Aloha and welcome to our wedding page! We're so excited you're here and we look forward to celebrating with you whether it's near or far. We understand the travel can be a bit lengthy but we wanted to enjoy a smaller destination wedding in tropical Hawaii. Our story reminds us of some elements heard before: it happened by chance and over time. The journey to find love is not an easy one...there's twists and turns, redirection, and the hope that one day our person would be revealed to us. In our time of waiting, we spent those years working on ourselves, self-reflecting, living life, encountering and making lasting friendships, learning from mistakes along the way to ultimately lead us to a partnership that felt most beautiful and natural. As we share our stories, we appreciate the paths that God gave us to cross into each other in a way we didn't expect! CHRISSY: To share our story is my favorite one! I constantly prayed to God for patience in my season of waiting until I attended one retreat where a testimony shared, "it's okay to pray for what you want amongst praying for others and the world". Upon hearing that, I swapped my prayer requests of patience to asking the Lord for someone special if it was meant to be. I never thought I would meet the love of my life in this lifetime from how difficult it was to date or find someone that appreciated me and my quirky side. Those that are actively dating know the struggle it is to find someone and my heart goes to them because everyone deserves a love that feels secure, joyful, and shares a common vision for the future. Mark and I met through an online dating app to which surprisingly has its success now and then. I was swiping left per usual (swiping left means no thanks, right means let's match and talk!) until I saw the most dazzling smile holding up a beer while donning a lederhosen. I thought, "hmm okay he looks friendly!" and read his biography to find some common interests we had; like being a fellow foodie, prioritizing family and friends, and enjoying a balance of gallivanting around town to cozy homebody dates of playing Hogwarts Legacy or catching up on TV shows. On our first date, we met at a local axe throwing brewery and carried conversation to the fullest while landing the occasional bullseye. With each date and time spent together, I enjoyed seeing our friendship develop into a lovely partnership. Mark continues to surprise me with thoughtful date night ideas, sincere cards, a listening ear, and whips up some of the most scrumptious meals a gal could ever ask for! I'm so happy we met and cherish each moment together. For our wedding, I cannot wait to be present in the moment with loved ones, dance the night away, enjoy yummy food, and most importantly: say "I Do" at the altar to the man of my dreams! MARK: They say when you meet the love of your life, time stops. For me, that happened on our first date. I’ll never forget that night. I was nervous, excited, unsure of what's going to happen. Then I saw her. She was sitting on a bench outside, wearing a brown tunic, with the biggest smile and the most captivating eyes. She was, and still is, the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met. We grabbed a drink, challenged each other to a competitive axe-throwing match, and talked for hours about everything and nothing. By the end of the night, I knew my life was about to change for the better. And more than anything, I knew I wouldn’t be alone anymore. What they don’t tell you is that after time stops… it speeds up. Like it’s trying to catch up. Since that first date my life with her has been full of adventures and a lot of laughs. I knew she was the one I wanted to spend forever with. When it came time to propose, I knew it had to be in the right place, at the right time. The rest is history.