We met online in the Spring of 2022.

Anna had recently moved to Boston after living in Switzerland for nine years…in November…at the tail end of the pandemic (can you imagine?).

Dave had just returned to Boston after spending the Winter in San Diego. Our first date was delayed due to our intense travel schedules, so we texted for a month…but this turned out to be a plus, since Anna fell in love with Dave’s writing.

On our first date, after hours of talking, we quickly understood the right chemistry between us. With her Ukrainian directness Anna invited herself for the next day adventure in Boston College, where Dave was speaking at a panel on Earth Day, being a professor there.

And so, Anna rolled up to the college the next morning with business casual high heels flair, and got to see Dave suited up and in action. From that day on, she has affectionately called him “The Professor.”

For Dave’s 40th birthday, his friends gave him an incredible gift: a Boston “bucket list” of 40 local attractions to visit and snap a Polaroid of…in other words, 40 ready-made dates. We spent the summer exploring the city together and falling in love.

In the Winter of 2023, Dave had the incredible opportunity to teach for a semester at Venice International University. Fortunately, Anna was able to work remotely and commute to her old office in Zurich, so she was able to join him. We arrived at La Serenissima in the middle of Carvinal, just before Valentine’s Day, and began the adventure of a lifetime. Venice ruined us for reality! Beyond the simple pleasures of living in such a beautiful and fabled city for months at a time, we had the joys of hosting family and friends who came to visit, and the chance to explore large swaths of Italy.

Dave proposed to Anna in September of 2024 in Provincetown on Cape Cod, with a ring made by a Ukrainian jeweler, at the top of the Pilgrim Monument (modeled, naturally, on an Italian tower).

As we sipped on Aperol Spritz, gazed out at the ocean, and began to discuss where we wanted the wedding to be…the answer was obvious! We wanted to do something in Europe, since much of Anna’s family is in Ukraine and traveling to the US would be a nightmare, and perhaps not even possible. Our time in Venice was such a special period in our relationship, and the more we talked about it, the more excited we got about sharing it with the people we love.

Little Simba joined the family in July 2025. He will not be at the wedding, but he sends his regards and would love to meet you someday. But be warned, he will be bigger…a lot bigger. He’s a Maine Coon.