Our story began with a simple Facebook post on December 28, 2015. Cristy saw that Daniel had commented on a post shared by Larry, a mutual friend, and decided to check out his profile. What first caught her attention was a picture of Daniel with a Portuguese flag, which made her think he was Portuguese. She also noticed his last names, which she thought were very unique. Curious enough, Cristy sent Daniel a friend request, something she never normally does, and to her surprise, he accepted almost immediately. Not long after, Daniel messaged her asking if they knew each other. Cristy replied, “No, but I liked your name.” Daniel was confused because he thought he had a very common name, while Cristy actually meant his last names. Looking back now, it is still one of the funniest parts of how our story started. At the time, Daniel was living in the Netherlands but visiting Curaçao for the holidays. We met in person for the first time on January 3, 2016, during Fuikdag. Shortly after, Daniel moved to Portugal to start his internship while Cristy stayed in Curaçao, but despite the distance, we continued getting to know each other from afar. After graduating with his bachelor’s degree in the Netherlands, Daniel came back to Curaçao for vacation and finally asked Cristy out on a date. Our first date was on August 30, 2016, at Starbucks, where we instantly clicked. A few weeks later, on September 12, 2016, we shared our first kiss. What started as a vacation quickly turned into something much bigger, and Daniel decided to stay in Curaçao. Twelve days after our first kiss, Cristy was turning 20 years old, and her friends secretly planned a surprise birthday party at her house. Since Cristy comes from a very big family, inviting Daniel meant he would meet almost everyone at once. Without really knowing anyone, Daniel still showed up, and that night Cristy ended up getting two surprises instead of one: the surprise party itself and seeing Daniel surrounded by her family and closest friends. To this day, it remains one of Cristy’s favorite memories. Four years later, on December 3, 2020, we moved in together and started building our future side by side. Then came the biggest blessing of our lives, on July 22, 2023, we found out we were expecting our son, Alessio. On March 29, 2024, our beautiful boy was born and filled our lives with even more love than we ever imagined. On July 12, 2025, Daniel proposed to Cristy in the most intimate and meaningful way, with beautiful flowers and a stunning ring that made the moment truly unforgettable. Cristy was completely surprised because she thought Daniel was simply bringing flowers before their movie date. Instead, he told her he had one more gift, got down on one knee, showed her the ring, and popped the question. Afterward, they celebrated with champagne and shared the exciting news with their families and closest friends. Now, on September 11, 2026, we will celebrate our civil wedding, and one day later, on September 12, 2026, our 10-year anniversary, we will marry in church surrounded by the people we love most, with God’s love and guidance leading us into this new chapter as husband and wife. Below, you can see one of our very first pictures together, taken during one of our first dates, the beginning of a love story we will cherish forever. Thank you for reading our story and for being part of it. Having our family and closest friends by our side to celebrate this special moment means more to us than words can express.