Anya DiGann and Renan Pazzini traveled around the world together during their courtship but wound up back in their hometown of Dallas to say “I do” on October 13, 2018, at the Nasher Sculpture Center.

Before the two started dating, their paths crossed many times: The first was during their time at Texas A&M University. “A mutual friend decided to help set me up with someone from his class and proceeded to present me the Facebook pages of three potential suitors,” Anya says. “Renan was suitor number two. I didn’t pick him then, but I remembered him.”

Two years later, Anya was at her company’s holiday Christmas party. As she perused the dessert table, her date for the evening (who happened to be “suitor number one”) officially introduced her to Renan, who (unbenounced to her) worked at the company, too. “I vividly remember shaking his hand and thinking ‘Oh, I know exactly who you are,’ while pretending I knew nothing about him.”

A year later, fate finally had its way: Anya and “suitor number one” went their separate ways while she and Renan simultaneously began working more closely in their jobs.

Anya was immediately drawn to Renan’s adventurous nature, and when he mentioned that he was going to Yacht Week in Croatia, she made her move. The famous floating festival in the Adriatic Sea tries to maintain a male-to-female ratio, and Renan’s boat was already balanced and at capacity. “I piped up to claim a spot as first alternate if a girl happened to drop out,” Anya says. “As the universe would have it, a female spot did open up, and I took it. And this is how we finally got each other’s numbers—naturally, to coordinate travel.”

Though the couple can’t quite agree on when their first official date was, they’ve been together since the organized this trip in March 2014. And before embarking on Yacht Week, Anya and Renan found a deal on a Memorial Day trip to Maui, which would become their first official trip.

Anya and Renan realized that more couples go to Maui for their honeymoon than for their first trip, so with a “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em attitude,” they put a spin on their relationship status. “I got a $12 fake ring from Nordstrom Rack and Renan began his amateur acting career,” Anya says. “When we checked into our flight and hotel, Renan showed them the ring, [said] he was spontaneously proposing, and graciously asked if there was any possibility to upgrade our seats and room. Twelve dollars is a bargain for first class seats and an ocean view room, but we didn’t have it in us to take it any further than that.”

Every trip Anya and Renan went on after this, the ring came, too. They visited nine countries together, and on the 10th, Renan decided to trade the Nordstrom Rack ring for a real one.

Visiting St. Lucia for his birthday, the pair came to the same conclusion about the surrounding couples that they did on their first trip: most were on their honeymoon. With this realization, it was time to join in on the newlywed fun yet again. “While I think he’s scurrying off to revive his acting career, he was in fact checking in with the concierge to finalize the details of his master plan,” Anya says. “He comes back to smugly inform me that he ‘pulled off a private sunset dinner in one of their best suites tomorrow night.’ Yes, he told me exactly what his proposal would be because he needed me to continue thinking it would be fake.”

The next night, as they watched the sun set, Anya saw Renan reach for the ring. Assuming it was the fake one, she finally realized it was a “very real proposal with a real, breathtaking ring.”

After looking at many different and diverse destinations for their nuptials, Anya and Renan (who had already moved to Chicago, where they currently reside) decided on the Nasher Sculpture Center in their hometown because of its natural beauty. “I wanted our wedding to feel as if Gatsby threw an intimate garden party, but today,” Anya says. “I love when old is new again and it feels as if a small surprise could happen at any moment. I sought out a mix of romantic colors and textures and contemporary decor.”

Because Anya does human-centered design for a living, she was already a seasoned veteran at making sure each decision served a purpose and represented their relationship, their families, and their future together. A palette of dusty mauve, slate blue, and ivory set the tone for the day, and during the ceremony, Anya and Renan opted for string arrangements of their favorite songs. They also read from their new Pazzini Family Bible (which is now a staple in their home) and created an hourglass inscription that said “life is measured in moments. Always take the time.”

These personal twists also flowed into the reception. With the string trio continuing to play during cocktail hour, Renan surprised Anya with a live painter who captured their first dance, and instead of a groom’s cake, they had docinhos—a traditional Brazilian dessert.

Out of all the details, Anya and Renan really just wanted their dance floor to be full all night long. To see this through, they decided on Dom Nagella as their DJ to ensure their music had flexibility and could adapt to the crowd.

The pair ended their night with the Aggie War Hymn, and despite having to turn their plans upside down due to weather, the day exceeded expectations.

“Our entire wedding was rained out and my entire vision fell apart,” Anya says. “[But] the happiness was so overwhelming that it completely made up for it.”