We Got Married!

Photography By: Kaylee Chelsea Photography

Anthony and I met 5 1/2 years ago when my best friend introduced us in her living room. I knew there was something special about this man I met originally from a town outside of Boston and was currently attending Arizona State University. In one of our very first conversations that day, he shared with me his dreams of a career in law enforcement and I told him my dreams of being a Buyer in the Fashion Industry, as I was a Stylist working in Retail at the time and he a student.

In those 5 1/2 years, we have fallen in love with each other, and with one another’s Italian families. We had done long distance the entire course of our dating relationship. Anthony in Arizona, and I in California. Our long distance relationship was helped by the power of countless hours of FaceTime and flights from Orange County to Phoenix. Although the physical distance had never been easy, our strong commitment and communication skills had gotten us through all of it. We have had our fair share of ups and downs together. The loss of close family members, job loss, and months of communication only by letters when Anthony went away to train for the National Guard. These are all tough things to go through, but made even more difficult when you can’t physically hold your loved one whenever you want to because of the distance. We have never thought of these as obstacles or challenges, but ways God has showed us how to strengthen our love for each other.

After 4 years of dating, Anthony got down on one knee and proposed in March of 2019. We were so excited to be one step closer to our ultimate goal of getting married and starting this next chapter together. Planning a wedding isn’t an easy task, especially when the couple live in different states. We finally had those dream careers that we first discussed on the day we met. However they came with their sacrifices; Anthony in law enforcement working 13 hour night shifts, and working in fashion, I was traveling between LA, NY, and Milan for work, but we still managed to make time for ourselves and make every moment count.

Our original wedding venue was in California at the Church connected to the elementary school that I had attended for 9 years. We found a beautiful rustic reception venue not far from the church and we had high hopes for the day set in August 2020 we had both prayed so hard for, for so many years.

As we all know, the beginning months of 2020 did not go as we had all planned. The Stay at Home Order quickly went from 2 weeks, to 2 months, to 6 months and longer in California and we were faced with a heartbreaking decision to make. I know we were not alone, that thousands of couples were forced with the same decision, but by far this was one of the most disappointing things we have ever gone through. We were fully supported by our amazing family and friends to postpone the wedding celebration until everyone could safely come together in 2021.

Although we decided to postpone the Church wedding and reception to a later date, we were not going to let this stop us from getting married! We had been waiting over 5 years to live in the same state, buy a house, and finally start this new chapter of our lives. So we decided to have a “minimony” infront of our immediate family, get married by a Christian pastor, exchange vows we had written all before our large celebration the next year.

We found the most perfect venue for us, the Andaz Resort and Bungalows in Scottsdale. Their amazing team took care of me and my family and helped us plan this wedding in just a few months!

The morning of our wedding day was the most peaceful morning of my life! I enjoyed brunch with my whole family, and then was treated to the resort spa and spent the morning with my sister (also my MOH) getting ready and spending quality time with her.

Our intimate ceremony was like a dream come true. This moment was about US. It was me, in a lacy bohemian Grace Loves Lace dress feeling like a beautiful bride standing before my husband dressed in a Joseph Abboud Light Gray Suit.

We were outdoors surrounded by beautiful hundred year old saguaros glowing in the Arizona Desert with a view of the Camelback Mountains and the sun setting behind us. We exchanged hand written vows in-front of 10 close members of our family and friends. Our amazing officiant spoke of God’s love and our commitment to each other while we solidified our union in prayer.

There is something beautiful about the unexpected and our intimate affair embodied that. This day was far more romantic than I could have ever expected. We were doing this out of a necessity to love each other and spend each day together as one. I don’t know what is more romantic than that!

We can’t wait for our large celebration with 100 of our closest friends and family next year! We know that we will be happier than ever to come together and we will all dance the night away like never before, but when you go through something like a pandemic it allows you to evaluate the most meaningful pieces of your life. You are forced to look at things differently and we both knew that at the end of the day we wanted to get married and ours prayers have now been answered!