Our story technically began 1965, when our moms first met in preschool in South Africa – though, rest assured, this was not an arranged marriage! We met for the first time in middle school when Ashley moved to San Diego where we were in the same class for a year. Throughout the years, we shared some common friends and crossed paths a few times, but only truly connected a decade later with the help of Hinge. Unbeknownst to us, we lived no more than 10 minutes apart in Orange County for nearly 5 years after college. These coincidences in our lives made us firm believers in the “Invisible String Theory”-or Fate, if you will. Our first date was 6/2/22 and we immediately hit it off. Knowing each other and each other’s families for such a long time, there was an immediate comfort, familiarity and trust that we shared. Throughout that first year, the “coincidences” kept surfacing, like discovering that Ashley’s Zaidy helped found the synagogue in Toronto where Ricky went to preschool. As our love grew over the next 2 years, these serendipitous moments continued to multiply, affirming that the Universe has been gently guiding us together all along-Ashley truly was #meanttobeapamensky. On Ashley’s birthday, 4/21/24, Ricky eagerly took the Universe’s lead and asked Ashley to spend forever together. We are beyond excited to embark on this next chapter of our lives, surrounded by our dearest friends and family. We cannot wait to celebrate with you on 5/25/25!