They were both living in the San Diego area (Allie in Carlsbad, Chris in Mission Beach) and needed to relocate to LA for new jobs. With both of their new offices situated nearby LAX on the west side, and with both of them being big fans of the ocean, it was a no-brainer to apartment hunt around Hermosa Beach. One spring afternoon, the pair both stumbled upon a dynamite three-bedroom apartment... with two open rooms. After less than 10 minutes of chatting, they figured they could both put up with one another well enough to share a bedroom wall (and a bathroom), and proceeded to sign the lease.

After more than a year of being each other's drinking buddies, buying furniture together, adopting a new roommate (our officiant, Alec!) and exchanging horrendous LA dating stories, they decided to give this 'couple' thing a shot. Over the next two years, the pair bounced between Hermosa Beach and Koreatown before finally deciding to relocate to NorCal (Allie had some pretty good things to say about it.) They moved to SF in 2016 and rented a <500 square foot closet in North Beach before crossing the Golden Gate Bridge to Marin, where they now live (much more comfortably) in San Anselmo.

Allie loves birthdays; therefore, when plotting his proposal, Chris took full advantage of this and suggested that they jet down to Hermosa Beach for his birthday weekend. He insisted on an ocean view room and booking a great restaurant "for his birthday." On a stroll past the old beach house where they met, he popped the question right on the street! (Fun fact: the ring came from a family jeweler in Delaware.)

When it came to choosing a destination for their wedding, Lake Tahoe had always been a front-runner. Allie's family has been hiking, biking, swimming and skiing around the lake for decades, and over the past five years, Chris has discovered what makes this place so extraordinary (though he's still a wimp about the cold water!) West Shore Cafe & Inn is in a particularly special place: not only is it just a couple miles from the cabin her family has enjoyed for the past 25+ years, but it's directly across the street from Homewood Mountain Resort, where she and her sister Katie learned to ski! Plus, it's pretty damn gorgeous. Can't wait to see you at the lake!

Anyone who spends five minutes with Allie will hear her mention something about Australia at least once. She can't help it; after four visits, a study abroad program in Sydney, and previous jobs with two Aussie tourism organizations, she's pretty much obsessed. Chris has never, ever been to the magical Land Down Under. Therefore, pending all up-in-the-air travel factors, they will embark on a cross-country journey (going from Sydney to Perth, with lots of stops in between!) for their honeymoon in 2022. Woohoo!