Anyone reading this/invited to Nikki and Edwin’s wedding already knows the cliff notes of their backstory. Their relationship didn’t begin with a swipe or a setup. It began at the soccer park back in 2013, with a friendship that lasted nearly a decade. And if you ask Nikki, she’ll happily tell you (only half joking) that she always knew she loved Edwin. From his POV, it took him just a tad longer, to realize the best thing that’s ever happened to him, was in front of him the entire time. For 10 years, they were best friends. The kind who could talk about anything, do everything together, and who somehow kept finding themselves side-by-side through life’s biggest and smallest moments. Although, these two never crossed the invisible, romantic boundary they both had unintentionally set for each other. Then came Christmas Eve of 2023. That morning, Nikki’s parents asked if they could talk with her. What seemed like a casual conversation quickly turned serious. They shared how much they loved Edwin but admitted something that had been on their minds for a long time and thought they should 'talk to him'. After 10 years of friendship, they weren’t quite sure what Edwin’s intentions were with their daughter. Caught completely off guard, Nikki panicked and quickly responded, “Mom… marriage isn’t the end all be all.” Which is funny, because Nikki absolutely believes in marriage. She just had ZERO idea how to respond in that moment while silently thinking: please let me handle this. Later that day, Nikki and Edwin went on their annual Christmas Eve bike ride along the beach — thinking nothing of it, a tradition they had shared for the past three years. What had always been just the innocent ride to a 'snowman hot coco' and a michelada (IYKYK who's was whose). The ride itself had always felt a little romantic to both of them, though neither of them had ever acknowledged that part. They eventually ended up at an intimate bar, right on the sand in Huntington Beach, sitting side by side, looking out at the beautiful still water. Everything in that moment, had stopped. It was there that Nikki casually began to tell Edwin about the conversation she had with her parents that morning — what she now jokingly calls her “final layup.” She hoped he would finally realize that something between them had been there all along, and also had been quietly changing more and more between them, over the past few months specifically. And this time… Edwin actually caught on. Without any hesitation, he reached over, took Nikki’s hands, and kissed her. Nikki’s reaction? Complete blackout. She stared straight ahead, completely speechless, trying to process the fact that her best friend of ten years, had finally kissed her. From Edwin’s perspective, he simply stared back at her, wondering if he had just made the boldest move of his life… or the most confusing one. For a moment, neither of them said a word. At the same time, they noticed the song playing in the background, “Waiting for a Girl Like You.” In that quiet moment, sitting side by side with the ocean in front of them with the song in the background, everything finally made sense. After ten years of friendship, that was the moment everything changed and the rest is history. Thank you for being here, and for being a part of our story. We cannot wait to celebrate with all of you!