OUR STORY

It all started with a slice of pizza. REALLY, A WHOLE PIE.

Picture this— April 2013, Providence, Rhode Island. A THEN up-and-coming rapper has just finished a college concert show when he asks his tour manager, Roberto ‘Ret One’ Reyes, to find a local pizza place for dinner. Roberto surveys the crowd exiting the show park, fielding the attendees’ recommendations. One student suggests a small parlor called Nice Slice up the street. Then a second, much more emphatic suggestion for its rival parlor, Antonio’s, is shouted by a tall, curly haired medical student named Tatiana. At Tatiana’s insistence, Roberto decides to go with the second option,and Tatiana offers to walk him there. The two strangers sit across from each other at a small table tucked in the corner, waiting for the pizza order, and begin an effortless conversation sharing interests in architecture, travel, and various genres of music. Tatiana realizes — uh oh, I think I LIKE this guy, but I’ll probably never see him again. But the following weeks involve multiple accidental run-ins—in NYC, DC, Boston and Seattle, until eventually the two decide to run into each other on purpose. Together, they forged across 3000 miles, settling in Robert’s hometown of Los Angeles. 

The next 8 years are full of impromptu backyard BBQs and kickbacks, niece and nephew birthday celebrations, early Saturday morning trips to the LA Flower Market, annual pumpkin carving parties, epic homemade brunches, unforgettable concerts at the Hollywood Bowl. Not to mention—a medical degree, several worldwide tours, a pediatrics residency program, a Pulitzer Prize, a chief resident promotion, an invitation to the White House from President Barack Obama himself, two beautiful godchildren, and the list goes on.... 

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Initially, Roberto planned to propose in Japan for the Cherry Blossom Season during an anticipated trip for Spring 2020, but the ensuing pandemic upended the couple’s travel plans. So Roberto did what he does best, and he made the impossible happen: he brought the cherry blossoms to Los Angeles.

On April 3, 2021, in a beautifully decorated backyard kitchen surrounded by cherry blossom trees, twinkling lights, and 20 of their closest family and friends, Roberto proposed to Tatiana, and she said yes. Below both of their feet was a custom rug he had made especially to commemorate the moment, designed with a clock’s face that read, “God’s Time”. 

Nearly a year later, Tatiana and Roberto are thrilled to share their journey with the presence of their closest friends and family, as they take these next steps in marriage together.