It all started the place we love most: on the dancefloor.

Lucas and I met at Lightning in a Bottle, a festival in a dusty corner of Bakersfield, California. Both being LIB veterans ourselves, we weren't anticipating what this year had in store for us, or how it'd shift the fabric of our lives so drastically. What started as a long caravan of cars on the side of the road turned into a group of 30 sheltering in tents as Bakersfield saw torrential downpour in May (for the first time... ever?). But somewhere between the mud, the music, and the chaos, lifelong friendships bloomed.

So you may think the fairytale has begun, but really, the seeds have just been planted. Lucas and I spent the summer getting to know each other as friends before he moved to San Diego and I jetted off to Milan to study abroad.

I got back from Italy in December 2019, and the world shut down not too long after. While I was sheltering in place with my best friend and roommate at the time, Carlin, in Santa Clara, Lucas was with Owen, Evan, Ryan, and Jess at their first place together in San Diego.

One fateful weekend that year, the San Diego crew came home to Santa Cruz, and something finally clicked into place. I remember looking at Lucas like it was the first time, immediately nudging Jess to tell her how cute I thought he was. Later, under the stars on our friend Isaac's property, I'd learn the feeling was mutual. That weekend set into motion the rest of our lives —lives filled with lots of firsts, minimal poison oak (iykyk), but ever-growing adoration for each other.

After graduating, I moved in with Lucas just a block and a half from the beach (a lifelong dream of mine!) in Ocean Beach—a little pocket of San Diego that feels a lot like Santa Cruz, which somehow makes everything feel full circle. The cherry on top has been sharing it all with our sweet pup, Linguini.

This past summer, Lucas gave me the surprise of a lifetime when a paint-and-sip night at Isaac's turned into him asking me to be his wife where it all began 5 years prior. I'm a notorious planner and hard person to surprise, but they just kept coming as we arrived at an engagement party with our friends from near and far. It was the most magical weekend that made all my little girl dreams come true.

We can't wait for the magic to continue as we convene in Santa Cruz in October of this year! We feel so blessed to have an amazing community around us, and to be able to share in the special moments of life with those that shaped who we are today. We can't wait to see you soon!