Can’t wait for you to celebrate with us!

One of the easiest things Jon and Anna have always had in common is a love for football. So naturally, their story started because two friends (shoutout to Shaye and Eddy!) brought them together for a night of high school football at the school where Jon coaches, followed by dinner at BJ’s Brewhouse. That night, Jon laid eyes on Anna… and Anna laid eyes on the mozzarella sticks. Priorities. Jon asked about Anna afterward, clearly interested. Anna, however, had other plans — specifically, keeping him in the friend zone for an entire year. Despite Jon’s best efforts and Anna’s championship-level commitment to “just friends,” life had other plans. What started with football, good friends, and mozzarella sticks eventually turned into the beginning of our story.

Almost a year later, fate (and a little help from their friends) stepped back in. During a trip to Palm Springs with the same group, Shaye and Eddy were quietly working behind the scenes, determined to finally bring Jon and Anna together; and this time, it worked. Apparently all it took was a man with a guitar serenading them at Blue Coyote, a shared plate of fajitas, a pitcher of Cadillac margaritas, and a crowded dance floor. As it turns out, football wasn’t the only thing they had in common. Later that night, after a full evening out, Anna was in the kitchen refilling her emotional support water bottle when she and Jon found themselves talking. That’s when Jon finally asked, “Can I take you on a date now?” They stayed up talking for the rest of the night. Anna had to leave early the next morning for another event, secretly wondering if Jon would actually text and follow through. Of course, he did.

Their first date took place in the Valley at LA CAVA. For Jon, choosing an Italian restaurant for a first date with a girl who grew up with a Nonna was certainly a bold move. The pressure was on. Anna, meanwhile, was doing what any reasonable person would do before a first date, consulting basically every friend she had about what to wear. Jon, on the other hand, got ready about fifteen minutes beforehand. Different approaches, same destination. They met at the restaurant, ordered wine, and this is where Anna’s inner wine-o really got to shine. Between the laughs, easy conversation, and a genuinely great night, something felt different. By the end of dinner, neither of them had any interest in dating anyone else. The apps were deleted, and the next date was already being planned before the check even hit the table.

Our engagement story says everything about who Jon is: thoughtful, intentional, and always paying attention to the little details. He listens when Anna talks, remembers everything, and somehow always knows how to make her smile. While Anna was busy celebrating everyone else; bachelorette trips, girls weekends, and friends getting married, Jon was quietly planning for months behind the scenes. He asked for her dad’s blessing, picked out her dream ring, enlisted her best friends, and planned the perfect proposal at an overlook at Daou Winery in Paso Robles. On a very windy day (which made for great drama and questionable hair conditions), Jon got down on one knee in one of Anna's favorite places. And somehow, the surprises weren’t over yet. Waiting nearby were Anna’s mom and Jon’s parents, hiding in plain sight the whole time. The celebrations continued exactly the way they would have wanted: exploring downtown Paso Robles with a tiki bar, shopping, a speakeasy, and ending the night soaking in the excitement of the start of their next chapter together doing cowboy karaoke! It was thoughtful, personal, perfectly planned… and an easy “yes.” 💍🍷❤️