After a 7+ year engagement, we have decided to finally take the leap and get married! Even though most of our loved ones already consider us as being husbands, being registered as Domestic Partners in California does not offer all of the same rights and protections outside of the state. For that reason, we're going to make it official, and you're invited to attend (virtually, of course)! Given the timing, the ongoing COVID pandemic, and our desire to buy a home in the near future, we opted for a virtual wedding; this way, we will still be able to safely include our friends and family across the globe, and the large amount of money that we would have spent on a big wedding will be instead be used towards the purchase of a home together. We hope you can join us in our excitement, and we hope you enjoy our virtual celebration!

In an effort to connect with and share this celebration with our friends and family, near and far, we are hosting the ceremony on Zoom. Saturday, April 17, 2021 11am Pacific Time / 2pm Eastern Time / 6pm GMT DRESS-UP: We hope it will be extra special and request that you join us in dressing up (at least from the waist up)! Dust off your bowtie, shine your shoes, steam your cocktail dress, iron your shirt, and run a comb through that hair, people--it's time to celebrate, so let's make it fun! We owe it to ourselves to dress up a bit after many of us had the luxury of lounging around in sweatpants and t-shirts for over a year. ACCESS the ZOOM: You will just need to visit our website, click on the "THE CEREMONY" tab up top and then on "GO TO VIRTUAL EVENT" tab near the bottom of the page. Our video will load directly onto that page. It is also available by copying & pasting this URL into your web browser: https://www.zola.com/wedding/javier-michael/virtual/ZGD4AmDkAN TIPS---- Lighting: Have windows/bright lights in front of you instead of behind you so we will be able to see your faces! Sound: We will have all guests mute their mics for the duration of the ceremony. Distance: Keep camera at least 2 feet away from your face. If you're still new to video calls, you may want to do a practice run beforehand.

We love celebrating things, and while we can celebrate together, we hope you will indulge us with a celebratory toast immediately following the ceremony. The best part about this virtual toast is that you can toast with whatever your favorite beverage may be at the moment! Champagne? Perfect! A nice cold microbrew? Also a great option! Fireball shots? Definitely not our first choice at 11:30am, but hey, it's the weekend (and we don't judge)! You can also make one of our favorite go-to cocktails, if you'd like. Below are our personally-crafted recipes for them (which we will likely be indulging in ourselves): JAVIER'S OAXACA OLD-FASHIONED - 1.5 ounces reposado tequila - 0.5 ounces mezcal - 1 teaspoon agave nectar - 1 dash Chocolate bitters or Angostura bitters - Strip of orange peel with pith, one inch wide DIRECTIONS: Combine liquids in a cocktail shaker with a generous handful of ice. Stir until well chilled. Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice. Top with twisted orange peel. MIKE'S PALOMA MENSAJERA - 2 ounces blanco tequila - 2 ounces fresh grapefruit juice, plus wedges for garnish - 1 ½ ounces ginger beer - ½ ounce lime juice - 2 dashes of grapefruit bitters - ¼ ounce agave nectar or simple syrup - Coarse sea salt, for the rim of the glasses - Crystallized ginger pieces for garnish - Ice DIRECTIONS: Salt the rim of a highball glass by rubbing a grapefruit wedge around the edge and dipping it onto a small plate of salt. Add tequila, grapefruit juice, ginger beer, lime juice, bitters, and agave nectar/simple syrup into the glass and stir. Fill the remainder of the glass with ice. Adjust sweetness to taste. Garnish with grapefruit wedge and crystallized ginger. Enjoy!

Javier and Mike met in Santa Barbara on February 16, 2012. Javier had just returned to Santa Barbara after spending a month in Southeast Asia (he was on a journey to figure out what was next in life) and Mike was soon to finish his BFA in Professional Photography at Brooks Institute. After a couple of weeks of chatting on a dating app where they had met, they decided to meet in person at Elsie's Tavern, a cash-only locals bar with board games and an artsy feel in Downtown SB. It was a cold evening, and Javier arrived to Elsie's a few minutes early and remembered they only took cash, so he headed to the ATM. On the way, Javier spotted a man in the crosswalk wearing a tan leather jacket and realized it was Mike. He called out to him; but Mike, not recognizing this man from his photos, thought he was being catfished and pretended to ignore him. (Of note: Javier can grow a pretty full beard in a month, and he had just returned from Thailand with a version of it. Also, because it was a cold Santa Barbara evening, Javier was sporting a knitted beanie and a VERY suspicious-looking black trench coat). After hearing Javier call his name a second time, Mike shot a cautious but hopeful smile, and they walked to the ATM for cash. They eventually walked back to Elsie's and enjoyed a long conversation over drinks, discussing the various adventures their lives had taken them on, talking about the many places they had each visited, and learning about the other person's upbringing. Even though neither one of them was looking for a serious relationship at the time (they actually both were considering moving out of Santa Barbara in the near future), they had basically moved in together just a few short months later. By January 2014, just a few weeks before the second anniversary of their first meeting, they were engaged.

Javier planned a birthday trip to Denver loaded with surprises for Mike for his 34th birthday. These surprises included a little skiing trip in Breckenridge and breaking bread with friends from all different chapters of Mike's life. What Javier didn't plan was Mike finding out long in advance that they were flying to Denver--even the exact dates and times of travel--because Javier had purchased the plane tickets with their joint checking account. So, with the organized help of some close friends and family, Mike planned a surprise proposal to occur at the Santa Barbara Airport as soon as they landed. You can watch how the engagement unfolded at the link below: https://www.facebook.com/605001452/videos/10151945588021453/