In October 2013, Amanda was volunteering in the Fairhaven Church Nursery as she did most Sundays she was in town. That morning an adorable little girl named Penelope came to class with her grandmother Holly. During snack time, Amanda and Holly got to talking which lead to Holly mentioning she knew some great single guys. Knowing a move away from Ohio was on the horizon, Amanda was hesitant about giving out her number but figured it was time to give dating a try. Turns out both Amanda and Michael had been on online dating platforms leading up to this. Neither of them remembers one another though and Amanda never met anyone through her experience. It was a few weeks later that Amanda woke up from a glorious plane nap to a voicemail from a man named Michael. They were able to chat on Halloween to compare numbers of trick or treaters and make plans for their first date. Michael scored major points by suggesting they meet at Coldwater Cafe in Tipp City, half way between them with excellent food. The blind date went so well they ended up closing the place down chatting. Amanda learned three critical pieces of intel during this initial date 1) Michael was actively involved in his church 2) he wore a suit and tie every day to work and 3) he liked to mow. Michael also offered to share Amanda's favorite Frozen Peanut Butter Fudge Pie for dessert...love was in the air! Their second date was a trip to IKEA to purchase donations for a church project. From this point on Amanda referred to Michael as her boyfriend which took Michael about three months to use the girlfriend title. Since then Michael and Amanda have grown in their faith together, taken many adventures to 22 states thus far, and invested in getting to know one another's family and friends. Although long distance can be challenging, it has taught them how to communicate and reminds them to cherish their time together.

Saturday, April 7th, 2018 will always hold a special place in our lives. Amanda was in Ohio to celebrate Greek Easter with Michael's family. On Saturday Michael and Amanda were suppose to meet up with some friends from Chicago in town for the holiday. Michael wasn’t sure where they were meeting until a little bit before leaving and mentioned his friend had selected Coldwater Cafe (where their blind date had been). Seemed odd since it was a little bit further away but Amanda loved their food so she went with it. Michael was driving super fast which was so strange as they weren’t that late and half way there got a text from our friends that they were running late. They ended up parking where Amanda had parked and Michael walked me back to my car on the first date. While reminiscing about our first date, Michael suggested they sit on a metal bench outside to wait. It was chilly, so a metal bench didn’t sound comfy. As Amanda was joking around and making conversation she turned to see Michael was rather serious. He started to say how much he loved her but couldn’t say much more as the tears started flowing. Michael got out that he wanted to spend the rest of their lives together before getting down on one knee and proposing. After they hugged, Michael's dad came walking towards them with the camcorder. As she stood a little perplexed by the simplicity of the moment, Amanda saw her brother Justin (from Minnesota) walking towards them from where he had been taking photos. Turning around again, out of the library came Amanda's parents from Florida, Michael's mom, his sister from NYC, his Yiayia & Papou (Greek for grandma and grandpa), and his goddaughter & her family. Everyone then went and had lunch at Coldwater Cafe in their vault (it is an old bank) which seemed fitting as Michael is in the banking industry (it happened to be the same spot Amanda had her work going away lunch at too). The proposal was perfect in every way...family, love, food, and photos.

The Wedding Ceremony To our family and friends who are not familiar with the marriage sacraments of the Greek Orthodox Church, we have provided a detailed account of what you will experience during the ceremony. The Rings The rings are blessed by the priest who takes them in his hand and makes the sign of the cross over the couple’s heads saying: “The servant of God, Michael, is betrothed to the servant of God, Amanda, in the name of The Father, The Son, and of The Holy Spirit.” The Koumbaro then exchanges the rings three times, taking the bride’s ring and placing it on the groom’s finger and vice-versa. The rings are the symbol of betrothal from the most ancient times. The exchange signifies that, in married life, the weakness of the one partner will be compensated by the strengths of the other, the imperfections of one by the perfections of the other. Individually, the newly betrothed are incomplete; together they are made perfect. Thus, the exchange of rings signifies that the spouses in marriage will constantly complement each other and be enriched by the union. The Candles The wedding service begins immediately following the betrothal service. The bride and groom are handed candles which they hold throughout the service. The candles represent the lamps of the five maidens of the Bible, which, because they contained enough oil, enabled the maidens to light the way for the Bridegroom Christ, when He came in the darkness of night. The candles symbolize the spiritual willingness of the couple to receive Christ, who will bless them through this Sacrament. The Joining of the Hands As the final prayer concludes, the priest invokes God to “join these servants, unite them in one mind and flesh.” He then places the right hand of the groom on the right hand of the bride. At this sacred moment, the couple is joined as husband and wife in the Greek Orthodox Church. The hands remain joined throughout the service to symbolize the “oneness” of their love.

The Crowning Climaxing the marriage service is the Office of the Crowning. The crowns (Stefana) signify the glory and honor of God given to the couple during the Sacrament. The bride and groom are crowned as the queen and king of their kingdom, the home, which they will rule with wisdom, justice and integrity. The crowns are joined together with a ribbon symbolizing that the two are now one. Placing the crowns upon their heads; blessing each partner, the Preist says, “The servants of God Michael and Amanda are crowned in the name of the Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit, Amen.” The Koumbaro exchanges the crowns three times over the heads of the groom and the bride as witness to the sealing of the union. The Common Cup In the second Gospel of St. John, Jesus attended and blessed the marriage at Cana of Galilee. There He changed water into wine and gave it to the newlyweds. The couple drinks blessed wine from a common cup, remembering the first miracle Jesus performed. The common cup designates a mutual sharing of life in its fullest, a common support for every joy and sorrow experienced in life’s walk. The drinking of wine serves to impress upon the couple that, from this moment on, they will share everything in life, joys as well as sorrows, and they are to “bear one another’s burdens.” The Ceremonial Walk The priest leads the couple around the table on which are placed the Gospel and the Cross, Christ’s symbols of hope and redemption. These first steps as partners are to emphasize the focus of their “life’s walk” together. During the ceremonial walk around the table, a hymn is sung to the Holy Martyrs, reminding the newly married couple of the sacrificial love they are to have for each other in marriage, a love that seeks not its own, but is willing to sacrifice all for the one loved. The Blessing The bride and groom return to their places & the priest lifts the crowns from their heads. The marriage ceremony ends with words of blessing to the newlyweds.

Copy and paste the following link into your browser to view our wedding video: https://vimeo.com/346391914/7cb94f8d4c