mid-summer humidity, he led his soon-to-be fiancee on a meandering walk through the Gardens, completely lost because he couldn't find the Japanese Garden that he reserved for the occasion.
When he eventually found the right spot, Tony went down on his knee (in front of a live feed globally streaming to friends and family) and asked Anastasia to be his forever. She replied, "a million times yes." And so, their two year engagement began!
It has been a very long, and very eventful, engagement for the couple. They became "pandemic nomads," spending extended periods of time in both Atlanta and Seattle. And they managed to thrive despite the uncertainty.
Anastasia closed over $10 million in real estate sales in 2021, helping multiple families find their forever homes. In May 2021, Tony was promoted to Manager at EY wavespace, and he delivered over 20 unique workshop experiences for several Fortune 500 companies. The couple also bought a condo together in Chicago's West Loop neighborhood, finally beginning to craft their life and home together.
This wedding will be a celebration not only of their love for each other, but also their accomplishments, successes, and victories through a very challenging time. They can't wait to share this with each and every one of you!