Carl and Elena met the fall of freshman year of college in the most romantic place you could imagine... sitting on a dingy couch in the poorly lit lounge of their dorm. Their relationship started as most do: a shared passion for sneaking onto the the roofs of their classes, Carl waking up at 6am to loan Elena extra jackets so she didn't freeze to death during her morning crew practices, and of course Elena forcing Carl to throw out all the eight-year-old socks he owned that had holes in them. Carl and Elena made the tough decision to move to California after college, away from family, to ensure that they both could find a job in the same city. However two months before graduating, COVID shut everything down and their move was delayed. Instead of finding an apartment and living together in California, they moved in with Carl’s parents. Over the next year they became certified Floridians doing all the things Floridians do. Carl bought a surf board and got stabbed by a venomous salt water catfish. Elena picked up new hobbies like shark tooth hunting, pickleball, and string art. Elena became very tan. Carl did not. After living on the Florida beach for over a year, Carl and Elena finally moved to the Bay Area. Before moving though, Carl went to a local jewelry store and bought a ring. To keep the proposal a surprise, he expertly snuck the ring through TSA and hid it in various genius hiding spots like his underwear drawer. Carl was told by the May family that he had to capture the proposal on camera, Elena's nails had to be done, and they both had to be wearing nice clothes. Mission impossible. Up to this point Elena had maybe done her nails twice in the five years of dating and Carl didn't own any pants (a symptom of being a Floridian). Despite the challenges, Carl crafted a plan. Carl's parents sent a tripod to Carl and Elena so he could capture the moment. Elena relentlessly made fun of Carl's parents for sending such a silly thing to them. Their friend Ruchi invited Elena to a girl's night and got their nails done. Their friends Natalie and Uday invited them on a hike where they would dress nicely and take pictures. Then last second they mysteriously couldn't come on the hike. Despite all the misdirection Elena still sniffed out what was happening and confronted Carl. So Carl lied to her face. And then proposed that weekend. Since then Carl and Elena have gone on many adventures and created their new home together. They are both incredibly excited to get married and for their shared future.