Jake and Abby met junior year of college at Southern Oregon University studying the same major, Hospitality & Tourism Management. They were study buddies in college and while a close friend knew that Jake had a crush on Abby, it went nowhere. In the years following college Jake traveled abroad to New Zealand & Australia where he worked in various high-end resorts & hotels. Abby took the event planning route and worked at a resort as a wedding planner, and then eventually moving to San Diego where she became a corporate event planner. During this time, Jake reached out to Abby to "catch up after all these years" and she kind of blew it off. After months of persistence, he finally cracked the code and they were talking on a regular basis. When Abby's work had an incentive that allowed her to use the money towards any airline, she decided to surprise Jake in Australia. She sent a postcard that said "SAN-SYD, See You Soon" and really, the rest is history! After 12 days of galivanting through Sydney and the Blue Mountains, Jake asked Abby to be his girlfriend. When she returned home to San Diego, Jake had only a few more weeks left on his visa, and decided to move to San Diego, and IN with Abby. Of course, this was supposed to be temporary until Jake found his own place, but as the story normally goes, he never left. Now, 5 years since that fateful trip to Australia, Jake & Abby bought their first home in Escondido, California (about 40 minutes northeast of San Diego). They live with their cat, Nugget, and are having so much fun renovating their 1980s home and making it their own. They love to travel (hence the wedding locale) and are so excited to see everyone and celebrate together in one of their favorite destinations.