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we're getting married

Jose

Mendoza

&

Summer

Haworth

Santa Cruz

CA

September 27

2025

From Shuffle Steps to Sacred Vows

May 2017 - Our Love Story

No dating apps. No setups. No chance encounters in a coffee shop. Just a girl learning to shuffle dance… and a guy who already had it down — on Instagram. One scroll turned into five, and before she knew it, she was leaving friendly comments, trying not to sound like a total fan. Jose noticed. “Who is this girl and why is she stalking me?” Naturally, he had to investigate. He clicked on her profile and realized she lived in the Bay Area — So he played it cool and left a comment on one of her photos: “Where is this? I’ll be in the area and wanna check it out.” Smooth, right? A few months later, Summer got a message from Jose — totally out of the blue: "Hey, want to help feed the homeless tomorrow morning with a group?" An unconventional invite. But something about it felt right. Summer said yes. The next morning, she stopped at a store to buy socks and water to donate. But when she got to the checkout counter — no wallet. Gone. While Jose was texting updates, Summer was already halfway into a one-hour drive home on a search. She let him know what happened… and heard nothing back. He figured she was just a big flake. A few weeks passed. But she kept popping into his mind. So he tried again: “Want to grab a bite to eat in San Francisco?” They wandered the city together, ate some wildly disappointing vegan food, discovered their shared love for Above & Beyond, and danced down the sidewalks singing their favorite tracks. They held hands at Sutro Baths, climbed a tree at Dolores Park, and parted ways thinking, well, that was kind of magical. A few days later, Jose invited Summer on a Yosemite road trip. Without hesitation — she said yes. On the three-hour drive, they shared music, stories, and that kind of easy conversation that makes you forget time exists. Eight years later — after travels, challenges, lessons, and laughter — they’re still choosing each other. Every day. Now, they’re getting married in the Orthodox Christian Church — a union grounded in faith, connection, and the wild idea that a few Instagram comments turned into a forever kind of thing. Because yeah, it started with a shuffle… But clearly, they were always meant to move in sync.