Emily and Mike started their journey together back in March 2021, right in the middle of the pandemic. Connecting over Emily's love of the Greek dish pastitsio and Mike's love of Filipino breakfast food, the two set out together. Can a marriage be built on food alone? Well, unfortunately we won't be able to find out with this wedding. It's been a busy three years since their initial gourmand connection: between the two of them they've had job changes, various health challenges, moves to the suburbs, and cat adoptions (just to name some stress points, er, I mean highlights). In all seriousness, though, Emily and Mike share a deep love, sense of values, and if you couldn't already tell, a sense of humor. They believe that marriage is the ultimate team, and that's how they live out their relationship. Life throws a lot of surprise punches, and these two are glad to have one another in their corner guiding them through.

Mike has been working in higher education for about fourteen years now and it shows. He's really good at giving lectures. In fact, one of the first lectures I got from him was how every musical movement from 1977 is simply an offshoot of his favorite genre, punk rock. It's been three years and I'm still reminded that any time I listen to my favorite songs from the 90s I'm actually listening to punk. Mike is a fantastic story teller and can talk for hours about the most random topics. These long talks are punctuated by the statement, "long story short," which is a complete lie. The stories are never short. But that's okay. I've been privy to Mike's vast knowledge about history, politics, literature, and so much more so going down a couple of tangential trails has been worth it. With all that said, I honestly couldn't think of a better person to share the rest of my life with. I frequently refer to him as my partner because that's what he is: Someone who shares my values and can weather any storm with me. For my family and friends who haven't met him yet, I'm excited for you to meet him and for you to celebrate with us.

How can I explain Emily to you? Well what you should know right off the bat is that my biggest concern when we started dating is that she was anti-cat. How can you be anti-cat? Who doesn't love those memes and hilarious cat videos? I learned pretty quick that she had some bad experience (slaps, scratches bites, yikes!) in the past--but after getting to know my pet she quickly fell in love. Maybe too much love. She's transformed into a certified cat lady with Hello Kitty everything. I swear it's not my fault. It wasn't just her rapid adoption of cat culture that caught my attention—it was her sense of humor that first drew me in. Emily has this knack for finding humor in the everyday, and her laughter is infectious. There's nothing more recharging after a hard day than being with Emily and cracking up at her jokes. It's not all cats and laughs, Emily and I align on deeper values and a strong work ethic. She's a devoted Clinical Social Worker that wants to leave the world a bit better than she found it, and has a passion for helping people. We both understand the importance of hard work and dedication. It's such a great feeling to know that you've always got someone in your corner. Let's see, what else should you know about Emily ? Well, I'm not sure if you can tell based on the invitations, and if you've met Emily probably her clothing--but her fascination with the stars and the universe is a defining trait. I'll catch her holding her phone up to the sky in the grocery store parking lot at night, with one of those constellation apps. I think it's fitting to know because it really captures her sense of curiosity and wonder at the universe, which is something I love about her. Emily my partner in laughter and shared values. The person who I can depend on to bring me up when I'm down, and that I can bring her up when she's down. She adds brightness to every day. I'm looking forward to celebrating our wedding with her (and you!) as we start out on our cat and star filled journey together.

Emily proudly embraces her Filipino identity, and we're hoping to have a wedding filled with Filipino cultural richness, incorporating traditions that hold a special place in our hearts. Mike is a bit of a mutt, being mainly Greek and Irish. Emily vetoed replacing the cake with Irish stew and Guinness but you can at least expect a well-stocked bar. Moreover, break some plates at your own risk. A Filipino wedding features a number of traditions which may be new to folks, so here's some information on some of the rituals you'll see at our ceremony (taken from https://www.linandjirsa.com/filipino-wedding-traditions/): Filipino Wedding Sponsors Beyond the bridesmaids and groomsmen, the Filipino wedding includes many more significant members that have been a part of the couple’s life. Filipino couples often honor these important guests with the title of Principal Sponsor or Secondary Sponsor. The number of sponsors can vary from a single couple to multiple couples. During the ceremony, sponsors are invited to join the bride and groom in the prayers of blessing. There are four sets of secondary sponsors including Coin Sponsors, Veil Sponsors, Cord Sponsors and Candle Sponsors. These sponsors are aunts, uncles and extended family incorporated throughout the wedding ceremony to partake in the long-established Catholic rituals. Catholic Coin Ceremony | The Arras Exactly 13 Arras, or coins, are carried in a pouch and brought to the altar by the coin sponsors. The Arras are then blessed for the groom to gift his bride as he promises the welfare of her and their future family. Traditionally, the promise is made by the groom, however, today’s couples are more mutually supportive than ever before. The coins are an emblem of their future children and before the church, the bride and groom promise their care and love. Catholic Veil Ceremony Through the Catholic veil ceremony, two individuals are bonded and recognized as one. The veil sponsors drape one side of a white veil over the bride’s head and the other side over the groom’s shoulder as a symbol of unity. This also represents a wish for good health and protection during their life as husband and wife. Catholic Cord Ceremony Similar to The Veil Ceremony, the Yugal or infinity shaped cord is incorporated as a representation of the couple’s bond and union. Their sponsors will place the Yugal on top of the veil as the couple receives their blessing. Catholic Candle Ceremony | Unity Candle This is the final ritual symbolizing the bonding of two individuals and in Filipino culture, two families. The two outer candles are a representation of their individual lives before the wedding day. The candles exemplify all that the bride and groom are from their past experiences and represent each individual family. Together, the bride and groom will light the unity candle, blow out the single candles, and figuratively extinguish their past.