“He gonna see you from across the room, think you’re beautiful, and ask you to marry him.”
It’s what Joanna’s Yiayia always used to say. And somehow, that prediction ended up becoming their story almost exactly.
Joanna and Alec met in November 2023 at the Jolly Pumpkin in Royal Oak during the second annual Motor City Orthodox Christians conference, an event bringing together young adults from Orthodox churches around Metro Detroit. Joanna had recently returned home after a fellowship in Wisconsin, while Alec had left work early to attend the event that Friday night. Somewhere in the crowded bar filled with Orthodox twenty-somethings, Alec spotted Joanna across the room and decided to introduce himself.
The interaction didn’t exactly go the way he expected.
After launching into his usual introduction, Joanna interrupted before even saying hello herself, holding out a pack of gum. “Here, this is for you.”
Alec was horrified. Apparently no one else had warned him about his breath that night, but this very pretty stranger had no issue doing it immediately. Even before learning her name, Alec realized something important about Joanna: she’d always tell him the truth.
A month later, they went on their first date at Sweetwaters Coffee in Ann Arbor on a snowy Monday morning before work. Over the next year and a half, their relationship grew through quiet routines, adventures, celebrations, and all the in-between moments that matter most.
When it came time to propose, Alec carefully crafted a plan to get Joanna dressed up without raising suspicion. He told her they were heading to a dance class in Ann Arbor with one of his roommates, only to casually mention at lunchtime that it had been cancelled. Meanwhile, the engagement ring had been “burning a hole in his pocket” for two days already.
The original plan involved a walk through a park, but rain—and a trial run involving multiple ticks—changed things quickly. Instead, Alec proposed along the walkway behind his condo while his friend Jonny hid nearby taking photos from the bushes. Afterward, the newly engaged couple celebrated quietly together before eventually calling immediate family and heading to dinner at the same restaurant where they’d celebrated their first anniversary.
Their wedding vision feels just as timeless as their story. Elegant, classic, and deeply rooted in Greek tradition, Joanna and Alec embraced a refined aesthetic with pearls, hydrangeas, and soft steel blue details woven throughout the day. Bridesmaids wore Steel Blue from Azazie, while lush hydrangeas and early summer florals added a fresh romantic feel to the celebration.
From a crowded bar in Royal Oak to a rainy proposal walkway to a deeply traditional Greek wedding celebration, Joanna and Alec’s story feels like proof that Yiayia was right all along.
Wedding Coordinator/Videographer/DJ/uplighting: Prestige
Hair & Makeup: Primp Beauty
Florist: Zina Flowers By Amore
Venue: Italian American Banquet Center
Transportation: Dream Limousine
Cake: Sweet Bree’s Bakeshop
Wedding Dress: The Dress Shop
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