Colorado was the unlikeliest meeting place for two coastal babies: Katie from the West Coast outside of Los Angeles, and Brian from the East Coast in New Jersey. Katie grew up loving the Dodgers and the Hollywood Bowl (and any other live music venue), frequenting the amazing beaches and scenery of Southern California, and making amazing memories with family and friends. Brian grew up eating the best pizza and bagels, playing tennis all the time, and enjoying his family’s fantastic backyard BBQs and pool. And truth be told, neither of us predicted that we’d both move to Colorful Colorado and fall in love. Brian originally was drawn to the sunny beaches and boating in Florida when he was younger, but ultimately became an avid hiker as an escape from working in NYC. After every hike, he truly appreciated the power of nature and its impact on his physical and mental wellbeing. Colorado became a natural choice for his next move, and after just a few visits to Denver, he took the plunge and bought a house over FaceTime in February 2021. Katie, meanwhile, was enjoying life in beautiful San Diego. She found peace in her walks by the water and cherished her proximity to so much of her family. Katie’s path to Colorado came through her job, though: a Colorado company proposed that she transition from remote work to their office in Denver. She didn’t hesitate, somehow knowing it was just the move she needed in her life, and headed east in February 2022. Thanks to Bumble, we met within just two weeks of Katie’s move. We went on our first date at a small wine bar (Vin Rouge–shameless plug and you should absolutely go when you’re in Denver). Although it had been just minutes since meeting, we immediately knew that this meeting would be different from all the other dates in the past. We took things slow and stayed friends for the first two months, but who were we kidding? We couldn’t imagine spending even just a few days straight without each other. Our dates and adventures were full of energy and humor and love, and to this day, neither of us have been bored. In May of that year, we took our first trip together to the Andaz Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona. Brian booked the room, and despite still being ‘friends,’ booked a room with one King Bed (so sue me). We both craved some pool time, delicious drinks and food, and the beautiful mountain and desert scenery in the background. We didn’t waste much time: less than 48 hours after landing in Phoenix, we made things official and declared our love for the first time (with the added bonus that Brian got a job offer at Google that same weekend). The universe must’ve known we had amazing potential as well: at the airport on the way back, a Clear employee asked Katie if she’d like to join Brian’s family plan membership. The whole way home, we joked about how we became family that same weekend. Suffice it to say, things got serious, pretty quickly. The Andaz resort became one of our most treasured places. Ever since that trip, we’ve made some incredible memories in Colorado and around the world–trips all over the country for family and fun, plenty of Rocky Mountain adventures, and a bigger trip to London, Bruges, and Amsterdam. We became inseparable. In April 2023, Brian surprised Katie with a weekend back to the Andaz Resort in Scottsdale and proposed after a beautiful day at the pool and a few rounds of Monopoly Deal (our favorite card game). The weekend was perfect, and if you know her, you can only imagine how many tears Katie shed (could her heart be any bigger?). With our special connection to this Scottsdale resort, we couldn’t think of a better place to celebrate our wedding and can’t wait for all of you to join us!