come celebrate with us.

We are so happy you're here. Justin and I (it's Maria writing) are so touched by the people in our lives--we are blessed beyond belief to have family and friends from across the globe who care about and love us. We decided to have our wedding in Greece because it's where my dad was born, and where my mom's dad was also born. There is a huge significance to the church where we will be married, which is across the street from the house my dad grew up in. Chios has my heart and Justin and I wanted to create something special in Greece together. This being said, if you cannot make it to Greece, don't worry. We will have an event in Ohio afterward, where we can share stories and pictures and keep the party going. We just want to say very quickly that we love you, and can't wait to celebrate with you. Now, please enjoy and explore the website. We've tried to address any and all questions in both the "Travel" section and in the "FAQs" to make things easy for those heading to Greece. On this website you can also find our wedding registry, but we definitely do not need or expect gifts, especially from those traveling to Greece. We're just happy to celebrate with all of you. Finally, you will find lots of pictures of us, and of our family and friends. Enjoy!

Before we formally "met," our friend Jamie brought Justin to one of my storytelling events in downtown Akron. And then later to one of my yoga classes. I hugged them both afterward, even though I'd only just met Justin (typical) and he says he remembers that hug distinctly. Coincidentally, Justin's sister Sarah used to come to many of my classes and I always thought she was so beautiful and cool. But that's another story. Later on, the same Jamie (we suspect she had a plan all along) invited me to Justin's 40th surprise birthday party, thrown by Sarah. I told her she was crazy, I didn't even know him. But of course I went and wrote him a card saying I thought he was handsome, which was a bold move if I'm being honest. (I didn't even know him!) He asked for my number the next day. Jump to a few years later, I was scrolling through some old photos I had taken at a show at the Zephyr, this bar in Kent, Ohio where Justin's band plays. And wouldn't you know it, I had pictures of Justin performing. Guess I had taken them before we'd ever formally met. And when I think back, I remember sneaking those photos of the cute lead singer, though I didn't know he'd turn out to be my future husband.