Although Katie and Symeon had initially been introduced through a mutual friend at Columbia Dental School and had talked at a few school events, it wasn’t until Katie started in pre-clinic and started talking to the “cute teaching assistant that always sat by her operatory.” Symeon played his cards right and asked to play tennis with Katie, and the rest was an ace! They knew very early on that they had found their person and cannot wait for 3 years of long distance to come to an end!!

On Memorial Day weekend 2022, Katie and Symeon decided to have an impromptu trip to a coastal town of Maine called Camden, where they stayed at the Strawberry Inn. Symeon was immediately enthralled by the views of the ocean adjacent to the coast, and he calls it one of the most beautiful places he’s ever been. Ever since then, he knew that it was the perfect backdrop to ask Katie’s hand in marriage. Fast forward one year, they booked their trip to the Strawberry Inn on Memorial Day weekend again. That Friday, Katie and Symeon went to a early dinner on a beautiful evening downtown, and they finished just early enough to sit by the coast back at the hotel with a glass of wine. At the right moment, settling in the twin white lounge chairs, Symeon got down on one knee and popped the question. It was the easiest “yes” of Katie’s life! We're so excited to celebrate this next chapter in our lives with you. See you in DC!