Dan and Katie's relationship began as a friendship back in high school. Their paths crossed again years later while living in separate parts of the Carolinas. Regardless of where they would end up, it did not take long for them to realize that it would be together.
Their wedding day was the perfect celebration, and that comes as no surprise because Dan and Katie are an absolute blast. They compliment each other beautifully, fearlessly march to the beat of their own drum, and make a remarkable team.
To celebrate their first year of marriage, Dan and Katie actually ventured back to Pittsburgh to celebrate the surprise engagement of Katie's best friend (who gave an incredible speech that you can watch in their video, below!! :)
We are beyond blessed to know these two and cannot thank them enough for inviting us into their celebration. We are excited for all of your adventures ahead!
Congratulations and HAPPY ANNIVERSARY Mr. and Mrs. Jantzi! Read below for a glimpse into their first year as husband and wife!
What has been the best part of marriage?
Being with our best friend (each other) every day and working together towards our goals! What has been the most difficult part of being married?
Dan’s response was, “can I use my first answer for this one too? Haha”. Typical Dan response. So as much as we love spending time together and just doing things with us to – we wanted to still maintain things that we as individuals like to do. With that comes spending money and just balancing out the wants and needs can sometimes be hard because while we want to do a lot of “the wants” we have goals that we want to work towards – so finding and maintaining that balance. What has helped you to overcome or work through that difficulty?
Just communicating and working together on balancing his individual wants, my individual wants and then our wants with all of the needs. Communication has been key for us! What's your favorite date night?
We LOVE going to Cinesbistro. Whether we’re on a date, with another couple or with family, this place is one of our favorites. We’ll go for a drink before, lounge out in a recliner with our dinner and dine-in at the movies!
How have you continued to pursue each other since your wedding?
Similar to the day he proposed, on any given Friday, Dan will drive downtown and surprise me at work. We both love food and there are A TON of awesome restaurants nearby. He’ll come up to work, talk to some co-workers of mine and then we’ll go out and enjoy a good meal and then head home to our fur baby :)
The night he proposed, he did the same thing. Came to work – went to dinner and drinks and then the rest is history. I LOVE that to this day, we still make that a part of our lives and it’s just a constant reminder. What has been the most helpful thing you've implemented or consistently do to help you stay connected?
One thing we use is a book that was given to us by one of my sisters at the wedding. It’s a book that you fill out together but what you write inside is not to be shared with others. It’s fun because it questions about you individually, questions about you as a couple and then fun facts for now and for the future. We make sure to pull it out, randomly select a page and go through it together. Is there anything that you wish you would have known before going into marriage? Honestly, we don’t think there is anything we wish we would have known before getting into marriage. There are good lessons and there are bad lessons and we honestly appreciate learning them all together.
Advice you can share with other couples?
I believe one of the brides shared this advice before and it was something I read and appreciated. You kinda think when you live together or when you’re married that you’re going to eat together and be around each other constantly. This is not always the case. Dan works at 430 in the morning until mid-afternoon and I typically work until 7 or 8. We are not always able to have every meal together or spend a lot of time together during the week. We make sure to make time whether its having x amount of meals together a week or go to bed early a couple times a week – that has been most helpful for us.
A huge shout out to the incredible team we had the privilege of working with at their wedding:
Ceremony: Saint Paul Cathedral Reception: The Circuit Center & Ballroom Bridal Gown: Maggi Bridal- Wedding Boutique Raleigh, NC- Bridal Gowns Bridesmaid Dresses Suits: Men's Wearhouse Bridesmaids Dresses: David's Bridal Hair and MakeUp: Stonewater Salon and Spa Cake: Signature Desserts Invitations: Vistaprint Florist: Della Robbia Flowers and Gifts DJ: Jay Yelenic DJ Photographer: Stacy Musgrave Photography Cinematographer: Dorosh Documentaries