Our Story

Our paths first crossed at a Folklor Festival in Los Angeles, where we felt an undeniable spark from the moment we laid eyes on one another. Shortly after our introduction, we wandered off to a bench just outside the church. The rest of the world was a blur as we sat together, laughing and getting to know one another, until the sound of Kolo music drew us back to the dance floor. Our budući kumovi, Stefan and Nina, watched it all unfold and even captured the moment on camera. We parted ways that night giddy with excitement and promising to see each other again soon.

10 days later, Vaso picked up Ana from the airport in San Diego, and this was the moment we shared our first kiss! We spent the week together eating tacos, going bowling, and walking around campus. For Valentine's Day, we went to a special spot in Coronado - and little did we know at the time, but this special spot would one day hold much more significance for us!

One night during our visit, Vaso showed Ana a video of a historic goal that sent Zvezda to the Champions League final (of course he did), where the announcer yelled "nebo se otvorilo!!! stadion je eksplodirao!!!" and since then, the quote 'nebo se otvorilo' (the sky has opened) has stuck with us, because that's exactly how our beginnings felt.

Fast forward to spring 2020 — we'd kept in touch over the years despite our busy schedules and distance, checking in with birthday texts, holiday messages, and sending each other funny photos. It was Easter Day when Vaso surprised Ana with a video call, which reminded us both how nice it was to be in each others' company. We spent the summer calling each other a million times a day and very quickly knew we wanted to see where this could go.

That September, Vaso asked Ana to be his girlfriend under the moonlight back in our special spot in Coronado. He gave her a little note with a sweet question that marked the first official step towards our 'forever'. We started our relationship not knowing what long distance would look like, but going into it with happy hearts.

Somewhere between the miles we traveled and the moments we shared, we found the simple feeling of belonging with each other - and the next chapter began to unfold. Exactly 6 years since the day we first laid eyes on each other, awaiting a lifetime of love ahead of us, Vaso decided it was time to pop the big question, and Ana of course said YES!

After months of planning for the perfect moment, he proposed during a beautiful sunset at Ambleside Beach in Vancouver, not far from the place where Ana took her first steps as a baby. Both of our families were there to celebrate this special moment with us, and we spent the following months in engagement bliss!

It wasn't long before we decided to finally stitch the distance and officially tie the knot!

On the third weekend of June, our celebrations started with a lovely pre-wedding dinner hosted by our dear friends. The next morning, our families visited the cemetery to pay respect to Vaso's mama, our beloved Ruja. That afternoon, surrounded by our families, we got married in Coronado, back in the same special spot where our relationship first began. Our wedding ceremony was officiated by Mirjana, with Branko and Dušan as our official witnesses, Vuk as our groomsman, and Vesna and Monica as our bridesmaids. We ended the weekend with a lovely dinner and a surprise send-off from our family and friends to a mini-honeymoon at Lafayette Hotel.

Since then, with the renovation of our first home together, folklore performances, travels, friendships, and all the little moments of everyday life, we have been enjoying this new chapter: side by side.

We have always looked forward to the day we would stand together and be married before God, surrounded by all of our loved ones. Our family and friends (including you!) have shaped our relationship in countless ways, and our happiness wouldn't be the same without you to share it with!

As we count down the days, we feel incredibly grateful and excited to have you be a special part of our story.