Dakota and Rafael first crossed paths during college summer break while working for the City of San Jose’s placemaking team. It was an early morning at Plaza Park downtown during training—Dakota was being her loud, goofy self dancing around, while Rafael quietly (and maybe a little judgmentally) observed from afar. It definitely wasn’t love at first sight. We bumped heads plenty in the beginning, but as time went on, Rafael became part of the friend group, and we slowly started to grow on each other. Somewhere between long workdays, laughter, and shared memories, a spark started to form. Rafael even let Dakota borrow his jacket—with the very serious condition that it had to be returned the next day. From there, things only got better: countless dates, fun adventures, and unforgettable moments. But the day Rafael took Dakota to the Mac & Cheese Festival in San Francisco, she knew she was falling for him (seriously, how could she not?). Not long after, Rafael took Dakota to Big Sur, asked her to be his girlfriend, and the rest is history.

After Christmas 2024, Dakota and Rafael headed up to Tahoe with friends for a snowboarding weekend getaway. Dakota had very specific proposal requests (shocking, we know), one being that Rafael clip on a tiny mic so the whole thing could be recorded with sound. A few months prior, she’d even found mini mics in the house and, right before leaving for Tahoe, ran back inside to check if Rafael had packed them. He hadn’t—so Dakota was convinced this trip was not the weekend. December 27 was spent snowboarding and laughing on the slopes, but the real plan was set for the 28th. That morning, the group’s “sledding plans” kept falling apart—every spot they went to was at capacity. Dakota, trying to keep the vibes high, suggested alternatives like shopping in Heavenly or going snowmobiling, but somehow every idea was shut down. (Little did she know, the group had a secret planning chat running behind the scenes. At one point, it even popped up on the truck screen—thankfully Dakota didn’t notice, and Ryan covered it up with a very believable “oh, the cord just broke.”) Eventually, Ryan suggested stopping at Camp Richardson, a beach lookout he claimed to love, with a bar nearby. The group agreed, and they walked out onto the pier to take photos. Dakota spotted a photographer taking what she assumed were landscape shots of the lake, but everyone else knew she was the proposal photographer. After some group photos, the plan was to head to the bar, but Rafael pulled Dakota aside and said he needed to talk. Dakota, still totally oblivious, tried to brush it off—until Rafael pulled her back again. Suddenly, he was on one knee, asking her to marry him. The photographer came running down the beach to capture the moment as Dakota’s jaw dropped. All she could get out was, “Are you kidding me?!” before the tears, smiles, and pure excitement kicked in. (And about that mic idea? Rafael thought it was way too cheesy and ignored it completely—classic Rafael.) The two snapped lots of engagement photos, and it wasn’t until the very end that Dakota realized she had never actually said “yes.” She laughed and told Rafael, “Oh, by the way…the answer is yes.” The celebration didn’t stop there. They rejoined friends at the bar for FaceTime calls with family, a celebratory tequila shot, and a special dinner Rafael had planned. The night ended back at the hotel bar—full of laughter, love, and even a surprise keg stand to top it all off.