Getting engaged and married during a pandemic has its unique challenges. That’s what Deondra and Anderson Guy were faced with when they got married in April 2021. Although there were challenges, that didn’t stop them from tying the knot in the city that brought them together — Memphis, Tennesse.
The Guys love traveling and while dating, ventured to destinations like Toronto, San Francisco and Jamaica, just to name a few.
So, when their first wedding anniversary was approaching, it was no surprise that they had to celebrate in a big way.
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In April, the Guys embarked on an epic two-week European trip, where they visited the UK, France and Greece. They originally planned to honeymoon in Europe, but had to delay their trip due to the borders being closed.
We had to chance to chat with Deondra and Anderson about how they met, their Europan trip and where they’ll be venturing to next.
TN: How did you two meet?
DG:Anderson and I met at Clayborn Temple (the headquarters for the Sanitation Worker Strike in 1968) in Memphis, Tennessee. I was managing Clayborn’s events and operations and Anderson was the project manager on the I Am A Man Plaza in Memphis. We met working on the same project!
TN: What impact does Memphis have on your relationship?
DG: Memphis is a huge reason why we connected. I’m from Memphis but lived in Chicago and NYC for a total of 9 years. In 2016, I felt like my time was up in NYC and that I needed to move back to Memphis. I didn’t move back to find love, but that’s exactly what happened after meeting Anderson in 2017.
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TN: You got engaged and married during the pandemic, how was that experience?
DG: It was really interesting. The world was in a very difficult place and the world was still getting adjusted to this new “normal.” Anderson and I had just taken a big trip to Disney World and Universal Studios in Orlando. When we came back home to Memphis, he proposed to me.
It gave us something to look forward to. It was a very time for us and our families.
However, planning a wedding during a pandemic was ok because event planning is what I do. There were challenges because of COVID-19 restrictions. There were also changes and updates to venues and catering because of restrictions.
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AG: Getting engaged during the pandemic wasn’t bad. There were just challenges coordinating family and friends to be a part of the engagement while we were in Orlando at Disney World.
The getting married part was difficult, like Deondra said because of the constant changes with COVID-19 restrictions.
TN: Why did you choose Europe to celebrate your first year of marriage?
DG: We chose Europe because we really wanted to go there for our honeymoon. Since the borders were closed at that time, we couldn’t. It’s always been a dream of mine to go to Greece when I got married. We decided if we’re going to go to Greece, why not also go to Paris? One of my closest friends lives in London and I haven’t seen her in years. She was supposed to be one of my bridesmaids, but couldn’t because of COVID, so we had to go to London to see her!
Europe just felt like the right place to celebrate our first year as a married couple.
AG: I planned out our Europe trip before the pandemic, because I knew Deondra wanted to go. Not being able to go for our honeymoon was disappointing, but we went to St. Maarten and that was nice. Waiting a year to go to Europe was well worth it.
I got to meet one of her bridesmaids, Paula, who wasn’t able to attend the wedding. That was a plus because it was our first time meeting in person. I honestly think the world should meet Paula, lol!
TN: Which cities and countries did you visit?
We visited London, Paris, Athens, and Santorini. Athens was definitely our favorite.
TN: Which destination is the best for Black travelers?
DG: We didn’t see a lot of Black tourists in the cities we visited. However, it did feel like Athens was more active with dancing and bars. There was also a pier with yachts and boats. It was really dope for millennials who want a balance between partying and adventure and resting.
The food in Athens was AMAZING. It was the best city to us.
Paris was really amazing as well and rich is history. It’s really hard to choose our favorite Black city as a Black traveler. They were all amazing.
I feel like if you’re a Black traveler, you get to see the world from a different perspective in Europe. In each country, we were shown nothing but love from locals and they accepted us for who we are.
TN: Where are you two off two next?
AG: We have a domestic trip planned to Houston! I really want to go to the Redwood Forest as well.
DG: We’ve decided to take a big trip every year to celebrate our anniversary. Our European trip was for two weeks, so we would love for future trips to be at least 10 days. We want to go to Italy next year and South Africa.
TN: How can we keep up with your adventures?
DG: You can keep up with our adventures by following me at @deondraguy, Anderson at @_mcguyver_ and us together at @finallyguys!
Related: This Couple Turned Their Travel Love Story Into A Black Love Tour In Ghana