WEDDING DATE: May 11, 2019
CEREMONY & RECEPTION: Stone House of St. Charles
ABOUT THE COUPLE: He is a network engineer. She is in customer service, teaches clarinet lessons and works with a local marching band. The couple lives in Granite City, Illinois.
HOW DID YOU MEET?
ANGELA: We met in our high school marching band. He was a sophomore and I was a freshman. We both played clarinet. We started dating when he was a senior and I was a junior.
WHAT INITIALLY ATTRACTED YOU TO EACH OTHER?
ANGELA: His sense of humor. He could always find a way to make me laugh – and he still does!
ZANE: She has a natural brightness that never fails to cheer me up. Everything is more fun when we do it together.
HOW HE PROPOSED
He handed me this little journal and said his mom was working on some scrapbooking ideas. The journal had some different captions in it for pictures of us that she wanted me to look at and approve. Instead, he had written: “We’ve been through a lot, and I’ve loved every minute, and I can’t wait for the next chapter” on the first few pages. The back of the journal had the pages hollowed out and the ring was inside and he had written “Will you marry me?” on the page next to it. At first, it didn’t really register. I actually saw the ring, which belonged to my nana, and thought, “Oh look, it’s Nana’s ring.” Then it sort of sunk in and I started to cry. I don’t think I was actually able to say the word “yes,” so I accepted with a lot of head nods, while I tried to catch my breath. I still have the journal in a keepsake box.
WHAT WAS UNIQUE ABOUT YOUR WEDDING?
ANGELA: I think to most people, the Armenian dancing would be considered pretty unique. That being said, I think I’ve only been to one non-Armenian wedding, so it’s sort of a staple for me. Zane’s family all seemed to really enjoy sharing in that cultural experience, which was really beautiful. We were also fortunate to be married by our cousin, Gary. He got ordained online just for us, and he and his wife, Sandy, wrote out the ceremony. It was really special having people we love create something specifically for us.
FAVORITE MOMENT ON YOUR WEDDING DAY?
ANGELA: There’s a tradition at an Armenian wedding that the bride and groom are danced into the reception. My godmother danced us in with our wedding party and families in tow. I’ve seen this at every Armenian wedding I’ve attended, and I was really excited for us to take part in that tradition surrounded by our family and friends. When they first opened the doors and we got to see everyone on their feet, kicking off the celebration, it was like pure happiness flooded the room. I’ll never forget that.
ZANE: So much of it went by in a blur. I think my favorite moment was stepping away from everything and taking a short walk together around the venue. For a few minutes, we were able to stop worrying about the wedding or pictures or anything else. We were just walking and chatting about things the other might have missed, and just taking a moment for ourselves.
WHAT DO YOU CHERISH MOST ABOUT YOUR RELATIONSHIP?
The ability to come home after a bad day and just hold each other, and then have a nice dinner to refresh.
WHEN DID YOU REALIZE THIS WAS THE PERSON YOU WANTED TO SPEND THE REST OF YOUR LIFE WITH?
ANGELA: I don’t think it was any one thing he did or said. It just developed over time with each thoughtful action and each loving word we would say to each other. Eventually, we started having conversations about our futures, and I realized that I wanted to spend it together.
ZANE: I don’t have any particular event or moment that made me have an epiphany. The realization is something that grew over time. I do remember that I had actually planned to propose later in the day, but something inside me couldn’t wait any longer. I ended up proposing before anything else we had planned for the day, so our plans changed to driving around town and telling our families the news.
VENUE: Stone House of St. Charles
PHOTOGRAPHY: John Locus Photography
DRESS: Brides by Young
BRIDESMAIDS’ DRESSES: David’s Bridal
SUITS: JoS. A. Bank
RINGS: The bride’s engagement ring and wedding band belonged to her paternal and maternal grandmothers, respectively. The groom’s wedding band came from Shane Co.
HAIR & MAKEUP: Cascea Garner
FLOWERS: Artistry Florist
CATERER: Russo’s Catering
CAKE: Maureen Bell (Zane’s aunt), who also made cookies for a sweets table. Angela’s family and friends also made Armenian pastries.
