Our Love Story

Jatasia and Andrew first met on Tinder about 6 years ago. When they matched, Tasia was in her senior year at East Carolina University for Engineering, and Andrew was in his first year of Medical School at UNC Chapel Hill (an entire 110 miles apart!). Unfortunately, Tinder has a max radius of 100 miles when it comes to “matching people”, so those 10 miles could’ve kept them from each other! Luckily, the two just so happened to have crossed “Tinder Paths” when Tasia went to Durham to celebrate her friend’s Chantalle’s birthday. Special thanks to Chantalle, because if it weren’t for her, Tasia and Andrew most likely would have never met!

Tasia: I swiped right because Andrew described himself as an easy-going person, he was looking pretty handsome and tall in all of his pictures, and I liked that he didn’t go to ECU (I was over Greenville at the time). Also, the fact that he was in medical school showed me that he had discipline and a strong work ethic (values that have been instilled in me). When I noticed Andrew and I matched and he “slid in the DMs”, I immediately transformed into a preteen girl. I had the butterflies and giggles and told all my friends! They all instantly went to work and helped with the social media/google stalking phase to make sure Andrew wasn’t a criminal or something crazy. Thankfully Andrew was neither of those, and thus began the long phone calls and unlimited texting. Andrew had definitely caught my attention.

Andrew: I swiped right because Tasia was one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen. I really wanted to get to know her, but in the back of my mind I told myself not to get my hopes up. Usually someone that gorgeous doesn’t have the personality to match. So, I reached out to a friend who was a classmate of hers at ECU to get more information about her. My friend told me that she was a good person, and I should give her a fair chance. Obviously, I’m very happy I took his advice! It didn’t take long to see that Tasia is beautiful person inside and out.

While Tasia and Andrew were getting to know each other, they discovered their parents coincidently lived 15 minutes apart in Charlotte. Since Christmas break was right around the corner, they decided that would be the perfect time to meet. On Christmas Eve they were finally able to meet up and go Christmas shopping together. A huge weight was lifted off their shoulders when they first laid eyes on each other in person. Thank God Tasia was Tasia and Andrew was Andrew! They were both surprised at how fast they clicked. They shared jokes, songs, laughs, and shopping tips and ultimately decided they needed an “official first date” while they were both in Charlotte.

The day after Christmas the two went to the Epi Center. Tasia described this as a fairy-tale date. They went dancing and then went on a walk around Charlotte. During the walk Tasia and Andrew talked about everything! Family, beliefs, likes, motivations, things they hated, and the list can go on. Before they knew it, it was 4 A.M and they were on the steps of the Panthers Stadium, dancing and singing the night away to their favorite Michael Jackson songs. Tasia went home literally walking on air, and Andrew described it as the best first date he ever had. Though Christmas break had to come to an end, they both left Charlotte thinking this could definitely be the start of something special, and indeed it was.

After the first date, the “cupcake stage” of their relationship was in full swing. Their days were full of cheesy texts, their nights were full of talking or studying on the phone together and on the weekends, you could find Tasia in Chapel Hill or Andrew in Greenville. The two became inseparable and decided to give romance a true shot when they officially began dating on March 15, 2016. Though Tasia didn’t know where her career would take her after graduation, and Andrew was diving into the unknown vigorous med school life, one thing they knew was they wanted to make it work. Which is exactly what they did! Since then, Tasia and Andrew have grown to become each other’s best friend. They’ve shared many laughs and jokes (#It’sGoodForMe!), conquered many obstacles (Having a significant other in medical school), and more importantly fell in love along the way (Andrew said I love you first 😊). After three years plus, it was no secret Tasia and Andrew both knew they had something worth holding on to forever. Andrew knew just what he had to do to make that happen…..

Although the proposal took place in June, the actual process began several months earlier. Andrew wanted Tasia to have the perfect ring, and he wouldn’t stop until he found it. After several months searching, he finally decided on the perfect one and had it delivered to their house. Ironically, Tasia worked from home the day the ring was delivered and signed for it. Thank goodness the box was large and unmarked, and at this point Andrew was a pro at thinking of “little white lies” to keep the proposal a secret. To tame her curiosity, he told her it was a Father’s Day gift. He also had Tasia convinced that he just loved Mani-Pedis and wanted to get one with her. They got pedicures together a few months prior, so Tasia thought nothing of it. She immediately agreed to a mani-pedi date, and with that Andrew’s proposal scheme was in full swing.

On June 21st, 2019, Andrew planned a date night that began with mani-pedis and continued with restaurant hopping. They went to Sup Dogs for appetizers and drinks, and CholaNad for dinner. Of course, Tasia wore an all-white romper and was in the mood for curry chicken. Naturally, she spilled curry sauce on herself just as dinner was ending. Tasia laughed it off like she always did, while Andrew was slowly melting down on the inside (since surprise pictures were in the plan). At this point, Andrew knew he had to pop the question before the sunset and Tasia completely ruined her outfit. He told Tasia they should walk off dinner and go to the arboretum on UNC’s campus. Tasia always wanted to go there, so she agreed with no hesitation. In reality, Andrew was leading Tasia towards the Old Well. Once they arrived, Andrew told Tasia that if you take a sip from the Old Well and make a wish, it will come true. Tasia fell for it. She went to the fountain, bent over, and closed her eyes to sip the water. When she was done, she turned around and saw Andrew on one knee. Tasia couldn’t believe what was happening until Andrew pulled out a red box with a shiny ring in it. At this point, tears of joy were running down Tasia’s face while Fola, one of Andrew’s classmates, darted out of the bushes with a camera to capture the scene. The moment was full of tears, hugs, OMGs, and one big Yes from Tasia! That day, Tasia found out that the delivered box was not a Father’s Day present, Andrew doesn’t enjoy mani-pedis as much as he claimed, she probably shouldn’t have gotten curry on her outfit and going to the Arboretum was not part of the plans. However, she was convinced that the Old Well legend was true: She WILL get to spend the rest of her life with Andrew, the man of her dreams.

With their original wedding date in the past and their “new wedding date” unknown, Tasia and Andrew did not let Covid stop their love. One day they both realized that the day they matched on Tinder (December 19th) fell on a Saturday! What started off as a “Wouldn’t it be cool if we got married on that day?” actually turned into a real thing! Three weeks later they were married in an outdoor, socially distant, ceremony only wedding, surrounded by immediate family. There were tears shed, lots of smiles, and most importantly they became husband and wife. It was the happiest day of their life. They would love to extend a special thanks to their family for their "on board attitudes", flexibility and patience during that time and to all of their in-laws for welcoming them into their family and lives with love, generosity, and opened arms. They couldn't have done it with out them <3

Though Jatasia and Andrew have already embarked on their journey as husband and wife, they still can’t wait to celebrate with their family, friends, and loved ones on June 18th, 2022 in Sanford, NC. They ask that everyone come prepared to celebrate with lots of love, smiles, dance moves, and laughter as the Tasia and Andrew continue their fairy-tale in marriage! Lastly, the couple would also like to take the time to say thank you to everyone for their love, patience, and understanding during this entire process! It's been a long road, but there's a dance floor and an open bar at the end of the tunnel! <3