Courtney: I was on Fall Break in San Diego and was staying with my friend, Joe and his brother, John Paul. Dan was Joe's roommate and he invited us to his hockey game one night (I had NO interest in hockey) but Joe had already bought us all tickets. Dan and I had a few interactions during my trip but nothing very monumental. I had a feeling something was there with us but I wasn't really interested in dating at the time. The night after the hockey game, it was my last day in SD and Dan tagged along to a bonfire with us on the beach. We started talking about personality types, Elon Musk, education, business, jobs - everything! - and didn't stop until 4am, when I finally went to bed. I had to be up at 7:30am for my flight and when I went out to the kitchen, Dan was just sitting there, waiting to talk and say goodbye. He stayed in touch with me from the minute I left the apartment and called me a few days later and we talked for hours. I really liked talking to him, we had a lot in common, and he kept calling, so I kept answering!

Daniel: I had known from the many great (and long) phone calls we had since we first met in San Diego - where I was living and working - that I wanted take things to the next step. This was not easy because Courtney was in Steubenville, OH finishing University. It took some encouragement from different people I consulted to get up the courage, but I finally was able to bring it up at the end of another long call. The call went well and I booked a flight to spend 4 days at the end of November. Courtney showed me me all the sites of Franciscan University and Pittsburgh, we shared a lot of great times learning more about each other. In my mind I knew at some point there would have to be an official date night out, but in my typical hesitant fashion, I never realized she may not have assumed as much. I finally got my courage up to ask her out on an official date the afternoon of the last night. We had walked past a Melting Pot early in my trip she mentioned something about it and I had heard great things so it was in my mind for a while. We had a wonderful 3 hour dinner. She tried mushrooms, which she doesn't eat (that's how I knew she liked me) and when we got back, we watched her favorite movie and talked until 3 or 4 am before we had to leave for the airport at 7am so she could make her classes. After talking, I simply asked her assumingly "if we were going to do this?" I clarified, "long distance" and I said it with such little doubt, I don't think she ever thought to say no (in my mind the dating had already begun). It was my most confident moment, maybe ever. She said "yes" and that was how it officially began.

Courtney: It was a long time before we were able to live in the same state (7 months) but I LOVED all my winter trips to San Diego! Some of our best memories took place in California on the beaches of Coronado, Del Mar, and Dana Point. In Summer 2019, we were finally able to be in the same place... New York City! We spent the summer exploring the city while I interned at a risk consulting company in Manhattan. We went to the top of the World Trade Center, bowling at Chelsea Piers, got tacos in Times Square, visited multiple museums/parks/churches, and ate at many different restaurants. At the end of the summer, Dan came with me back to Ohio where I finished my last semester as a finance student at Franciscan University. I accepted a full-time job offer in NYC, he started working remotely for his brother, and we headed back to the Big Apple in January 2020.

Daniel: Once I had the ring, I started planning a romantic proposal on the roof of Courtney’s building. I had kept my suit in my trunk the month prior so I could be prepared any day. I planned to have rose petals, candles, wine, and a card for the special moment. In the end, roses didn’t make it but I managed to get candles and wine up there while Courtney was in the shower. I set up the candles only to realize it was too windy. I snuck back down and hurried to gather every other glass/jar in her place and left a card with my own addition on her bed. I told her to “dress up” and wrote a timeline of our relationship and where our key memories were from across North America. It ended with her address Apt 7D and “Rooftop 11:00 pm.” As I was leaving with the glasses, I could hear her opening the door. On the roof, I lit the candles in the glasses only to see them get blown out quickly. As I rushed from glass to glass frantically lighting a match, placing the glass, getting another, lighting it, and looking back to see the other gone out, I realized this was the perfect way to lead into the all-important question. I knew she would come soon but when she opened the door to the roof, I was unprepared and still trying to light the candles. The first words she heard under my breath were "oh shit" as I ducked out of sight to put my suit jacket on, and then walked over to take her by the hand and see her wearing my favorite red dress... I took her to the edge of the roof where there was a view of her favorite building in NYC, the Chrysler building. With her hands in mine… my heart beating heavily… I told her all she means to me and that, like this night that felt like a mess (with the wind blowing out candles, no roses, etc.), I would be there to continually relight the candles of our life and keep them burning bright no matter the adversity or how bleak things ever look. I asked her to marry me, put the ring on her finger and we toasted with NYC in the background.

Courtney: In March 2020, the world was turned upside down by the Pandemic. Life in NYC changed drastically for us and we found that we could no longer do anything that made staying in the city worthwhile. All of the restaurants and attractions were closed and public transportation was limited to essential workers for months. We had barely settled in (we'd been there two months) and were still finding a community and building our new life. When we got engaged and started talking about long-term plans, we had to admit that NYC was not going back to "normal" any time soon. While we will always LOVE the city, we knew we had to look elsewhere for a first home together. We looked at cities where we knew some people and where I could stay with my current company. With all the criteria laid out, Houston was our top contender. I was able to transfer within my company to Houston, where my best friend (and Maid of Honor!) and her family lives. We knew we would have support and love there as we began our life together as a married couple. Plus, who doesn't love good BBQ?! We'll be moving in December 2020 and we would love to welcome you as a guest any time you find yourself in Houston.

Due to a lack of adequate internet access, we are unable to host a proper Live Stream of the Ceremony. The good news is we have a professional Videographer documenting the whole wedding day and would love to share that those videos as well as the entire footage of the ceremony with you all. it is unfortunate that you will not be able to share in the moment as it is happening, but we feel this way will ultimately be a better experience and do the moment justice! I will upload our footage to the below folder for anyone to access. If you prefer I email it to you, please email Daniel at <danieljsanche@gmail.com> https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Cny7hh-QWyyEV2y5tUkOSvW-EC9aCzW9?usp=sharing Thank you! we appreciate your thoughts and Prayers on our Wedding Day!