We're Getting Married!

We met in 1898, outside of the town called Annesburg... ...in the online game Red Dead Redemption. Danijel Molnar was in Melbourne, Victoria, in Australia, and part of the longest public health lockdown in history. Unable to go anywhere or do much of anything, he spent a lot of time playing video games online. Danijel hung out regularly with a group of friends, a group including Joshua Eliason. Erin Eliason was in Sterling, Virginia, in the United States, waiting out the pandemic and going to grad school. Her brother Joshua lives in the Philippines, and to spend time with him, she took up online video games. Joshua introduced her to his friends, one of which was Danijel. We had a lot of fun hanging out together, exploring the virtual world, looking for treasure, and hitting other players with hammers. Unable to see each other's faces, we became friends, and then good friends, and then on July 15, 2021, for no particular reason, Erin sent a photo of herself to Danijel. He sent one back. We moved from PlayStation chatting to FaceBook Messenger and started spending time together every day. Danijel worked late hours, so twice a day we had breakfast together. We hung out longer and longer until it was four hours a day at least, sometimes as long as eight hours.

We met in person for the first time at the airport in Kona, Hawaii. Erin’s plane landed first and she who waited for Danijel - at the wrong baggage claim! The airport in Kona is open-air, and so she ended up walking down the sidewalk, which is where w found each other. That week in Hawaii was incredible.

After living together in a beautiful little house on a hill overlooking the sea, it was clear to us that we were madly in love and happier than either had ever been before. Unwilling to part, Erin asked Danijel if he would marry her, if we could spend the rest of our lives together being happy and having adventures. He said yes!

Due to the uncertainty of the visa process timeline, we have decided to have a tiny wedding on January 10 (hopefully!) followed by a reception in March. We'll make our vows on a little sliver of sand, dotted with coconut palm trees and located right next door to a pretty restaurant known for fancy appetizers and delicious frozen drinks. It’s also the only off-leash beach on the island and so there are always local pups swimming the sea and digging in the sand and living their best dog days. It's a laid back, happy place in the southern-most town of the continental US. The wedding party will be us, two witnesses (Erin's cousin Amber and Danijel's friend Ben), and an officiant (Amber's husband Drew).

Exactly one year from day Erin proposed in Hawaii, we will be having a wedding reception in Washington DC. Guests will be hosted in a private dining room in downtown DC. The exact location and elective food choices are forthcoming.