We first met at a dubstep show, where Ariah noticed Travis’s bright smile as he chatted with someone she recognized was an acquaintance. Curious, she approached to ask them who he (Travis) was only to find out he didn’t know him either. He had just commented on Travis’s hat and then dared me to go find out myself... By then Travis had walked over to the bar, so Ariah followed and asked how his night was going. He replied, “Good, and you?” She took her shot with a cheesy line: “I think better now that I’m talking to you.” Unphased, Travis grabbed his drink and left, right as someone behind us recognized Ariah and interrupted her sad attempt at flirting. Later in the night, fate gave us another chance. Ariah slipped on a spilled drink and landed just a few feet in front of him on the dance floor. Travis laughed and said, “Oh, you again,” and they started chatting, shouting over the music. As the night wound down, Ariah's friends invited him back to their place, where the two of us ended up staying up all night talking. What began as a funny, clumsy introduction quickly grew into a solid friendship and from there blossomed into the vibrant love story that brought us here today.

The day started with Travis helping me put together an elaborate Christmas village. I knew something was up when he happily crafted — glue gun and all — for hours. Later, we set up the tripod for what I thought was just a “Christmas card” photoshoot with our pets… but it turned out to be so much more. He began by handing me a custom ornament that read “First Christmas Engaged” with an illustration of us in a snowy scene alongside our dog and cat. Before I could take it all in, our new puppy trotted over with the ring in a leather case on his collar. With happy tears, laughter, and the whole thing caught on video, we said yes to forever right there in the living room of our Renton Washington rental house.

Every name carries a story, and Rufus's is no different- Rufus got his name from the artist Rufus Du Sol, whose music has become a soundtrack to our relationship. At a sunset show at the Gorge Amphitheater early on in our dating days, we finally admitted the depth of our feelings for one another. With the music playing, the sky fading into gold, and the crowd alive around us, we joked about “settling down and getting a dog already.” When that dream came true, naming him Rufus felt like the most natural tribute -to the music we love, the concert that had is feelin' it, and the joy he’s brought into our lives ever since.

After getting engaged, we took a leap and moved across the country to Maine, to the very place that Travis grew up. Travis shared the dream he had to return to this land the first night we met. It's became a reality as we settled onto the homestead in June 2025, carrying forward a legacy of care, hard work, and love for the land. Here, we’re building our forever home and beginning the next chapter of our lives together. It feels so special to host our wedding in the heart of this place, surrounded by both the history that brought us here and the family and friends who will help us write its future.

Back when we lived in Washington, Travis worked long nights, which made it hard to carve out quality time together. During those evenings, Ariah found comfort in a cozy game called Stardew Valley. In the game, a burnt-out corporate worker returns to family land to restore it and rebuild the community; a simple but meaningful rhythm of life that mirrored what we longed for in our own future. Over time, Stardew Valley became more than a game, it became a way for us to bond. We would leave each other long, detailed notes describing what we’d done in the game the night or day before, from tending crops to helping townsfolk. Those little updates kept us connected through the busyness of life and became a ritual of love, patience, and shared dreams. Looking back now from our home in Maine — on land that’s been in Travis’s family for generations — it feels like a story that came full circle.