It all started with a DM. Jordan had just moved to California from Prince George’s County, Maryland in order to pursue law school. Bored and lonely in this new state, she downloaded the Hinge app in an attempt to make new friends. She wasn’t looking for anything serious, but was open to exploring promising connections to see where they might lead, whether that be a romantic relationship or a friendship. As she swiped through the app, she came across a beautiful woman named Maranatha, so she reached out and expressed an interest in getting to know her better. Maranatha had recently returned home to California from her college study abroad program, where she had spent three years studying in Germany, Australia, then Japan. She was building a new life for herself as she readjusted to life back home and, just like Jordan, wasn’t looking for anything serious. She responded to Jordan’s DM, and after exchanging a few messages, decided to ask Jordan out on a date just to see what she was about. After that first date, Jordan and Maranatha became inseparable. Maranatha would make the long drive from Long Beach to Malibu to visit Jordan on her law school campus. They discovered their shared love of music as they sat in Jordan’s car taking turns playing their favorite songs for each other. They took walks to the park or the beach and just generally enjoyed one another’s company. Although they both agreed they weren’t looking for anything serious, naturally, the relationship got progressively more serious and they decided to make things official. They fell deeper in love as they traveled to countries like Brazil, Costa Rica, and the Bahamas. They attended concerts featuring live performances from the same artists they used to listen to together while sitting in Jordan’s car. After a couple years of this, they began to discuss plans for marriage. By then, they knew they wanted to be with each other for the rest of their lives. However, Jordan was close to graduating law school and studying for the bar exam. If they were going to do this, they wanted their precious union to receive all the time and attention it deserved. They agreed to postpone their plans until after Jordan graduated law school and took the bar. When Jordan finally took the bar exam some months later, Maranatha proposed a weekend trip to Palm Springs to celebrate. Little did Jordan know, she would return from that trip an engaged woman. With the help of her sisters Charity and Rhyzan, Maranatha planned a beautiful proposal for Jordan. When they returned to their private villa in Palm Springs after dinner that night, Maranatha told Jordan to close her eyes and led her by the hand to the backyard of their suite. When Jordan opened her eyes again, she was greeted by beautiful decorations displaying the words “Will you marry me?” Laughing uncontrollably in surprise and overwhelmed with love, Jordan kissed Maranatha and said “Yes.” Though Maranatha proposed first, Jordan had something up her sleeve too. She arranged to have Maranatha’s family present for her own proposal in a Los Angeles rose garden. Maranatha was under the impression that they were simply going for a cute date, though she did have her suspicions about what was really going on. Those suspicions were confirmed as they entered the Rose Garden and saw Jordan’s brother, Isaiah, playing their favorite love songs on his saxophone. He and Jordan’s sister Kai had flown in from the East Coast to witness the event. As both of their families popped out from behind the bushes, Maranatha was truly surprised and overjoyed. She agreed to be Jordan’s wife. Excited to embark on this new journey, Jordan and Maranatha began planning their wedding. They gathered their closest family and friends to join their wedding party and invited everyone who had significantly touched their lives in some way. Their excitement grew as they picked out colors, flowers, and dresses, and counted down the days until their happily ever after.