In 2009, Anais, then 21, was new in town when she met a very sweet and outgoing neighbor, Naty, who quickly became a friend. A few weeks later, Anais was invited to a party taking place at a club in Washington DC, along with a group of Naty’s friends. Shortly after walking in, Naty introduced her to one of her close friends, Flavio, then 26. When Anais and Flavio looked into each other’s eyes for the first time, the world around them stopped for a minute.
There was an immediate connection! It felt as if their different paths had purposefully led them to that specific moment. They kept talking every day following the party until they ultimately fell in love. Almost eight years in the making, their love for each other is stronger than ever.
Give us the details! When? Where? How?
Flavio proposed on September 18, 2016, during our vacation trip to Big Island, Hawaii. After an amazing day visiting every corner of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, we decided to make our way to the cliff where hot lava from active volcano Kilauea can be seen flowing into the pacific ocean.
Enjoy the big and small moments that will come, be present, and remember every day how lucky you are to have met the perfect person.
This hidden natural wonder is only accessible through an 8-mile trail. The hike was out of this world, surrounded by black lava fields frozen in time and a gorgeous blue sky for horizon.
We arrived at the lava viewing area an hour before sunset. The view was unbelievable and completely mesmerizing. We sat and had a nice picnic with wine directly looking at the flow of hot lava pouring into the ocean. We had the best time. After watching the sunset, when night fell and literally revealed a million stars, we decided it was time to start our way back.
This is when Flavio reached for the ring into his backpack and proposed. Of course I said yes, and I cried with happy tears most of the hike back.
What has been your favorite experience planning the wedding?
We are having a destination wedding in Santorini (Greece). We are both travel lovers, so while every aspect of the planning has truly been exciting, our favorite part has been to learn more about the island and potential venues, and project ourselves in this beautiful place along with our loved ones.
How do you stay sane under the pressures of wedding planning?
From time to time, I take a step back and remind myself not to sweat the small stuff. While I think it’s natural to aim for perfection, what is truly important in this whole process is the commitment that we are about to make to each other, not the details of the planning.
What is your favorite part of using Joy for your wedding?
I love how effortless it is. As a bride-to-be, time is crucial but scarce. We wanted a beautiful site but did not want to invest a lot of time designing it. Joy is very easy to use and allows creating a wedding site that is both modern and elegant in a matter of minutes.
What piece of advice would you give couples to ensure that they use Joy to its fullest potential?
Joy offers many customization options such as removing/adding sections, creating questions, renaming tabs etc. Take advantage of these options to make the site your own!
At Joy, we believe that even though a wedding lasts a day, joy should last forever. What does that mean to you?
It means that a wedding is only the first day of a lifetime of commitment to each other. Enjoy the big and small moments that will come, be present—put your phone down sometimes—and remember every day how lucky you are to have met the perfect person.
