Our Story

If you ask Sean…

I had a crush on Angelica when we first met in high school in 2012. She was a senior and I was a freshman, and she’d spend her study hall period as an aid in my math class. In my head, our relationship was “complicated” since 2012 — as in, she didn’t know we were already dating when I first saw her. I was too scared to speak to her in person so a lot of our communication was through Twitter via memes. After she realized I was the funniest person she knew, we seemed to really hit it off. When she graduated high school, we’d stay in touch on Twitter, Vine, or Call of Duty. We stayed friends for years and made sure to grab Taco Bell every once in a while when we were both home from college to catch up. A few years passed and in May 2020, I invited her and a few other friends to Pittsburgh for a river boat ride (I booked this boat ride before I knew the world was in shambles from COVID). At this point, I had basically accepted that Angelica and I were just friends, and was okay with that; however, this time hanging out was different. For the first time in 8 years, it felt like she was kinda into me! Was it the beard I had now? Have I mastered the art of flirting? Is it my linen shirt flowing in the wind as we look at the sunset? Is it the fact that she made me take a personality test and found out I’m an ENFJ? No matter what it was, it felt good. She stayed with our mutual friend in Pittsburgh that night, and I stopped over the next morning to grab breakfast. Again, there seemed to be an energy between us that wasn’t there before. The three of us ended up hanging out all day until Angelica had to head back home. I walked her to her car, hugged goodbye, and thought about kissing her — but didn’t. I thought I’d freak her out and it was all in my head. Little did I know, she felt the same way! We ended up texting a few days later to recap fun times from the boat, our personality test compatibility, and plan the next hangout. We kept getting closer, going on dates in each other’s cities, meeting friends, traveling, and trying any new restaurants we could find. Everything just felt easy with Angelica, and still does, five years later. I am no longer terrified to speak to her in person, and we still communicate through Twitter memes or TikTok videos. It’s been an amazing ride, and I’m so happy to continue on it. The main takeaway for all the fellas out there? The long game paid off — it took 8 years for me but it can happen for you, too. Chess, not checkers!

If you ask Angelica…

In high school, I was a teacher’s aide during my study hall, and in that class was Sean. To clarify — I wasn't helping anyone with math (honestly, I am the one that still need help with math). Though we didn’t talk much in that class, Sean was always joking and making people laugh. Over social media, that continued. Sean and I became friends over the next few years. We would hang out in group settings with my best friend, Leila. We were part of an unofficial “strict parents and early curfew” club — Sean also seemed to be a member of. Most of our time was spent doing wholesome small hometown activities like going to the park, movies, playing video games, and going to Taco Bell. Whenever Leila was at my house, Sean had a way of “just showing up” — sometimes with an invitation, sometimes not. But no matter what, we always ended up laughing. The kind of laughter that made your belly hurt and time pass quickly. As the years went on and life got busier, those get-togethers happened less often. But every time we reconnected, it felt familiar like we were just picking up where we left off. By then, we’d all graduated from college, and Sean and Leila were both living in Pittsburgh. One day in 2020, Sean called me up. He invited me on a boat ride with a group of friends, most of which are in our wedding party now. On that boat ride, Sean and I spent what felt like the entire time talking to each other. I began my extensive character analysis — we’re talking birth charts, Myers-Briggs test, etc. This behavior has previously been described as “exhausting,” but I think I piqued just enough of the researcher in Sean that he completed the questionnaires. My findings? Not bad. Sean and I seemed compatible, both in personality test results and in-person banter. After the boat ride we parted ways, — for about 12 hours before Sean picked us up for breakfast the next morning. Soon, we would be going back and forth to each other’s cities, going on dates, and ended up falling in love. Sean makes uncertainties of life seem less scary. He is guaranteed to make you laugh and he lights up every room he is in. We’ve been together since that sunny day in May. Five years later, and I can’t wait to spend the rest of our lives together.

Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA

October 17, 2024

The Proposal

We are headed out to San Francisco, Carmel-by-the-Sea, and Big Sur. Check into the cutest hotel, Le Petit Pali. After settling in, we head into town to The Cheese Shop — exactly what you assume, a shop of hundreds of cheese wedges and wheels, their accompaniments, and wine pairings. We pick up some carefully selected cheeses by the cheese monger herself and headed over to grab a fresh baguette at a local bakery. We get ready for a walk along the water to enjoy our Cheese Shop haul. Now it’s sunset, we are listening to the roar of the waves crashing on the cliffside, and Sean gets down on one knee and proposes! Giddy with excitement, we head to dinner. Almost too excited to eat, we debrief — about all the sweet moments and planning that went on behind the proposal. We wake up the next morning and take the Pacific Coast Highway to Big Sur before sunrise. At 5AM we arrive at Pfeiffer Beach. The only ones on the beach — one of those humbling nature moments where you realized you’re a speck of dust in this world. As we leave, we realize something rare — we have no cell service. Not only no cell service, but no navigation in our rental car. We managed to find the most niche trails we planned on hiking, kind strangers that shared directions, and spent the rest of the day unplugged and truly present. When we arrived back at our hotel, the front desk let us know that Alex, our concierge, had left something for us in our room. We joked, wondering how many more bottles of bubbles or cookies we could possibly receive. In the room, we found an envelope. Inside was the most beautiful drawing and a note. It was an illustration of the exact spot where Sean told Alex he had planned to propose the night prior. They had also included a heartfelt note saying they were inspired by our love and wanted to create a memento for us. The drawing was so detailed, the most thoughtful act of kindness we had ever received from a stranger and hangs now in our home. We got ready for dinner, with cell service regained, we facetimed all of Angelica’s friends to tell them the news. Spent the rest of our trip exploring, eating the best food, and basking in our newly-engaged bubble.

We landed in San Francisco, we began deboarding. Somewhere in the jet bridge, I realized Sean was no longer behind me. I waited a couple of minutes, assuming he was helping someone with their overhead luggage (classic Sean — what a guy). But even after a few more passengers trickled off, still no sign of him.

Now impeding foot traffic, I stepped out of the jet bridge and waited at the gate. The entire plane had emptied. Still no Sean.

Getting a little concerned, I called him. He answered, flustered: he had lost his wallet. Apparently, it had somehow slipped under the seat and lodged itself near the flotation device. They had to take the whole seat apart to find it. Weird — but okay. He says he has to make a phone call and tells me to get in line for some coffee. Eventually, he wraps up his at-a-distance call and meets me in line… only to now realize he’s forgotten his sunglasses. So, after securing his wallet, new sunglasses, and likely setting a record for longest airport departure time, we finally grab our rental car and head to Carmel-by-the-Sea.

After settling into the hotel and picking up ingredients for a picnic, Sean casually informs me that we’re going on a hike by the water, having said picnic, and then going to the nicest dinner of the trip. A hike?! A picnic before dinner? Won’t that spoil our appetite? And then our nicest dinner after all that? The logistics aren’t adding up.

So naturally, I ask the important question: What do I wear? A dress? Are sandals appropriate? After some back-and-forth and Sean probably thinking, please shut up and stop asking so many questions. We head out to Point Lobos and find a spot along the water to enjoy our picnic. At one point, Sean points toward a little cove and says, “Let’s go down there!”

I look—and there are stairs leading down to the beach… blocked off by a big sign that says Danger: Do Not Enter. If you know me, you know I’m a rule-following, overly cautious person. In my finest hiking gear, a dress and sandals, I suggest we head up toward the vantage point at top of the cliffside instead…

Behind the scenes edit

  • Le Petit Pali

    The cutest hotel!

  • Le Petit Pali

    Getting ready in our cute bathroom

  • The Cheese Shop

    I mean… look at all those wedges!

  • Hidden Beach

    The spot Sean originally planned to propose…

  • Picnic at Point Lobos

    Enjoying our Cheese Shop haul

  • The Vanage Point

    Our view from the proposal spot

  • Right before...

    Right before he got down on one knee

  • Point Lobos, CA

    The spot we got engaged!

  • We're engaged!

    Eeeeek

  • Sunset at Point Lobos

    The view was unreal

  • We're Engaged!

    So excited!

  • Point Lobos, CA

    The spot we got engaged!

  • Dinner after

    Arguably the best part is the dinner debrief after getting engaged

  • 5AM on the Pacific 1

    Drive to Big Sur

  • Pfeiffer Beach

    Do you see the heart?

  • Sunrise at Pfeiffer Beach

    Fiancés!

  • Keyhole Arch

    at Pfeiffer Beach

  • Birds Island, Point Lobos

    Alex from our hotel, drew the spot we got engaged.

  • Pebble Beach, CA

    Before dinner

  • Pebble Beach, CA

    dinner at The Bench overlooking the 18th hole

  • Pebble Beach, CA

    The Bench overlooking the 18th hole on Pebble Beach

  • Guest Book

    The guest book at our hotel