The Bride and Groom Respond to Questions About Their Upcoming Wedding Day

She said: August 14, 2018. He said: Haha! Nope, August 17, 2018. But in my mind we were always engaged :)

She said: We met at a neighborhood BBQ when we were both living in Del Mar through mutual friends. He said: Well "technically" we first met at that BBQ, but I had been stalking her for months before that.

She said: It was the day before my Birthday. I knew I loved Tom after he invited me over to meet his family on Mother’s Day. I was so nervous to meet everyone but once I did it felt like home. Seeing the way he treated the women in his family with the upmost respect and care and the way he laughed and joked with his brothers and his Dad showed me how genuinely special this man really is. The way he treats those around him and the people that he loves makes him truly one of a kind. I couldn’t have picked a better partner to love and share my life with. He said: I don’t remember the exact moment, but I know it was around the time I asked her to move in. We had only been dating a few months and normally that would freak me out as it was so soon in the relationship. For whatever reason though I wasn’t scared and was excited about taking the next step with Jessica. I just wanted more of her in my life. From then on we’ve really been inseparable.

She said: We’ve had so many fun dates together and have traveled to beautiful places but I don’t think I’ll ever forget our first date. There was so much build up seeing as we both had a crush on each other for months…but someone *cough*cough* Tom couldn’t get the nerve to ask me out (love you!). Tom took me to Solterra Winery which is also a restaurant. I must have tried on 8 different outfits. The outfit didn’t even matter. I had never had someone stare so deeply into my eyes in my entire life. It made me so nervous. I remember blushing repeatedly and asking him, “what”? I could tell that my questioning made him uncomfortable when he blushed and admitted, “sorry, you’re just so pretty I can’t look away”. I didn’t want the night to end. Until…unbeknownst to me Tom had told the restaurant it was our anniversary. The waitress showed up with an elaborate cake with a candle. I almost immediately wanted to tell her it wasn’t ours but Tom insisted and smiled and said, “Happy Anniversary”. Everyone was looking and all I could do was laugh. And one year later for our one year anniversary Tom took me to that same restaurant where we actually celebrated a true anniversary. I still to this day never know what trick he has up his sleeve. He’s full of adventure and I know the rest of our lives will be the same. He said: To me it has to be Jessica’s 30th birthday in Italy. After a nice champagne brunch on the seaside in Cinque Terra we wandering around and found a lonely dingy advertising tours. Dario motored us around the five villages on our own private tour with champagne and beer, regaling us of his fishing stories and life in the villages. The weather could not have been more beautiful, and dolphins were breaching right near us! We capped off the evening with an 8 course seafood taster menu on our own private patio watching the sunset and enjoying many bottles of Chianti. It was a magical day that I’ll never forget.

She said: The quality that I admire most about Tom is his caretaker abilities. He is constantly putting everyone around him first without hesitation. He does so much for others and rarely expects anything in return. He said: I am always so proud of Jessica with how strong she is at work. Real Estate has a lot of pushy and strong personalities and Jessica has a keen sense of knowing when to be forceful or when to check her emotions and respond with professionalism. It's like she was born to do it. I also admire how creative she is, whether it's writing, decorating, or planning a party. She really takes the time to focus on the little things that make people feel special in unique and personal ways.

She said: I don't think that we got any engagement presents but the presence of our closest friends and family at my surprise engagement party was worth its weight in gold. I’ll never forget it. He said: Wait, you get presents JUST FOR GETTING ENGAGED?! All you people got off cheap! The best present for me was having Dani, Sophia, David & Anthony, my parents, and Jessica's parents help me plan and pull of a great surprise engagement for Jessica. I couldn't have done it without their help!

She said: Venue shopping! We had a lot of fun sneaking around and touring different venues until we found the one. The Omni checked all of our boxes and threw in a weekend deal for us to soak it all in and a spa day. He said: Yes venue shopping. There are so many unique and beautiful places in San Diego and it was a lot of fun just exploring these hidden gems. Each venue we went to we had a drink (or a few) at while wandering the grounds which was a fun way to spend our weekends.

She said: We’ve agreed on almost everything. I think the hardest decision for both of us was the flowers. Who knew it would be so stressful picking out something so beautiful! He said: I mean, I don't know if "agree" is the right word but we spent the most time going over the details for the flower arrangements so I hope you enjoy them!

She said: Seeing each other for the first time the day of. We opted out of a first look and decided on the more traditional ceremony and seeing each other for the first time when I walk down the aisle. Cue the tissues! He said: Yes it has to be seeing each other for the first time. Jessica has been showing people pictures of her dress for months and everyone's reaction as been the same - "Wow". I can't wait for that to come out of my mouth as well.

She said: I think I’ll have a similar feeling like when Christmas ends except I’ll be over the moon and so excited to start the next chapter of our lives together. There will be so many more milestones to come and looking forward to our #HappilyEverMachado futures together. He said: Relieved! As everyone knows wedding planning is stressful, but I think it has made us closer and prepared us for the countless other decisions we will be making as husband and wife. We are definitely looking forward to the honeymoon to relax!

She said: GREECE! We will be Island hopping in Mykonos, Santorini, and Crete. Besides the epic sunsets and sunbathing on the Mediterranean we also have plans to take a Catamaran out, go on a winery tour, and take a cooking class together. Can’t wait! He said: We are going island hopping in Greece. Both Jessica and I have been before which will take away a lot of the stress of having to see everything and we can just enjoy the beautiful Mediterranean and each other's company.