Wedding Day

Ceremony

Reception

Our Wedding

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.

Early Days…

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.

Falling for Venice…

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).

Getting Engaged

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.

Simba the Future Lion King 

Our Good Story

The ceremony will take place at 12:30pm in the <a href="https://venetosecrets.com/en/art-style/chiesa-dei-gesuiti-a-jewel-of-the-venetian-baroque/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Chiesa Di Santa Maria Assunta</a>, located in the Cannaregio district. Immediately after the ceremony, we will have refreshments at Combo, which is next door to the church, at 2:00pm. The reception and dinner will be at 5:00 pm in the St. Regis Hotel, located on the Grand Canal. We will post dinner options for guests to select in the coming months once we receive details from the hotel.

We request that you bring a mask to the reception. Cheap masks can be found virtually anywhere in the city, but if you would prefer to find something special, and a souvenir to take home, venture into Santa Croce and San Polo to find the proper mask shops. Additional activities for guests will be arranged for the days before and after the wedding day. Please check back for further details in early 2027.

Event Details

Flying The Venice airport is the Marco Polo Airport (VCE). If you are flying from the United States, it is generally a good idea to fly overnight and arrive in the morning. Try to leave yourself at least a day, preferably two, to recover from jet lag. From the airport, you can take a boat to the city. The company is called <a href="https://www.alilaguna.it/en/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Alilaguna</a>—look for the conspicuous blue signs once you get through the baggage claim and customs. The boat will drop you at one of the many water taxi (vaporetto) stops in the city. The ride is typically about an hour. The approach to the city by this route is unforgettable! Taking the Train An alternative is to fly into Milan and take the train to Venice, which is about 2.5 hours. The Santa Lucia train station is located in the northwest corner of the city, and you can either walk or take a water taxi to your accommodation. Please see the “How Venice Works” section for more details. Driving Venice is 99% car free. Apart from a tiny area around the bridge to the mainland, there are no roads in the city.

Getting There

Venice is divided into six districts (Sestieri). The main ceremony will be held in the eastern part of the Cannaregio district, and the reception will be in San Marco, along the southern edge of the Grand Canal. The city is relatively small and highly walkable, so staying in Santa Croce, San Polo, or Castello should work well, too. We and our friends have used Airbnb and always had a good experience. We would recommend against staying in San Marco, since this is the central tourist area near St. Mark’s Basilica and the Rialto market. There are plenty of nice hotels there; it’s just a matter of whether you want to be that close to the bustle of the crowds when you walk out of your hotel. We lived along the border of Santa Croce and San Polo when we were here in 2023, and it is a lovely area that has a 15-minute or so walk to San Marco.

Staying There

While it would be useful to know some basic Italian, you can easily get by in Venice just speaking English. No cars! With the exception of a small area in the northwestern corner of the island near the train station, Venice has no roads. You’ll get around on foot or by boat. Surprising as it may sound, the public transit system in Venice is very efficient. The water taxis (vaporetti) stop all along the Grand Canal and around the island just like subway stops. The <a href="https://www.veneziaunica.it/en/content/public-transport" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Venezia Unica</a> website has lots of useful information including options for multi-day passes. The skeleton key for unlocking the vaporetto is the <a href="https://chebateo.it/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">CheBateo?</a> app. We cannot emphasize how useful this app is; it will give you up-to-the minute data on when boats are arriving where, how long the routes take, and so on. In addition to the vaporetti, you can use a traghetto for short, quick passage across the canal. The traghetti are essentially gondolas that ferry you right across the canal for 4 euro. These can be very convenient when, say, you want to walk to a different neighborhood on the other side of the water, yet one of the main bridges is out of your way. There are three main bridges along the canal: the Scalzi, near the train station; the famous Rialto, near the basilica of San Marco, and the Accademia, along the southernmost part of the Grand Canal.

How Venice Works

Check back in early 2027 for our suggestions for what to do, what not to do, and a handy color-coded Google map of the city.

Exploring Venice

Beyond Venice…

Photos

Wedding Party

Travel

Registry

Given this is a destination wedding, gifts are not expected. Should you wish to give a gift, we recommend making a donation either to our housing fund or to help the war effort in Ukraine. Here are some places to donate to Ukraine: <a href="https://u24.gov.ua/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">United 24 (Official Fundraising Platform of Ukraine)</a> <a href="https://savelife.in.ua/en/donate-en/#donate-army-card-once" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Come Back Alive (Ukraine Army Fundraiser)</a> <a href="https://novaukraine.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Nova Ukraine</a>

Anna & David

Anna & David

Exploring Venice