It all started at the University of Houston's architecture school… Luis, originally from El Paso, Texas, had found his way to Houston and after a year as a graphic design major, switched over to the 5-year architecture program. Meanwhile, Gaby, from Miami, Florida, had been admitted directly into the same program. During the Spring 2019 semester, Luis spotted Gaby and gave her a top secret nickname amongst his friends… his wife. A couple months later, in Fall 2019, Luis and Gaby found themselves in the same studio. When Gaby walked into the studio classroom, a silent but urgent scheme was launched among Luis and his friends to claim her surrounding desks. Luis played it cool, choosing a seat diagonal to her. Once everyone was seated, the professor rearranged the class and placed Luis on Gaby’s right side, his friend Harbin on her left side and their friend Colin directly in front of her. The perimeter was secured. Gaby blissfully unaware. Weeks went by and Luis stuck to his "too cool for school" act until Gaby broke the ice. From late studio nights, to tailgates, and spontaneous trips, their friendship quickly grew. In January 2020, a group trip to Austin was where they realized their connection went beyond late nights spent finishing projects; they had an unbreakable bond and decided to make it official. Three months later, the world shuts down and they find themselves navigating a long-distance relationship between El Paso and Miami. Quarantine was spent with endless FaceTime calls, playing on Club Penguin, and falling asleep on the phone. Luis flew out to Miami to meet Gaby’s family who welcomed the desert boy with open arms and Gaby traveled to El Paso and Dallas to meet Luis’ family. Over the next three years, they took every studio together, even when professors warned against working on projects with their significant other. Gaby and Luis didn’t listen and they worked side by side through each design, balancing creativity, deadlines, and each other with ease. Somehow, they always made it work. After graduating in 2023, Gaby and Luis decided to move to Dallas and add a four-legged member to their team, Luka (yes, they named him before the Luka Dončić trade). Luis knew the next step but “when” was still up in the air. Gaby, the architect of her own life, "casually" took Luis ring shopping one day. A couple months later, Luis called the store, secretly purchased the ring Gaby had designed, and securely hid it in a box of his childhood wrestling figures where he knew Gaby would never look. (Although she did come close during one of her apartment deep cleans.) Under the guise of a birthday trip for himself, Luis ignored Gaby’s very practical concerns about who would watch Luka and bought tickets to Boston. Finally, in Boston, Luis secured the ring around his waist and with the secret help from Gaby’s sister, Rebe, and their friends, Shelby and Kevin, they walked to the beautiful Boston Public Garden. Shaking from excitement, Luis got down on one knee and asked the easiest question he's ever had to ask. They both blacked out after the question, but about an hour later, Gaby eventually said yes! ————————— We are so incredibly excited for this next phase of our lives and cannot wait to build our future together, starting with celebrating with all of you!