07 | 12 | 2026

From the beginning to now...

It all started in a 7th grade History classroom. Despite being in elementary school all years together, Anika and AJ never had any classes together until the 2010-2011 school year. Anika was smitten by AJ and thought he was the cutest boy, confused as to why she never noticed him before. She would walk to the nearby gas station to buy snacks, just so she could share it with him in class. She would pretend to "not be able to see" the board to write in her agenda, just so she could move closer to him and offer him a piece of gum, in hopes of him magically falling in love with her. Spoiler alert- he did not. One day in health class, Anika got the courage to tell AJ she liked him. She got his cell phone number and chickened out at the last second, saying it was her best friend that liked him. Anika's future bridesmaid demanded she tell him the truth and when she did, AJ, unsure of what to do, laughed awkwardly in her face and stumbled away. Anika gave up and moved on.

On one fateful day in the summer of 2011, Virginia was rocked with a chaotic earthquake. Anika and her friends were shaken, dramatically thinking that they could've died and life is too short. Anika's phone was stolen by a friend, who texted AJ a simple, "Hey" thinking that our love story was left unfinished. From there, it was all history. We continued texting back and forth into the school year with our friends teasing us to start dating. Eventually, AJ met up with Anika outside of her science class during school dismissal and popped the magical question, "Will you be my girlfriend?" in front of our English teacher. Anika's cheeks flushed hot when she said, "Yes." That night, we had our first date at Cox Farms' Fields of Fears, where we held hands, cuddled on the hayride, and shared AJ's sweatshirt by the bonfire. It was the beginning of a whirlwind year of young love where we shared our first kiss, went to movies together, met each other's families, and had FaceTime sleepovers.

They always say you never forget your first love. That rang true for Anika and AJ for many years. Despite our original love story only lasting a little over a year, with AJ's hockey schedule being too hectic for a relationship, we still had love for each other. We continued to have classes together in high school, where we slowly moved past the awkward encounters to the point of us becoming friends again our senior year. As we moved on from high school and lived our college experiences, neither had moved on from each other. AJ always had Anika's heart and Anika knew it. After college graduation, we finally reconnected officially. On August 20th, 2022, AJ popped that magical question from 11 years ago once more, "Will you be my girlfriend?" to which Anika replied, "I thought you'd never ask." It was at that point, we knew that this time our relationship would stick. For the next three years, we traveled, moved into an apartment together, had endless laughs, and made unforgettable memories.

It was a typical Sunday afternoon. Anika had fallen asleep on the couch reading her book, unaware that AJ was preparing for the biggest moment of our relationship so far. Anika was under the impression she was going to a baby shower that evening and was given the surprise of a lifetime instead. After being driven by her future maid of honor, she found herself at the 2941 Restaurant, where she rounded the corner to see the love of her life at the end of a rose petal scattered runner. AJ was holding a bouquet of roses and standing on the pathway between a koi pond and waterfall, with the biggest smile on his face. Anika made her way towards her future fiancé, where he got down on one knee and asked yet another magical question, "Will you marry me?" This proposal was everything Anika had dreamed of, not because of how it was done, but because of the person right in front of her. The surprises continued with an intimate engagement party inside of the restaurant, where friends and family awaited with more roses to gift. It was a magical and unforgettable night!

We are so excited to celebrate our next chapter with you in July 2026! From the moment AJ asked that magical question to the joy of sharing the news with our loved ones, every step of our journey has been filled with love, laughter, and a touch of surprise. Now, we can’t wait to bring all of those feelings with us to the beautiful island of Oahu, Hawaii, where we’ll say “I do” surrounded by the people who mean the most to us. It will be a week of sunshine, celebration, and unforgettable memories- we're so excited! We can’t imagine a more perfect setting or more perfect company than sharing our start to forever with you in paradise.