How We Met:
Eri & Tatum met in high school, when he was a junior and she was a senior! Although Eri and his family moved to Fountain Hills when he was in elementary school, and they were in many clubs and even math class together, Tatum and him never actually met until December 8th 2015, at a bake sale where they were both volunteering! Eri charmed Tatum with his sense of humor and kindness!!! After a few weeks of trying to get Eri's attention in Calculus and calling him out of class to visit the Yearbook room for "necessary" portrait reshoots (where Tatum was Yearbook editor), she finally got the courage to ask him out on their first date, to which he happily agreed!
Eri spent the evening playing 20 (+) questions with Tatum, wanting to get to know her as much as possible. Within 5 minutes of their first date, they found out they had so much in common, from their favorite music, to their personal beliefs and values. Tatum knew even then that she would marry him one day (7 years later) :)
The Proposal:
Eri proposed to Tatum at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport on August 20th, 2021, at 11:11 p.m (her lucky number, since she was born on 11/11 and always makes a wish at 11:11!!) Tatum had gone on a spontaneous vacation to the Balkans with Eri's sister, Sara. With the girls being away for two weeks, Eri knew this would be his only chance to plan a proposal without Tatum finding out. He shared his plans with his family, asked for the blessing of Tatum's parents and BFF/twin sis Taylor, and found the most thoughtful ring, adorned with diamond grape leaves, that represented their nickname for one another, "Rrushi".
When Tatum and Sara returned to PHX, they reunited with their boyfriends in the terminal, who were both waiting with flowers and gifts. As they boarded the escalators down to the first floor, Tatum noticed a group of people standing below with signs that read, "Will you marry me?". Tatum, at first unsure it was for her, looked at disbelief to Eri who was smiling widely! He took her hand and guided her to the center of the group. Getting down on one knee, he unveiled a vintage ring box and asked, "Will you marry me?" She and everyone else gasped. The ring was missing from the box!!
Immediately, Tatum remembered in high school that she had gifted Eri a button up grey shirt and said she would be waiting for the day that he wore it and had a ring in the front pocket, waiting to propose to her. In that moment, she realized he was wearing the exact same shirt she gifted him 6 years earlier and that the ring must be in the pocket. She walked over to Eri, who was still kneeling, and reached into his front shirt pocket. There, she found a vintage rose gold engagement ring. "Of course I will marry you!" They cried and laughed while their families cheered.
Eri was born and raised in Albania! Since we began dating and dreaming of our future wedding day, we always imagined getting married in Eri's hometown. Korçë (pronounced Core-cha) is the southeast region of Albania, home to mountains, cobblestone streets, and friendly, hardworking people (called Korçarë).
Tatum & Eri studied abroad in Albania throughout summer 2017. For 10 weeks, they lived in the capital city of Tirana with Eri's grandparents and attended Albanian language class for 5 hours/day. However, for the first month of school, Eri was ineligible to enroll because he was too young, so he stayed home with his grandparents while Tatum went to school. Being the gentleman that he is, Eri escorted Tatum back and forth to school on public transportation for more than 2 hours/day (just so she wouldn't have to ride alone). Once Eri was allowed to enroll, they happily became classmates again! While the course was engaging and exciting for Tatum, it was more of a redundant refresher for Eri, who already speaks Albanian. Tatum would reach over to Eri for insight on an assignment, only to find the poor guy passed out of boredom on his desk. Outside of the classroom, this 10-week adventure abroad led to their greater appreciation of Eri's heritage, culture and language.
Many of Eri's family still reside in Korçë, and we thought it would be a great experience to unite both of our families and friends in this beautiful, historic, and enchanting part of the world.
Albania (Shqipëria) is a small country of 3 million people in the Balkan Peninsula, an area of South Eastern Europe that is home to Albania, Greece, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria and Romania. The Albanian people (Shqiptarët) speak Albanian (shqip), one of the world's oldest and most unique languages.
Albanians are proud of their heritage, especially after centuries of being oppressed and invaded by the Ottomans, Romans, and Slavs (to name a few). From the 1940s to 1990s, Albania was under a communist dictatorship that isolated the Albanian people off from the rest of the world. Religion was banned (leading to Albania's current secularism), people were not allowed to leave the country, and the government was so paranoid of invasion that they built cement bunkers nationwide (over 200,000 bunkers are still spread throughout the countrysides-- You'll see!).
During our wedding week, we will spend a significant amount of time in Korçë, the region where Eri is from. Korça is a predominantly Orthodox Christian town of around 75,000 people, but it feels much smaller. Korça is known as the cultural capital of Albania, home to delicious food, romantic serenata music, a bustling old bazaar, and cobblestone streets.
LANGUAGE TIPS!
Albanian (shqip) is one of the world's oldest languages. It is so different, even linguists aren't sure where it comes from. Want to learn some Albanian to impress the locals?
Hello - Përshëndetje (Pur - shun - det - yay)
What's up - Çkemi (Cha-kay-mee) (Special shout out to the McAuliff bros for frequently putting this one into use!)
Goodbye - Mirupafshim (Meer- oo- pahf - sheem)
Thank you - Faleminderit (Fal-leh-meen-dare-it)
How are you - Si jeni (See- yeni)
I am American - Unë jam Amerikan (oon - yahm - american)
I like it - Më pëlqen (muh - pull - chen)
I do not like it - Nuk më pëlqen (nook - muh - pull - chen)
Water - Ujë (oo - yuh)
Bathroom/Toilet - Banjë/Tualet (Bahn - ya) / (Too - a - let)
Help me! - Më ndihmo! (Muhn- dee - mo)
I am sick - Unë jam i semurë (oon - yahm - ee - say - moor)
Wedding - Dasëm (Das-um)
Albania - Shqipëria (sheep - pur - ee - yah)
*BRING YOUR PASSPORT!*
Albania, on Southeastern Europe’s Balkan Peninsula, is a small country with Adriatic and Ionian coastlines and an interior crossed by the Albanian Alps. Due to its place in the mediterranean, you can expect sunshine or rain, with warm days and cool nights in June.
PACK LIGHT! Your future self will thank you for packing light while boarding flights & buses and switching hotels. We recommend you pack in a carry-on luggage. Remember, you can always buy what you forgot in Athens or Korçë.
Blowdryers are provided by hotels. You can get a European-plug curling iron in Korçë. Bring NECESSARY medication, others can be found at the local pharmacy.
Highly recommend you watch these extremely helpful packing for Europe videos: