We created this site as a convenient and interactive way to share all of the important details with you in the lead up to our wedding. Never been to a multi-cultural wedding? You’re in for a treat. We’re combining the best of both worlds with a traditional wedding on Saturday, March 6th. And a follow up cultural Tigrayan wedding celebration (Melsi) at a later, post-covid date. Fun Fact: Traditionally Tigrayan weddings are a 3-day celebration (ain’t nobody got time or $$ for that). So have fun, take a look around and don’t forget to RSVP!

How did a guy from Utah and a girl from Arizona, by way of Ethiopia, end up falling in love in Chicago? Our love story, as with all great love stories, begins at a bar. We’d both recently moved to Chicago for better career opportunities and were meeting up with friends for happy hour. As it turns out, we worked for the same company and shared some mutual friends. Derek would later ask for my number in front of these mutual friends to “practice his jokes” on me. It was the worst possible pick up line that lead to the best decision of our lives. It’s been over five years, and while his jokes haven’t shown much improvement, we continue to laugh with (and at) each other everyday.

I'm going to jump to the part that usually gets the most awws and OMGs; Derek flew to Arizona (unbeknownst to me) to get my parent's permission to marry me. Yes, he's a keeper. The actual proposal is a happy, Champagne fogged blur that overlooked the city skyline in a private London Eye capsule. I thought we were going to London to watch a Chelsea game (drmatic eye roll). I didn't understand why we were wasting our time off on a trip to London so close to the holidays. Obviously I’m glad he ignored my complaints and went through with this, London during Christmas time is magical and I couldn’t have dreamed of a better proposal. Why London? London has a special place in our hearts, our first trip as a couple, a brave 6 months into our relationship, was to London. We secretly dreamed of running away to London but then the whole Brexit thing happened and we realized London is just as much, if not more, of a hot mess than the States.