Wow. If you don’t know Monica or you don’t know Anthony, you’re probably wondering how we got here. To a wedding between a girl from Reno, Nevada and a boy from Ashburn, Viriginia. Here’s a quick backstory to get you up to date: Lets meet the bride. Monica Esparza is a proud Nevadan #BattleBorn. Born and raised in Reno by her mother Patricia and father Luciano, two small business owners who taught her at an early age that everything in life is earned. Monica kept that value at the forefront, earning a spot as an International Baccalaureate (IB) student attending and graduating from Wooster High School. Growing up, Monica enjoyed being a part of student leadership and playing volleyball at Wooster. She also attended Christian Church camps regularly where she grew into a woman of faith. After High School, Monica traveled out of state and attended Utah State University. There, she graduated in 2019 as a double major in four years, obtaining a degree in Journalism, a degree in Communications and a minor in Marketing. She then moved to Salt Lake City where she began her professional career as a Recruiter at Insight Global and was soon after promoted to an Account Manager. Over the past four years, Monica has helped people across the US find their dream jobs while also supporting local businesses grow. Now lets meet the groom. Anthony York grew up in an Air Force house. He moved around a bit but calls Northern Virigina, or “NoVA” his home. Anthony was raised by his mother Debbie and father Tom who encouraged him to always be himself and to value the trust of those around him. Throughout High School, Anthony made lifelong friends both through school and extracurriculars like Football and Lacrosse. Wanting to stay in state, Anthony went on to attend James Madison University in Viriginia where he graduated in 2019 with a degree in Economics. After graduation, with his parents and younger brother moving out West, Anthony and his older sister Elaine decided to follow their family to Salt Lake City. There, and with some help, he was able to get a job at Insight Global. There, he started as a Recruiter where he eventually (and currently) works as a Data Consultant, helping employees find business opportunities.

You can probably see where this is going 😉 After beginning months apart at work, Monica and Anthony experienced a lot of similar struggles as recent graduates beginning their first job in “The Real World”. Spending little time outside of work together, it wasn’t until Monica earned her first promotion as Account Manager that Anthony took the opportunity to take Monica out to sushi (one of her favorites) to celebrate. From there, the friendship went on a tricky course where Monica saw Anthony as a coworker and a friend while Anthony saw Monica as a friend who happened to be a coworker. Over time, Anthony began to fall in love with this fierce but steady girl who always spoke her truth- never holding her tongue and someone who would offer emotional and always helpful advice to him. After a dinner date at a local restaurant in Salt Lake, Anthony confessed his feelings to Monica, informing her how he felt about the relationship. Monica, being the catch that she is, had heard this from many boys before… but decided to give him an opportunity to earn her love and Anthony, never being one to shy away from a challenge, took the opportunity to show Monica everyday how he would be as a partner. After some time, and with a lot of persistence, Monica began to fall in love with the boy who wanted to be with her. After dating only a few months, Monica and Anthony adopted a chocolate lab together, Teddy, proving their commitment to each other. After a little over a year and a half, with the blessing of Monica’s father Luciano, Anthony made a big purchase with a big commitment (and question) in mind. Visiting Monica’s home in Reno for The Great Reno Balloon Race, an air balloon spectacle with Air Balloons covering the morning sky, Anthony popped the question. “Monica Esparza, will you marry me?” To which she of course said, “Yes!” (Monica and Anthony have since adopted Teddy’s half-brother Bear) Now, the four of them hope that you will join them as they begin their next chapter in life, coming to Salt Lake City in May of 2024, to celebrate and #MeetTheYorks.