We’re getting married!

Valerie and Cody first met in summer of 2019. Cody and his friend, Carey, were going to the bars in Fullerton with a group of friends. One of those people joining the group was Cookie, Valerie’s cousin, who brought Valerie along with her. Once they got to the bars, it was immediately apparent that Valerie and Cody had a connection. They spent the next few hours getting to know one another through drinks and conversation. Looking back, Valerie’s favorite part of this first night was when she ordered “mexican candy” shots, swearing to Cody that he would love them. However, when they took the shots, a look of disgust fell over both of their faces. The bartender didn’t know how to make them and they tasted nasty. Valerie worried that Cody would not want to talk to her because her taste in drinks was so bad. Over the next few months, the two would continue to hang out and go on dates until they officially started their relationship on 1/10/20. They were able to do a few fun things, including a road trip to Zion National Park, before COVID shut everything down in March of 2020. During the shutdown, they spent time together nonstop. Although it was a challenging time to be in a relationship because everything was closed, they felt that their bond grew much stronger during this time. Over the years, Cody and Valerie went on countless dates and adventures, including trips to San Diego, Nashville, and Yosemite. For Christmas of 2023, Cody gifted Valerie a trip for 2 to New Orleans. Valerie was excited to go to explore a new city just as they had before. However, Cody had unique plans for this vacation. He researched the area and secretly plotted a proposal to surprise Valerie. He hired a photographer and made reservations at a nice restaurant for brunch. The plan was all set– they would get dressed up and go to brunch, then head over to New Orleans City Park to “sight-see” before going to another reservation later in the day. However, there was a problem at brunch. Cody wasn't careful at breakfast and his eggs benedict exploded and shot all over his dress shirt. Luckily, he packed a 2nd dress shirt, but it was at the hotel. He convinced Valerie that they needed to stop at the hotel so that he could get his second dress shirt before heading over to the park. At the hotel, Valerie wanted to switch her heels for her black platform converse shoes. Cody was adamant that she could not do that, as they “would not be stopping back at the hotel to change later.” The couple settled on her wearing her sandals and they set off to the park. When they arrived at the park, Cody wanted to take a few selfies with his phone prior to their arrival at the proposal location. He took off his jacket (that had the ring in it) for the picture. As he stuck his phone out to take a selfie, Cody’s hands shook with nerves. Valerie noticed and said, “Oh my gosh, why is your hand shaking so much? Are you cold!?” Cody played along with it. However, after the picture, Valerie quickly picked up his jacket and put it over her shoulders. As calmly but quickly as he could, Cody took the jacket back from Valerie before she put her hands in the pockets. He told her that he needed it because he was cold, to which she replied, “Really? You are NEVER cold.” They took another picture a few moments later and Valerie said “Your hands are still shaking! Did you have too much caffeine?” Cody again downplayed it and they finally made it to the bridge. The couple went up on the middle of the bridge, Valerie unaware that a photographer was hired to wait on the other side. Cody again said that he wanted to take a picture, but this time of Valerie facing towards the water away from him. As she turned away and Cody got on a knee, Valerie realized what was happening. She turned back around. In the moment, Cody blacked out and forgot half of what he was supposed to say, and Valerie “ugly cried” while he was talking. On March 21st, 2024, Cody and Valerie were finally engaged to get married.