Our story begins in Ithaca, NY. A small, college-driven town with never ending winters and locals that seemed to be trapped in the spirit of Woodstock 69’. Ithaca is home to Cornell University where Ali decided to go to Business School and Juan to get his Masters in Real Estate. The world sometimes seems like a big place but our story might prove otherwise. Ali decided to live with a roommate at the all-grad housing, CTT. Little did we know that this was where we would build some of our best memories and friends. Ali roomed with a Colombian girl, Naty. As it turns out, Juan knew Naty from way back in Colombia and was one of the few people he knew when he got to Ithaca. A quick hello here and there, a small gift of Colombian chocolate and a question about an Econ midterm paved the way for the relationship. We found ourselves at a mid-semester party; Ali had been set up on a horrible blind date and Juan was partying with his friends. A few drinks later...we are now engaged! Through our relationship we have learned about ourselves and other cultures. We have grown together as we visited Copenhagen for lunch at Noma, Colombia to get to know family, Mexico City with our best friends, Charleston, SC to eat BBQ, and so much more. We made the best of our two years at Cornell and definitely set the base line for our NYC experience. We moved in together right after graduation to start a home in New Jersey (soon to be NYC) and build our careers. On December 8, 2018 and after Juan arranged a secret trip to California to discuss his plans with Linda and Scott, Juan proposed in the privacy of our apartment after cooking a meal inspired by The Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten (Ali's hero) and with a bi-color sapphire ring from Colombia.

We are delighted to share our story with all of you and hope you can help us build more memories by joining us at our wedding. Colombia is home to Juan but we hope it becomes a home to you all as we set the stage for a weekend of good food, great wine, fantastic parties, and each one of you to make it all perfect!