One thing neither Andrew or Raisa imagined they would do is: join a dating app.

Andrew, who is the more extraverted of the two, felt that online dating would not be the space to find love and preferred a more in-person natural setting. CoVid 19 had other plans. From open ended conversations to pure ghosting, to not so great dates, Andrew’s first 3 months online would feel like a waste of time. At the brink of deleting the app, Raisa’s profile popped up and Andrew was instantly intrigued by her infectious smile & meticulously curated photos. Upon matching with Raisa, he decided that a meetup had to happen as soon as possible. In his excitement, Andrew missed the important detail that Raisa was teaching Transcendental Meditation to Veterans in GA for the next week. Despite Andrew’s reluctance with video chatting (he didn’t think it was a good look) Raisa convinced him to connect virtually so as not to miss the opportunity of someone else scooping her up.

Raisa, the more introverted and hopeless romantic, was excited about the opportunity to finally meet someone who could fill her life with joy and laughter. Having moved to northern Virginia to escape the outbreak in NYC (where she lived since 2015) she wasn’t sure how else she would meet someone being new to the DMV area. At the start of 2021 Raisa set the intention of finding her “big love”. After a few months of lackluster dates, she realized her issue was the age range listed online. After expanding her range, Andrew showed up in her algorithm. Finally convincing him to chat via FaceTime she instantly knew by their easy banter & heartfelt conversation, this was someone she had to meet in person.

It would only be a matter of weeks for Andrew & Raisa’s online connection to turn into a real life connection. Love, affection and kindness came easy. Of course there were challenges along the way, but all were met with patience, understanding and grace. It became glaringly evident to the two that this relationship was unlike any other and would be the one that would last a lifetime.

Both are excited to continue growing in love with one another. They look forward to celebrating with their friends and families.

R&A

Wedding Day

6:00 PM–6:30 PM

6:00 PM–6:30 PM

Ceremony

6:30 PM–12:00 AM

6:30 PM–12:00 AM

Reception