We're getting married!

290 Cerritos Ave. Long Beach, CA 90802

https://forms.gle/vZyd4egj3ApH4rkF8

It was April of 2020 and Covid had shut us all into our homes. Our lives consisted of wondering what day of the week it was, Zoom happy hours, figuring out how to work from home, and closely monitoring Covid rates thinking and hoping we'd soon get back to "normal." For some of us single people, it also consisted of browsing Tinder and other dating apps simply trying to kill time, chat with people outside of our households, and if you were lucky, match with someone worth meeting. On April 17, 2020, Jessica worked up the courage to message me (and who knows how many other not so lucky ladies), and the rest was history.

Jessica and I designed and purchased our rings, and as soon as they were ready to be picked up, the race was on! I think a lot of us expected Jessica to propose first, especially because she had been planning the day with our friends and family for some time. I had slowly been working through different ideas, when I remembered some of the Miller clan would be coming to town soon. Knowing the importance of family to Jessica, I realized this would be a perfect weekend to propose and have the opportunity to celebrate with everyone. With her mom and sister-in-law's help, we took a trip to Catalina Island. While we were out of the house, my mom and a few friends helped my vision come to life. Upon returning to our front door, Jess and I went on a short scavenger hunt around the neighborhood to a few of our favorite spots. When we finally were directed back home, the house was decorated with candles, lights, pictures, and flower petals. I got way too nervous, forgot how to speak coherently, got down on one knee and asked her "So.... what do you think?." Luckily, there was a banner stating "Will you marry me?" hanging in the room.

About a month into dating, Emilie and I made a joke that when it comes time for proposals, I would likely be the one to pop the question first. From that conversation on, I started taking notes in my phone every time I came up with an idea for proposing to her. In September of 2020, just 6 months after we started dating, I wrote down, "Winery proposal. Day at wineries. Propose at first winery. Get to second winery with friends and family there to surprise." Fast forward almost a year later, and a winery surrounded by our closest friends and family still seemed like the perfect setting for the special day. After months of planning, being absolutely shocked by Emilie proposing to me the weekend before, and a lot of help and support from our people, I finally got to ask the question I had been eager to ask for quite some time. It was a perfect day filled with so much love and laughter and a whole lot of wine! I couldn't have asked for a better two weeks to mark the beginning of this exciting new chapter in our lives.