HOW IT ALL BEGAN
Our Love Story
Two Puppies & a Broken Hubcap
It all began in 2019, though neither of us could have guessed where it would lead. Anthony had just bought a new house, with Mandy — my mom — as his estate agent. He had two mischievous new puppies and was lamenting that puppy training only allowed one dog per person. My mom, knowing my love for animals, suggested I might be able to help.
When the time came to hand over the keys, my mom asked me to join. On my way there, disaster struck: one of the cable ties holding my hubcap broke, and suddenly it was clattering wildly as I drove. With nothing to cut it off, I had no choice but to continue — embarrassed but determined. I parked discreetly across the road, hoping no one would notice, but just as I did, Anthony opened the door. There I was, flustered, with a swinging hubcap — and there he was, calm and collected, fixing it in seconds. That was the first time I realized how relaxed and steady he was, even when I was a whirlwind.
From Puppy Class to Something More
We started seeing each other weekly for puppy training. I was the diligent student, shushing Anthony when he tried to chat while the teacher was speaking. At the same time, life was heavy — my grandfather was ill, and my days filled with hospital visits. When the puppies graduated, so did our weekly meetings, and it seemed like that chapter had closed.
But love has its own timing. A year later, after months of lockdown, Anthony reached out:
Would I like to go walking with the dogs?
And so we walked. Every day.
On Camps Bay beach, Jazz threw her arms around me in hugs, not knowing how much that moment meant. For Anthony, it was a quiet test, and for me, it was the beginning of something deeper.
The Kiss That Changed Everything
One afternoon, he invited me over to see his new AstroTurf. We’d been debating endlessly about whether he should keep his patch of “grass” — though really, there wasn’t much left to save. We planned to hike Constantia Nek afterward. I was waiting for us to leave when Anthony suddenly walked over and kissed me. It was unexpected, yet it felt like the most natural thing in the world. From that moment, everything changed.
Soon we were inseparable. Within months, we were living together, and Jazmin was calling me “Mama.” A year later, we were engaged. Then, in March 2022, our little family grew again with the arrival of our beautiful Olivia. Life became a busy, joyful whirlwind of raising two little ones.
Two Puppies & a Broken Hubcap
It all began in 2019, though neither of us could have guessed where it would lead. Anthony had just bought a new house, with Mandy — my mom — as his estate agent. He had two mischievous new puppies and was lamenting that puppy training only allowed one dog per person. My mom, knowing my love for animals, suggested I might be able to help.
When the time came to hand over the keys, my mom asked me to join. On my way there, disaster struck: one of the cable ties holding my hubcap broke, and suddenly it was clattering wildly as I drove. With nothing to cut it off, I had no choice but to continue — embarrassed but determined. I parked discreetly across the road, hoping no one would notice, but just as I did, Anthony opened the door. There I was, flustered, with a swinging hubcap — and there he was, calm and collected, fixing it in seconds. That was the first time I realized how relaxed and steady he was, even when I was a whirlwind.
From Puppy Class to Something More
We started seeing each other weekly for puppy training. I was the diligent student, shushing Anthony when he tried to chat while the teacher was speaking. At the same time, life was heavy — my grandfather was ill, and my days filled with hospital visits. When the puppies graduated, so did our weekly meetings, and it seemed like that chapter had closed.
But love has its own timing. A year later, after months of lockdown, Anthony reached out:
Would I like to go walking with the dogs?
And so we walked. Every day.
On Camps Bay beach, Jazmin — his daughter — threw her arms around me in hugs, not knowing how much that moment meant. For Anthony, it was a quiet test, and for me, it was the beginning of something deeper.
The Kiss That Changed Everything
One afternoon, he invited me over to see his new AstroTurf. We’d been debating endlessly about whether he should keep his patch of “grass” — though really, there wasn’t much left to save. We planned to hike Constantia Nek afterward. I was waiting for us to leave when Anthony suddenly walked over and kissed me. It was unexpected, yet it felt like the most natural thing in the world. From that moment, everything changed.
Soon we were inseparable. Within months, we were living together, and Jazmin was calling me “Mama.” A year later, we were engaged. Then, in March 2022, our little family grew again with the arrival of our beautiful Olivia. Life became a busy, joyful whirlwind of raising two little ones.
Written in Our Hearts
For years we lived as husband and wife in all but name, our love steady and sure. It wasn’t until June 2025 that we looked at each other and asked,
“Can we plan a wedding in six months?”
And so, with God, our family, and friends by our side, we’re ready to finally make official what has been written in our hearts all along — and celebrate the story that began with two puppies, a broken hubcap, and a kiss.
A story still being written, day by day, with love.
Written in Our Hearts
For years we lived as husband and wife in all but name, our love steady and sure. It wasn’t until June 2025 that we looked at each other and asked,
“Can we plan a wedding in six months?”
And so, with God, our family, and friends by our side, we’re ready to finally make official what has been written in our hearts all along — and celebrate the story that began with two puppies, a broken hubcap, and a kiss.
A story still being written, day by day, with love.
Chance or Fate?
Some stories seem too full of coincidences to be anything other than destiny. Anthony and Demi’s tale is one of those, woven together with threads of chance so uncanny that one wonders if divine hands were at play.
To begin with, both of their families share an unusual symmetry: each of their mothers has six siblings, and each of their fathers just one. Perhaps that is why both Anthony and Demi treasure family above all, it’s in their roots. Even their names echo one another across generations: Anthony David Uren and Samantha Joan Uren, Demi Samantha Mitoulis and Nicolas Anthony Luke Mitoulis. What are the odds that their siblings’ names would intertwine so perfectly?
48 & Forever
Their childhoods, too, ran on parallel tracks. Both grew up in boating communities — Anthony at the Vaal Dam, Demi at Clanwilliam Dam — and as if by design, both of their family homes bore the same number: 48. Now, in their own home at Clanwilliam, they dream of giving their girls the same laughter-filled, sun-soaked adventures they once knew.
The Lost Ring & the Second Yes
But perhaps the most remarkable story is the one of Demi’s engagement ring. While seven months pregnant, she carefully removed it before a jet ski ride, only to watch it slip into the depths of the dam. Heartbroken, she sat on the beach while Anthony spent three long hours diving, searching, and burning in the sun. Just when hope seemed lost, he emerged with the ring in hand — a love rekindled, a promise renewed.
There, on the shoreline, Anthony proposed all over again.
And Demi said yes.
Twice.
Every love story is beautiful — but ours feels written by fate.