In July of 2003, Anne was living in Pittsburgh, mid-way through her graduate studies in Design at Carnegie Mellon University. John was in New York, traveling constantly in his role as a Technical Evangelist for Microsoft Research. Although New York and Pittsburgh are just 300 miles apart, Anne & John first met in Seattle, 3000 miles away during the Microsoft Research Design Expo. For this event, Microsoft selected four teams of graduate students from various design disciplines to showcase their ideas for computer interfaces of the future. John’s team helped to coordinate the event, and he attended the presentations to gather insight from these brilliant designers.

Through the social events surrounding the Design Expo, John & Anne met and spent hours talking across a wide range of shared interests. In the months to follow, the couple became closer through mutual friendships and not-so-subtle “research” trips to Pittsburgh & New York. 

After months of adventurous courtship, John visited Anne and her family in their hometown of Yakima, Washington over the holidays. In the weeks and months to follow, they realized an uncanny compatibility.

Upon Anne’s graduation, they both moved to Seattle, anxious to live in the same city. Living only a few blocks away from each other, their love grew until their engagement in Central Park in February of 2005.

We’re both so anxious to celebrate our marriage with you, and we hope to see all of you in Seattle this October.

John & Anne