They say there’s an invisible string tying two people who are meant to be. No matter the time, the place, or the path they take, it quietly pulls them toward one another until the moment is right. Anthony and I grew up just minutes apart in the San Francisco Bay Area, both raised within the tight knit Catholic school community. From kindergarten through high school, we walked parallel lives. He went to Serra. I went to Mercy Burlingame. We were the same age, in the same grade, and shared a circle of friends that often overlapped. We were likely at the same parish events, cheering from the bleachers at high school football games, and awkwardly dancing at the same middle school dances without ever knowing the other was there. We had countless near misses, moments where our worlds brushed shoulders, but somehow, we never met. It wasn’t until years later, in a city far from home, that the invisible string finally pulled tight. One night in Austin, Texas, we both ended up at a bar called The Cat’s Pajamas on West 6th Street. In a place we least expected, everything shifted. There was an immediate familiarity, like we had known each other forever. And in a way, we had. Since that night, we have built a life together filled with laughter, growth, and adventure. Austin is where our love deepened, where we built a home, and where we began dreaming up the life we wanted to share. Together, we have traveled the world, from spontaneous road trips to faraway adventures in Japan, Croatia and beyond, always hand in hand, always home to each other. In a beautiful twist of fate, our families also found their way back to one another. Both sets of parents, without planning it, moved to Carmel, California. Once again, we find ourselves just minutes apart. Now, when we return to celebrate the holidays, we do so side by side in the same small coastal town that has become a second home to us both. Our story has been one of perfect timing and patient love. Now, surrounded by the people we love most, we’re thrilled to tie the knot in the magical beauty of Lake Como. What started as a story years in the making will soon become a new beginning and we cannot wait to celebrate it with you.