We met in youth group in eighth grade through mutual friends, but we didn’t really start spending time together until the end of junior year. During Confirmation, I was his secret prayer friend, and that’s when we started talking more—going from occasional conversations to talking every night that summer, sometimes until 5 in the morning. We didn’t even realize we were on our first date until after it happened. Three days after saying he wanted to take things slow, he asked me to be his girlfriend—so much for taking things slow. Since then, we’ve been inseparable 🤍

I thought I was going to dinner with a friend at a restaurant I had never been to before. She suggested we park at a condo by the beach—one that belonged to someone I knew, which I thought was such a coincidence. I even noticed a couple of our friends’ cars parked there, but I was so oblivious I didn’t think anything of it. As I walked toward the sand, I noticed our friend there as a photographer, and that’s when I realized something was happening. Then I looked ahead and saw Christian standing on the beach at sunset, waiting for me in the middle of a heart made of red rose petals, surrounded by candles. I was completely surprised, which made the moment even more special. As I walked toward him, I couldn’t stop smiling, still trying to take it all in. In that moment, with the sun setting behind us, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I was so speechless I couldn’t even say yes at first. He had to ask me a few times before I finally got the words out. Afterward, we celebrated with both of our families at my house, which made the night even more special. 🤍