Purpero Wedding | Anthony + Vania | The Stone House Villa | Driftwood, Tx

One of the best feelings in the world is photographing and documenting such special moments as these! Part of my job is booking weddings online and sometimes I don’t meet the couple in person till the day of their wedding. This was the case for Vania + Anthony. When I met them on their wedding day, they were more than amazing, and it surprised me how at peace and happy they were. You could tell how excited both were. I’m so glad I got to document such a special day for them, it couldn’t have been more perfect!

To Vania + Anthony:

Thanks so much for letting me capture this amazing\perfect\special day! I really got to see how much love you have for each other and how much everyone around you loves you as well! These photos couldn’t have been a more accurate view of such an amazing day!

After meeting them I had to absolutely hear their love story! Here’s how they met:

Anthony and Vania technically met over Facebook… she mentions “There we said it. Thank you Mark Zuckerberg for making this happen. “

Anthony befriended Vania on Facebook in 2009 while he was attending high school in Germany and Vania was attending high school in Texas. Flash forward to 2014, Anthony is now in college in North Carolina and Anthony has hung out with Vania’s little sister, Jeanine, on a few occasions. Anthony tells Jeanine “I’m going to marry your sister one day”. Jeanine tells Anthony “good luck, and you have to meet her first”. So then the quest began…

Anthony messages Vania in 2014 with the hopes of getting to know her. Vania initially thought nothing of it because she felt they would never meet each other. Slowly but surely, Vania fell for his humor, his ability to carry on a great conversation, and his love for Jesus Christ.

Anthony and Vania conversed over the phone/Skype calls for 6 months and then planned a trip to finally meet each other! The day they met face to face, that “spark” that everyone talks about was oh so present. Anthony says he fell in love the second he saw Vania. Vania on the other hand was too afraid to express that she loved him and waited a year to tell him.

Vania and Anthony date each other long-distance throughout college, and then while Vania is attending a Doctor of Physical Therapy program and Anthony is working with Athletes in Action (a Christian ministry).

On November 21st, 2018 (after 4.5 years of dating long distance), Anthony asks Vania to be his wife!

Vania mentions “Because of the long distance, we have to rely primarily on communicating with each other, we feel that we know each other so intimately due to the strong communication skills we have built all these years. We are best friends, and now we cannot wait to build our lives together. We thank God that he brought the other person into each of our lives. Our relationship has always, and will continue, to be grounded in a love and submission towards Jesus Christ, our savior.”

“Our first date was when we met in person for the first time (after talking to each other over the phone and online for 6 months). Anthony flew to Austin, I picked him up at the airport, took him to all of my favorite spots around Austin (The Pennybacker bridge, the Graffiti park, Austin pets alive, and Juan in a Million restaurant). Anthony asked me to be his girlfriend the same night that we met at the penny backer bridge while the sun was setting. Of course I said yes, I knew he was the one as soon as we finally met in person.”

T H E P R O P O S A L:
“There were so many little things that Anthony arranged so that I would feel loved… I can’t wait to be his.”

-“He spoke to my boss and asked if I could have a half-day at work so that he could take me to some of my favorite spots (where he later proposed)”

-“He arranged for all 6 of my siblings to come back to Texas so we could all be together for thanksgiving/the engagement party (all of my siblings live all over the U.S. so we’re rarely in the same place at the same time anymore)”

-“He had a beautifully written letter which he read to me by the most lovely sunset backdrop… this is a snippet of the letter: “I know these aren’t wedding vows, but I am going to make some anyways. I promise to lead you as I follow God. I promise to try my absolute hardest to love you the way that God loves us. I promise to listen to you & be your friend. I promise to pray for you & be your biggest supporter. I promise to have eyes for you & only you. I promise to be your home, & comfort, but also to be your challenger & encourager.”

What was amazing to hear was how much work she did on her decorations! She mentions:

“Well, the wedding for the most part was a huge DIY. I love creating and I had a very specific vision for my wedding, so I loved creating and designing it myself.
I made the following:
-veil
-cake stand
-flower arrangements
-table cloths
-table numbers
-all signage
-wedding vow booklets “