Vivek and Ty

Let's get the party started!!!

may 14-17, 2018

 

IMG_1148.JPG

Vivek's Story

Vivek grew up in the beautiful coastal city of Vizag, India, often traveling with his family and experiencing many aspects of India's rich history and culture. After a stint living in Germany as an exchange student, he moved to the US in 2009 to pursue his Master's Degree, graduating at the top of his class at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Vivek learned American culture, politics and humor, not by practicing his perfect Oxford English, but by watching with great discipline many episodes of Southpark and Family Guy. 

He began his career as a Wifi Architect at industry leading think-tank, CableLabs, just outside of Denver. Vivek spent six years in Colorado rolling up his sleeves at work, refining his skiing skills on the slopes of Breckenridge, and perfecting his taste of Colorado craft brew, before moving to California in 2015 for the love of his life. Vivek is currently the Technical Evangelist at Riverbed in San Francisco.

Andrew&Julie-4614.jpg

Ty's Story

Ty grew up in Elkhart, on the High Plains of Kansas, loving his grandmother's fried chicken after church on Sundays, starting his first business when he was 13, and even learning how to drive a John Deere tractor. In college, he studied finance, graduating at the top of his class at Washburn University, before moving to San Francisco in 2007. 

Over the last ten years, Ty has invested his time in the finance, nonprofit and tech sectors. In 2009, he co-founded OutServe, which became a nationally prominent organization that helped bring an end to "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." He is currently the CEO at Bright Funds, which he co-founded in 2012 to help people effect meaningful change in the world through giving. Outside of work, Ty is most passionate about nature – especially if it involves conquering mountains, swimming with sea lions or camping with his best friends... and dancing.

IMG_3703.JPG

Our Story

We're an unabashed Tinder success story. Vivek was visiting California in 2014 to meet his newborn nephew for the first time when Ty and Vivek both swiped right on Tinder – and voila! A perfect match!

Our first date was over dinner at the top of the Ritz Carlton in Downtown L.A. – Vivek was there for work and Ty flew down just for the occasion to impress his future husband. Sparks flew, we laughed, we told endless stories... and being in a relationship became a no-brainer, even if we were long-distance between San Francisco and Denver. For a year and a half, we became Southwest Airlines' favorite customers, traveling twice a month between one another's home cities, before Ty talked Vivek into moving to San Francisco at the end of 2015.

If you know us, you won't be surprised we got engaged at Burning Man in 2016, setting the stage for our wedding to come.

 

Welcome Cocktails and Pool Party

2-6pm
poolside, Palazzo Vanneschi

Come meet everyone attending the wedding. Every single one of you is a significant part of our lives, and we are delighted and honored by your presence. Nothing makes us happier than having all our favorite people from diverse backgrounds and different parts of the world come together and get to know each other.

We'll have an assortment of cocktails, non-alcoholic beverages, and light bites. Bring your swim trunks and have a plunge in the pool.

Activity 1: Pasta Cooking Class

9am-1pm and 3-7pm
kitchen, Palazzo Vanneschi

What's better than being in Italy and eating delicious Italian food? Making it yourself! We'll have a local Tuscan chef extraordinaire on-site and those interested and signed up are welcome to put their cooking skills to test. 

Please sign up here since space is limited for this event.

Activity 2: Mixology Class

3-5pm
poolside, Palazzo vanneschi

Come learn how to make fancy cocktails with masters of mixing (and our dear friends) - Paul and Logan.

Sunset BBQ Dinner by the Pool

6pm
poolside, palazzo vanneschi

Enjoy poolside BBQ with lots of delicious options (including veg.) for your hungry palate. For our guests not participating in the afternoon cooking class.

 

Day Trip to Florence

10am departure from the villas

Few cities are so compact size or so packed with extraordinary art and architecture masterpieces at every turn. The urban fabric of this small city, on the banks of the Arno river in northeastern Tuscany, has hardly changed since the Renaissance and its narrow cobbled streets are a cinematic feast of elegant 15th- and 16th-century palaces, medieval candle-lit chapels, fresco-decorated churches, marble basilicas and world-class art museums brimming with paintings and sculptures by Botticcelli, Michelangelo et al. Unsurprisingly, the entire city centre is a Unesco World Heritage site (source: Lonely Planet)

Let's explore this beautiful historic city together.

10am: Andiamo a Firenze

A bus with 60 seats is scheduled to pick us up at the Villa. Please make sure to eat breakfast before the ~1.5 hour journey. Bring water with you. Wear comfortable footwear; we are going to walk a lot. 

11.30am: Benvenuti a Firenze

We’ll disembark the bus near Piazza Santo Spirito, to the south of the river. This is an authentic less-touristy destination, still in central Florence. We’ll gather for a brief lecture on the history and culture of Florence. 

Booketh your museo tickets in advanco
— Wiser Groom

noon: Andare in città

With our printed (recommended) itineraries in hand, we’ll head off in different directions for a scavenger hunt of sorts. We’ll be all be encouraged to see the best art and the most prominent buildings, visit cute shops, eat from tasty trattoria (small restaurants) and gelateria, and stroll in the parks with the best views of Florence and the surrounding hills. 

The two major museums in Florence are La Accademia (home of The David) and the Uffizi Galleria (home of tens of thousands of works from most renaissance artists).

If you would like to visit one of these world renowned museums, book a tour to your favorite museum from 1-3pm and in advance (you do not want to wait in line for 2hrs). For more details on these museums and how to book your tickets, click here

Our itineraries will include specific recommended walking routes, attractions, restaurants, gelateria, shops, museums, and parks. You should feel free to take all or none of the recommendations, and mix things up in whatever order you’d like. The large group will splinter into nimble factions. 

6pm: Il posto con vista

Let’s all regroup at Piazzale Michelangelo and share stories of our adventures. This park offers the best views of Florence and the surrounding region. If you didn’t make it to see the original David, there is a bronze replica here. There’s also an adorable, off-the-beaten-path church just up the hill from the vista point, which people could check out. 

6.30pm: Facciamo un giro

When we’re all ready, we can start to make our way down the hill, back toward Santo Spirito, where we’ll be eating a traditional Florentine dinner. 

 

7pm: Mangiamo 

Antipasti, primi, secondi, contorni, formaggi, e dolci, oh my! We shall eat and drink our way through an amazing Florentine meal. This will be a great opportunity to toast us for a final send-off from singledom toward matrimony. 

9pm: Tornare alla villa

We’ll walk off the food and wine during a brief evening stroll. Our bus will pick us up where it left us, which isn’t far from the restaurant. The return trip will take about 1.25 hours. 

 

Morning Yoga

9am
villa casanova

We'll start the day with a post-sunrise yoga session led by one of our dear friends.  

Trail Run

10am
Start at villa casanova

You guessed it! We're organizing a trail run for anyone who wants to participate. We'll meet up at 10AM and head out on a 3-5 mile jog through the Tuscan countryside, returning around 11AM.

Our Wedding

3pm
villa cini

Please plan to arrive at the wedding villa by 2:30pm. Ceremony starts at 3pm!

Cocktail Reception

4pm
villa cini

Cocktails, local wines and refreshing non-alcoholic beverages will be served immediately following the ceremony.

Dinner

6pm
villa Cini

We're sure you'll be hungry by this point. A dinner of local Italian fare will be served to all our guests.

Let's Dance!

After Dinner
villa cini

Bring your dancing shoes to dance the night away.

 

Post-Wedding Brunch

11:30am
L'antico Portale

Join us for our post-wedding brunch at a nearby restaurant.