Tara and Erica met the old fashioned way: on the internet. At first glance they had too much in common to ignore. Nearby hometowns, the same university, even identical heights. Tara could sense Erica’s personality–quirks included–and knew she couldn’t let this opportunity pass. She made the first move.

What started as grabbing a simple beer turned into an hours-long conversation that persisted across 3 locations, 6 tacos, and even a few rounds of Pac-Man. At the end of the night, they had their first kiss. People cheered! No seriously. People saw them and cheered. If that’s not a sign I don’t know what is.

After that fateful night, Tara texted Erica asking, “Do you like live music and surprises?” To which Erica replied, “I love one of those things! I’m a huge fan of live music.” What followed was an evening of musical acts at a surprise venue with three surprise musicians. But Tara gave Erica a heads up, making for a wonderful evening. On their third date, they played one silly little round of mini golf. While walking around post game, they stumbled upon a lesbian wedding. A sign, yet again.

After a few months of dating, meeting friends, and an unfortunate bout of the stomach flu–ask Erica for details–it was the day before San Diego Pride. Erica and Tara were out at dinner, and Erica said these very words: “I’m really excited to go to pride with you tomorrow, BUT I’d be even more excited if I went with you as my girlfriend.” Though Tara was petrified by the start of the sentence, expecting the worst, she responded with a surprised and gleeful “Yes! I’d love that!!”

‘Twas the night before a wedding, and all through the house, not a creature was sleeping. Not Tara, nor Erica, nor even their friend crashing on the living room couch (you know who you are). They were all excitedly chatting, looking forward to celebrating the love of their very dear friends (you also know who you are). Before going to sleep, Erica felt the time was right. Time to say the things. Time to say “I love you.” (Tara said it back.)

Erica was at yet another wedding. She shared with some friends, “This is it, I’m done looking. I’ve found what I’m looking for.” She secretly started writing vows in her head.

Tara devised a master plan that started way back in January of 2025. She suggested stopping in Point Reyes, her favorite place in the world, on the way back to San Diego during their annual road trip to Seattle. Erica, blissfully unaware, agreed enthusiastically. It wasn’t until a few months later, after a trip to the jeweler, that Erica connected the dots. Upon arriving in Point Reyes, Tara bought a bottle of champagne (suspicious), packed up a phone tripod (suspicious), and seemed very upset about the fog (suspicious). She took Erica on a scenic driving tour that ended at Chimney Rock. She seemed committed to finding THE perfect backdrop for their daily sunset photo (suspicious). All the while, Erica played along. It was all set up. Erica was standing where she needed to. The tripod was perfectly positioned. Tara hit record. Tara proposed. Erica said yes. Neither of them remember what was said. Tara went back to the phone... She hadn’t hit record. Time for a re-do! The second time around the nerves were gone, Tara knew the answer would be yes, and they both could not stop laughing. The resulting video is the BEST.

Erica devised her own master plan in April of 2025. She knew that Tara would propose at Point Reyes, and wanted to do something that Tara would never expect. She decided to propose on her own birthday. Sneaky, right? She commissioned a linocut print from a local artist with one bird for each of them. A great blue heron for Tara since she is patient and calm. A house wren for Erica since she is feisty and a little over the top. She kept the linocut from the artist and used it to stamp a card, in which she wrote a heartfelt proposal letter. The morning of Erica’s birthday, Tara–who had been asking questions along these lines for days–said in one breath, “Happy birthday I love you will you propose to me before I’M 30?” not knowing that she only had to wait a few more hours. While at Erica’s 30th birthday breakfast, a friend took their spare keys and set everything up; she placed the flowers, linocut, card, and ring perfectly. Erica (surprisingly) kept her cool. That is, until they got back home, and Tara didn’t notice the display on the kitchen table in the first 3 seconds of walking in the door. She signaled with her eyes. Tara saw, Tara read, and Tara said yes.