A little more about us :)

King: We met through the LDS dating app Mutual! It was embarrassing to tell people we met that way, but I'm grateful we did because I doubt we'd have ever known of each other's existence otherwise. My first impression of her profile was, "Wow, she is tall," as most people would have thought, but I also thought she may have been exaggerating her height. But she wasn't, and she is, in fact, a half-inch taller than me. When we had our first date, I enjoyed her energy. She seemed so happy and excited to share her mission and life. We talked for hours on our first date, and I could see that she was someone special. Allie: I wasn’t looking for anything special. In fact, special was the last thing I thought I’d find when my sister made me download Mutual. But then King and I matched, and he asked me out in the first text. I agreed, believing that nothing would come from it but feeling flattered that he would drive over an hour for a first date with me. And then we met. Right off the bat, I saw how happy, friendly, genuine, and very polite he was. He made me feel relaxed and comfortable, like I could really be myself around him. We talked for hours and by the time we left, I was thinking “Wow, that was the best first date I’ve ever been on.” That night my family asked me about my date and if there would be a second one, and I found myself smiling and saying “Yeah, I think so.” I wasn’t sure if or when it would happen, but it just felt right.

Allie: First of all, if you didn’t know, King and I LOVE to travel and find fun things to do wherever we’re at. One of the (albeit few) perks of a long-distance relationship is that whenever you do get to see each other, it feels like a big adventure! We’ve had lots of dates in Sacramento, the Bay Area, and practically every town in between, but also in Provo, Lake Tahoe, Stinson Beach, and Japan! Japan was especially cool because it was our first time out of the country experiencing new culture together — but it definitely won’t be the last! We’ve also been to see Post Malone and Mt. Joy in concert, two artists we both love. King actually kissed me for the first time at the Post Malone concert so that date is pretty up there for me. I’m super excited for our next adventure, our honeymoon in O’ahu! King: JAPAN! All of it. I think it's so awesome that we got to go to another part of the world together. Even before we were engaged it was so special to experience something like that with Allie. All of the short trips to Konbinis, photoshoots in Kyoto in our yukatas, and going to Disney Sea it is definitely my favorite adventure we've been on so far.

King: Allie would support me in ways that I have never been supported before. She would always find little ways to support me in my aspirations. Allie helped me come closer to God; she helped me succeed in school, rugby, and my business and supported me the way I would want to be supported for the rest of my life. I kind of knew that Allie would be the person I wanted to propose to, however I didn't know when was the right or definite time to pop the question. The real time that I knew I wanted to marry Allie was when she bought tickets to fly back to California to watch my game against Cal in 2024. Christmas of 2023, Allie gave me printed tickets. I was confused, but she explained she had bought the flights to watch the Cal game. And that was supported by the fact that she and her dad, Randy, later bought tickets to fly out to Houston, Texas, for my National Championship game. Besides my Mom and Dad, nobody has ever supported me as much as Allie. Allie: I didn’t think when I went off to school at BYU that I was ready for a long-distance relationship, but the more we talked the easier it seemed. One night on the phone I got a very strong impression that God had big plans for King and that it would be a gift in my life to watch them unfold. I realized I was falling deeper and suddenly wondered how far I could fall if I let myself. That was the first time I thought he might truly be the one, but I grew in certainty as we kept dating and I got to see every side of him. I don’t think King really has a bad side. He is patient even when angry or sad, consistent in his actions and how he treats others, quick to forgive, and loyal to those he loves no matter what. He has also seen every side of me by now, which I can’t say is always so positive. And yet, he shows me just as much love in my worst moments as he does in my best. I don’t remember a single moment when I knew he was the one for sure. In time I’ve just come to realize that he completes me and that God was right, being a part of his life is my greatest gift.

Funny story: I had so many things planned, from a scavenger hunt to showing up in Utah secretly to proposing on Mt. Fuji. But none of those made the cut for something so special. I wanted that day and time to be something special. I didn't want super big flares, fireworks, or a huge crowd of people. I wanted it to be intimate and special for both of us. My mom inspired me to choose the place I decided to propose. We had conversations while ring searching about beaches, restaurants, plans, etc. I remembered our last San Francisco date a year prior. At the time, we were still dating. Allie "luckily" had shoulder surgery, and she had to stay in California instead of leaving early for Utah for school. We probably would not have stayed in contact if she had left earlier. But she remained an extra month, and we were lucky to have a few dates. Our very last date before Allie had to go back to school was in San Francisco. We started the date by visiting Baker Beach, watching the sunset, sightseeing, and taking many pictures. At the time, Allie and I held in the back of our minds that we probably would stop talking to each other after that date, which inspired the decision to propose at that same beach. I chose Baker Beach Beach as the place I would propose. I wanted the place where we thought we would last see each other, probably ever, to be the place where we started our eternal journey together. The whole day was a culmination of help from the people closest to me. My rugby coach Tim O'Brien started our games early that day just so I could have time to propose, my mom brought me change of clothes, my friend Jason was already at the beach waiting to take photos. We finished my rugby games and left for Safeway to pick up charcuterie board foods for our "painting date" on the beach. Driving to the beach, I had a handful of plans. I thought, "I'll paint a picture of me on one knee proposing to her." We got to the beach and found our perfect spot on a mound of sand. I spotted Jason in a hoodie on the hill, who was very stealthy, and we set up the date. We laid out all of our painting supplies and ate snacks, and simultaneously, I felt confident in my ability to paint. Which, to this day, was not well placed. I look over at Allie's painting, and she is doing fantastic; then I look back at mine and think, I am NOT going to be able to paint what I want. I get flustered, freak out, and think plan B! Which I, of course, did not have. So I thought to myself, what can I do to make Allie stand up and me remain on a knee so she still gets surprised? My perfect answer was to pull a cramp. So I did that. After deliberating and planning it, I faked a calf cramp. Initially, Allie thought it was a slight cramp, but my fantastic acting skills convinced her. She got up and asked to help, and I told her to massage my right calf. I slyly positioned my backpack close to my left leg and sneaked the ring box underneath that knee, hoping Jason knew it was my signal to start pictures. I un-cramped my calf and prompted Allie away, and she got up and faced away. I was then in a perfect kneeling position, and she turned around to see me proposing. We finished up the proposal sight, and I surprised Allie with the plans that I booked a very nice dinner just for the two of us afterward. We drove to Skates on the Bay, which Allie did not know that I had planned for both her family and mine to be there waiting to celebrate with us. It was a lovely dinner, and I very much enjoyed every part of it, ending the day with our families together. I could not have envisioned the proposal going any better. From the rugby games to the impromptu cramps to the dinner with the family, it felt perfectly us. P.S. The photo below is where I proposed!

King NAILED it with his story. I knew he had been planning on proposing for months before he actually did, so I was always wondering "Is this the time?" When I came back to visit him in October of 2024, I was pretty sure it would be the time, but I had felt that way several times before so I tried not to get my hopes up. The beach date was amazing, literally my dream date! He knew me so well, from the charcuterie picnic to the painting to the location. I was pretty sure this was the time, but I had no idea what he was painting, and if this really was the proposal it was going to have something to do with that. But then when we were only halfway done, he came down with this major (fake) calf cramp that had him kicking sand everywhere in "pain." I'd seen him cramp before, but this was worse than ever, so I asked him how he could help. He directed me to come over and massage his leg, which he was actually flexing to make it feel like it was cramping. Clearly he has had a lot of experience with cramps. Finally, he was okay. I was a little worried it might cut our date short if it was something extreme, and I would hate for any of his potential plans to be ruined. I turned back to make sure he was all good— And there he was, on one knee. I was actually so surprised. He did it. Somehow, after me expecting it all these months, he had surprised me. I don't remember exactly what he said, but I remember how elated I felt and how special the moment was. And I remember I said yes. After we took in the moment for a bit, he then explained the reason we wouldn't have time to finish the paintings was because he had made us a reservation at a nice restaurant in Berkeley. So we drove across the Golden Gate Bridge to dinner. King started telling me about all the people who had helped him make this work, and out of the blue I just started crying, realizing how much he loved me and how kind everyone was to him and to us. I didn't think it could get any better— Until I walked in, and both our families were sitting there, grinning at us. One more surprise to top off the perfect day. It could not have been any more perfect. There's not a single thing about the day I would change. It was the best day of my life... at least until May 31st comes around!