Picture it.. Southwestern Pennsylvania.. February 2015..
Ashley is sitting on her couch in her bachelor(ette) pad in Greensburg, with her cats, watching Golden Girls reruns and fastidiously swiping right or left on a newly discovered app; Tinder, because “hey, it’s what all the kids are doing!” Ashley the “elder millennial” brightly exclaimed to her girlfriends the night she downloaded the dating app. Ashley didn’t really have any intention of actually meeting up with anyone she “swiped right” and matched with because if the countless true-crime Podcasts and TV shows she consumed taught her anything, it’s that everyone you meet online will stalk you and kill you. Obviously.
Meanwhile, Anthony is hanging out at his home in the Southside neighborhood of Pittsburgh, swiping EVERYONE right because “you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”. This particular evening, he swipes right and *ding!* “It’s a Match!”. He reads her profile; she works in real estate, 24 years old and she’s hot (Editor’s note: Anthony’s words, not mine!). Anthony is immediately drawn to begin a conversation.
“Hey Ashley, what is it that you do in commercial real estate?” Ashley reads to herself after opening the ‘New Tinder Message’ notification. Wait. What? That’s not a lame pick up line she’s grown accustomed to seeing and ignoring from other guys she’s matched with. Interesting..
After a couple weeks of texting back and forth, Anthony makes his move and asks Ashley if he could take her to dinner. This throws Ashley into an existential crisis; she likes Anthony; she is 78% sure he is not a murderer; and she definitely does like dinner. But she is still unsure.. cue her best friend (and future MOH!) Enid. Ashley and Enid are out at the bar one night, and they are both scrolling through their latest Tinder matches, showing each other the cringe worthy pick up lines. Scrolling through Ashley’s list, Enid stops and exclaims “WAIT I KNOW HIM!”. Looking over, Enid has Anthony’s profile on Ashley’s phone screen. As it turns out, Enid and Anthony had known each other since high school. Enid was able to fully convince Ashley that Anthony is in fact, 100% not a murderer, and Ashley makes up her mind and accepts the date.
Anthony and Ashley meet for the very first time in person at the Burgatory in Murrysville because “hey, if the date sucks, at least the food will be good”. Ashley was nervous, and running late. As per usual. Little did she know that prior to heading out for their date, Anthony proclaims to his roommates, “I’m gonna go meet my future wife”. The date did not suck. The food was good.
Two days after their first date, it’s Valentine’s Day and Ashley hasn’t heard from Anthony since their date. Super. Ashley goes out with friends to drown her #foreversingle woes in sushi and beer, calls it an early night and makes it to her apartment building right before a snowstorm begins roaring through the area. A vase of flowers sits in the apartment hallway at her front door. The card is addressed to Ashley, but no name or any indication of who they could be from! Ashley’s thoughts race through the people who know her address and begin texting her friends, family, dentist, “did you send me flowers??”. After exhausting every possibility there could be, she texts Enid, “IT’S HAPPENING. I’M BEING STALKED”. Enid coyly replies “someone you just went on a date with may have asked for your address and I may have given it to them..”.
Oh. Holy crap. Ashley texts Anthony who confirms yes, he was the mystery flower sender. He was so excited to send Ashley flowers that he clicked submit on the 1-800-Flowers website before he could fill in the signature field. Or at least, that’s the conclusion Ashley will forever believe. Anthony asks Ashley if she wanted to hang out that evening. Ashley looks out her window at the snow rapidly accumulating and the wind howling. She declines due to the weather to which Anthony swiftly replies, “I wasn’t letting you drive in this, I’ll come to you”. Ashley swooned. Anthony arrived. It continued snowing. Anthony and Ashley spent that weekend together and every one ever since.
Ashley & Anthony got married again (with much bigger guest list!) and it couldn’t be more perfect!
From the newlywed;
The best part of the whole day was when we were allowed to have a look at our reception space before our guests were allowed in and we were able to have that moment alone with each other and the band playing to enjoy the thing we’ve worked so hard and waited extra time for. It was pure magic!
