When I met Haley I knew she was one of a kind. Since we’ve been together I have had to travel so much for training and an entire military deployment, but she stuck by my side and gave me so much love through everything. I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her, so honestly, the elopement was just a formality. I just couldn’t believe that I had gained such an incredible person in my life and had been accepted into such an amazing, loving family. It meant a lot that my family was so accepting of Haley, too. As her grandparents did when they got married, we promised each other that we would never stop growing together and loving one another. We plan to build our future together, one step at a time. Maybe not in the most conventional order, but its our order and it was special and wonderful for us.

The very first night we met, when I finally caved and gave Christian my number, his first text to me was, “it’s your future husband.” Little did we know that there would be any truth behind this little pickup line. Throughout the past two years, we stuck together through deployments, night shifts, and quarantines. We experienced life together, including growing together as a couple and in the gym. We turned into a party of three when we got Nike, our dog, back from my sister. We dreamt about the future, where we wanted to live, what we wanted our wedding to be like, what we wanted to have a career in. On Wednesday, May 27, Christian and I went down to the beach and with a plastic ring, he got down on one knee and asked to spend the rest of our lives together. Without hesitation, I replied with an enthusiastic “yes!” Once we got home that night, we were taking about when to do it, we could wait a week for my sister to get home, we could wait a month for his mom to be able to come, we could wait three months for my brother to be able to come, a year for my mom to be able to come, three years be done with school…the waiting game might never end. By the end of the night, we decided it was not about “the right time” or “the big party,” but about our love and commitment. We decided we did not want to wait another second and would get married as soon as possible! In two days, we planned the elopement. A group of 25 people came from near and far, were present on FaceTime, and were there in spirit. On May 30, 2020, we both said “I do,” and it was the best day of our lives. I’m so lucky I get to call Christian my husband and spend the rest of my life with him.

Haley is my best friend and has been for 18 years. We’ve always had each other’s backs through thick and thin. She’s a beautiful, loving, genuine, and intelligent woman. I love how Haley sets goals for herself and constantly achieves them. One of my favorite memories with her was when we took a road from New Orleans to California after she graduated. That trip we stopped in Vegas and went to a male strip show. There was no one else I would have rather been there with. It was like we had her bachelorette party two years early. If only we knew she was going to be married in a few years, she could have worn her “bride to be” sash and gotten a free lap dance. The day she told me she was dating Christian, I was incredibly excited for her. She was full of joy and always lit up when talking about him. From the time they started dating to the day they got married, they’ve gone through so much. I had heard about their long-distance struggles, but every obstacle they were thrown, they overcame. That is when I knew they were perfect for each other and could get through anything. When I met Christian, I felt as if I had already met him because of all the amazing things I’ve heard about him. Immediately I felt comfortable with him and in the first ten minutes of meeting him, we already started making fun of each other. He is kind, charming, funny and always put a smile on Haley’s face. I saw what an incredible man he is and the perfect couple they are together. Christian exceeded all the expectations I had, and I was so happy they found each other. They challenge, inspire, and motivate each other in a positive manner. They both make each other a better person. The day she told me she was going to get married, I bought a plane ticket and flew out the next day. Their wedding was magical, and I am so happy I was there to witness their love story continue forever. I wish you a lifetime full of happiness and love, and I am excited to watch your marriage grow stronger every day.

I met Christian, (Ritter as I’ve always known him) in the summer of 2017, while we were both stationed together during A school in Pensacola Florida. We were roommates for only a few months, but out of those few months I gained not just a best friend but a brother. Ritter is one of the best people I’ve had come into my life. If I know anything about Ritter it’s how genuinely cool of a person he is. He’s also really good at convincing you of things you don’t want to do, which is how I ended up with my first tattoo and probably how he tricked Haley into dating him. Ritter is truly a great guy, a great friend, and will be even better husband.
When Ritter told me he had started dating someone I was a little surprised. But when he told me the story of how him and Haley met, I could tell how happy and he was, and I was just as happy for him. Every time we talked; he was always talking about Haley. 
The first time I met Haley I immediately saw what he loved about Haley. She is funny, smart, easy going, and she has incredible goals for herself. She was so nice and welcoming to me. It was almost like I knew her, and we were already friends. She really is Ritter’s better half. And when I got to see them around each other, you could just tell they were perfect for each other. So, when Ritter called me a few months later and told me they were getting married I couldn’t have been happier for them. I unfortunately could not attend the wedding, but I saw the pictures and it looked like the perfect day for the perfect couple. I’ve heard that marriage isn’t about who you want to spend ‪Saturday night‬ with, it’s about who you want to spend all day Sunday with. Well, my brother Christian has found that person. I wish you both a lifetime filled with love and happiness together.

Once upon a time, on the 22nd night of September, a young girl, Haley Gross, was going as a plus one of her friend Cloi Crider to a house warming party for a newly wed couple. The two girls drove down to Oceanside ready to enjoy the beach for the weekend and meet some cool people at the party. Across town, a cute marine, Christian Ritter, had decided to attend a party his coworker was throwing to show his support. He was not enthusiastic about going out, but his friends convinced him to go. …you know how this part of the story goes, guy meets girl, guy tries to get girl's number, guy was just charming enough to get her number that night (it was mostly his pretty eyes). The next day, we had planned to meet at the beach for our first date. We spent the day playing in the water, getting very sunburnt, and getting to know each other. They grew to love each other, to be there for each other, and to support each other more than anyone on this planet. Now they will live happily ever after…

After we decided to get married as quickly as we could…in a quarantine…we had to hurry to get all of the details together. Haley’s dad was the only person who knew about the wedding at this point because Christian had asked his permission for the engagement. Originally, our plan was just to do a courthouse wedding, but once Haley’s dad, her stepmom, and her stepsister said they would drive down for the wedding, we decided to move it to the beach to make it a bit more special. So after telling our families, we invited a few more people to our intimate event to make it a bigger celebration. After figuring out the marriage license, finding an officiant, order flowers and a cake (or 4), we decided to tell a few more people. Thank you Nico for agreeing to photograph and Jordan for taking the video so that others could be included in our special day remotely. I found a dress on eBay and Christian got some clothes from Target and within 2 days, out courthouse wedding had turned into a spontaneous, magical experience!

First of all, we would like to thank our parents. You have all been so supportive through this and we love you. Leila and Dad, thank you so much for helping make this day happen, making sure we had not one, but four cakes and getting the most wonderful Cafe Rio catering with delicious margaritas. Shantia, my maid of honor, you have stuck with me through everything and I am so incredibly grateful you hopped on a plane to be here so last minute. Madison, you and your family contributed so much to the ceremony, but you were so crucial in making sure I had everything I needed on my wedding day. Mercedes and Nico, thank you for the incredible photographs and for being on time. To the rest of our wedding party and guests, thank you for making it to our spontaneous day, whether in person or virtually. And to everyone who was caught by surprise after, thank you for your support and understanding, we love you all!

Haley is excited to start school at Chapman University Fowler School of Law in August. Christian will still be in the Marine Corps for a few more months, but gets out in November. He is eager to start school in the spring and explore his options for his future. Next summer, they plan to Honeymoon somewhere tropical and relaxing for their first anniversary. Together, they will continue to grow and learn together through school and experiences.