Anthony & Justin: Strength to Strength

Anthony & Justin

For some, traveling together is a true test of a relationship's strength. For others, it is buying a house. For a few, it is getting through extreme situations. And, for all, it is going through enough experiences together to appreciate each person's true self. 

For Anthony and Justin, in just over two years they met, moved in together, bought a house, planned and cancelled a wedding, eloped and survived a hurricane. It goes without saying that, based on the above, this couple's bond is as strong as it could possibly be! 

Two years prior to meeting in 2018, Anthony and Justin were "connected" by accident. A mutual friend, intending to send individual snapchats to his closest friends, ended up setting up a group. The inadvertent social media mistake led to rollicking posts about the group's travel and lifestyle adventures. Several small friendships formed among the group, most notably the one between Anthony and Justin. 

(Photos by Artciimages)

"Justin kept sharing things that fit into what I was interested in," from travelling to cars. The two "side-barred" from the snap group to discuss the various cities they had on their lists. And it was thanks to this conversation that their "snap friendship" switched gears. Anthony coincidentally moving to Miami where Justin lived, also helped. 

One weekend, Anthony drove Justin and their friend Anthony, the source of the original snap group, to Fort Lauderdale for what became the couple's first in-person meeting and, well, first date. "We just didn't separate all weekend," Anthony shared. Nor the days and weeks following, which was noteworthy for Anthony who, having recently called off an engagement, was ready to play the field. Justin, on the other hand, was eager to settle down. 

And settle down they did when Anthony got laid off and needed to vacate his corporate housing and, most likely, leave Miami, Justin suggested Anthony move in…. three months after their first date. And, eight months after their first date, the two bought a house together. "It was a big enough that if the relationship went south, there was space for us both to live separately," Anthony described. "The relationship never went south!"

"I am about as subtle as a hammer," Anthony responded when asked about how they moved from moving in together to getting engaged. "I was fully invested, so was already talking about what I wanted my ring to look like." On the day they closed on their house, Anthony popped the question. "I had a photographer at the house, the backyard was all decorated." Little did Anthony know that Justin had the same plans. "As soon as I proposed, Justin proposed right back!" Eight months from meeting, these two were planning a walk down the aisle. 

The couple planned their wedding down to the save the date. One hundred and sixty guests were at the ready to join Anthony and Justin at the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens in Palm Beach in October of 2020. But you know… Covid. 

It became clear to the couple that a grand wedding was not going to be possible, so the two legally married at the site of their first date, the bell tower in Palm Beach, in July of last year. Immediate family joined them on what was the anniversary of their first date. 

And where there's a will there's a destination with lenient Covid restrictions, so the couple decided to do as couples did in Covid and have a hybrid wedding. They took to Cancún, Mexico and hosted a wedding ceremony for over 300 friends over Facebook Live. "We wrote our vows, the hotel set us up perfectly (the Hotel LeBlanc in Cancún) and a Marine we met and hung out with that week officiated our ceremony." All this while Hurricane Delta (the irony is not lost on anyone at this point) was bearing down on the resort! 

The day after their wedding, Anthony and Justin were notified of needing to move to an emergency shelter as they would no longer be able to leave Cancún. After one night in the shelter, a trip to the still shuttered airport, an attempt to find an Airbnb in downtown Cancún, and securing one of the last rental cars in the area, these two determined gents made their way to Tulum where they were able to secure a room. Tulum, curiously, was outside the line of the storm so the two enjoyed walks on the beach, trips to cenotes, and everything an unexpected minimoon should offer. "I would not trade these three days for anything," Anthony said. 

Nor would they trade the unexpected five additional nights they got to spend at the LeBlanc once it was able to receive guests again.  

In retrospect, Anthony and Justin came to realize that the money they would have spent on a big wedding, would have been "over the top and kind of unnecessary. We still got the love, the cards, the gifts, the support via Facebook. We got to have all of these amazing experiences and we still felt very loved." Despite having had a somewhat unconventional wedding, Anthony shared this advice getting married: "there is more than one way to do it." 

This couple is taking the next stride in their relationship awaiting news from their surrogate about their future baby. Anthony and Justin keep going strength to strength.