In July 2022, Sara was preparing for her last year of seminary, and Ashley was packing to move to San Francisco for a new job. While still living outside of Sacramento, Ashley decided on a whim to preemptively change her location on Hinge to San Francisco to see what would happen. What happened? Sara :) They matched on Hinge with over a month until Ashley was set to move, so for several weeks, they sent long messages back and forth. Without having met in person, they were already connecting over so many things - from their favorite musicals to their spirituality. When Ashley finally moved to San Francisco in August, Sara asked her out for coffee almost immediately. She wasn't sure if it would be a relationship or a friendship, but Sara knew that Ashley was someone she wanted in her life. They met in the Mission at Rise & Grind Coffeehouse, sipped their drinks (iced cookie butter latte for Ashley & iced horchata latte for Sara) while sweating in the Bay Area heat wave, and talked for over two hours. There were no awkward silences or uncomfortable moments; conversation flowed easily as if they had known each other for years. Both of them knew that was the beginning of something special. Three months later, they were happily introducing the other as "girlfriend." They spent the next two and a half years falling in love. Sara loved how deeply caring Ashley was. Ashley loved Sara's sense of humor and empathetic listening. They seamlessly melded into each other's family and friend groups. It was clear to both Ashley and Sara that they had found "the one." On March 9, 2025, Ashley and Sara were hosting their friends Genessee and Christian for the weekend. They had lunch together on that Sunday afternoon and headed to Sara's favorite bookstore: Green Apple Books. Upon entering the store, Christian and Ashley swiftly disappeared. Sara hadn't even noticed, though; she was too busy heading to one of her favorite spots - the sale section. She obliviously wandered around the store while Ashley set up her surprise in the romance section upstairs. When Sara made it upstairs, she found Ashley standing next to a copy of the YA graphic novel Heartstopper facing out on the shelf. The Heartstopper series has been meaningful to them through their relationship, showing a mixed-orientation relationship that reflects their own. She opened the book to the spot marked with a lace ribbon to find a ring tied to the page. Through her shock and happy tears, she say "yes" to her now fiancée on one knee in front of her. One proposal was not enough, though! Three months later, Ashley and Sara were in a hotel room in LA getting ready for a Beyoncé concert. Once the two had finished getting dressed and doing their makeup, Sara said, “I have one more accessory for you,” and pulled out a ring. A few hours later, they were singing “if you like it then you shoulda put a ring on it” with Beyoncé herself, each with an engagement ring. In the joyful early stages of wedding planning, a news headline forced a pause. A case was being submitted to the Supreme Court seeking to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges. There were a lot of factors to consider - What if SCOTUS didn’t take the case? What if they did, but they didn’t overturn Obergefell? If Obergefell were overturned, what protections would Ashley and Sara have as Californians? What would it mean when they traveled to less safe states, like visiting Sara’s family in Iowa? After quite a bit of legal research, they decided to get married at city hall before their planned wedding date 10 months away. Under the beautiful rotunda of San Francisco’s city hall building, Ashley and Sara were legally married on October 29, 2025. Four family members and two friends were in attendance, plus Sara’s family watching lovingly on FaceTime from Iowa. They are excited to ritualize this commitment in community with family and friends in June and see how their relationship grows through marriage!