We are getting married! (And this time you are all invited)

In the summer of 2015 Aleksander and Theresa joined Match.com. He was working on a paper for law school in Syracuse, NY and she was in the middle of Army Officer Training Camp in San Antonio, TX. When Theresa first saw Aleksander's profile she was immediately interested by his photos. He'd been to Israel, Poland, and had even gone sledding with some sled dogs! But how to get his attention? She had tried starting a conversation in the past, but the man would generally lose interest (boo patriarchy). She tried the passive approach--i.e. view his profile, signaling a lady's interest, and wait.... andwaitandwaitandwait. She eventually gave up and messaged him, thinking at the very least she would learn where she could find some sled dogs. Luckily for her, Aleksander was just shy! For the next month they communicated via email as Theresa finished her training; discussing such subjects as fire arms legislation, cats, and a shared obsession with food. Theresa flew back to Ithaca, NY on July 25, and on July 26 they had their first date at the Carriage House. Theresa figured if brunch went well they could hike through the gorges of Ithaca, and if not then brunch is never a bad experience. Fortunately, brunch was a hit! She drooled over his Southern accent, and he thought she was funny. She took him hiking through Ithaca (which is really closer to rock-climbing), and neither wanted the date to end so he took her to dinner. In total, their first date lasted seven and a half hours. Therefore, no one should really be surprised where they ended up.

Theresa and Aleksander have been more or less long-distance for most of their relationship. He finished his formal classes at Syracuse Law School by the end of 2015, and then started an externship in Washington DC. Its hard to start a relationship when you know it is destined to be long distance, but by November 2015 they knew that this was something special. Aleksander invited Theresa down to South Carolina to attend a wedding and meet his family. Without having the formal "relationship talk" Aleksander started introducing Theresa as his girlfriend. It was also the weekend where she was first asked by his friends and family when they were getting married. Luckily, that did not scare her off and they started 2016 off happily together. Theresa spent January in Hawaii for more Army training, and Aleksander moved to Washington DC. When Theresa returned to veterinary school she would fly down to see him on weekends and they explored the area together. The spring brought many changes--Theresa had her White Coat Ceremony and started her clinical year of veterinary school, and Aleksander graduated Law School. He moved back to South Carolina to study for the bar exam. And thus began their first test of a true long-distance relationship. They would try to see one another at least once a month, and through a lot of work and love they started planning a life together. Aleksander took and passed the bar exam in February 2017, they went on a tour of Europe for most of May, and Theresa graduated veterinary school. After a couple more weeks of Army training in Texas, Theresa moved to Fayetteville, NC to start work as a veterinarian in the Army. Aleksander would come and visit her (and their cats) on the weekends. It was the closest they had lived in a while, and it was bliss. But life is ever changing, and in January 2018 Theresa received orders to Kuwait for a year starting in July. Together, they decided that they would much rather be married before that kind of separation.

On June 8, 2018 Aleksander and Theresa were married in the Fayetteville Rose Garden surrounded by a small collection of family and friends. It was HOT, and HUMID as only June in NC can be. Aleksander insisted on a suit, and Theresa wore a red dress. It was perfect, except for the part that many friends and family were missing. They are hoping you will join them in celebrating their marriage on August 10, 2019.