Katie and Luis met at a wedding in Atlanta, GA. Luis's sister married Katie's cousin. At the time, Luis lived in Riverside, CA, and Katie lived in Washington, D.C. They didn't talk until a year later, when they connected through Facebook (thanks to the "People you may know" feature!). Facebook messaging led to texting, which gave way to Skyping, which evolved into long phone conversations (at which point, Katie realized that she would need to upgrade to an unlimited minutes cell phone plan!), followed by eventually meeting again in person! After a year of being long-distance, Katie moved out to California. Through many challenges of living in different states/time zones, cross-country moves, and job searches, Katie and Luis have grown in love, understanding, and appreciation for each other. Katie and Luis can't wait to share their special day with beloved family and friends who have been with them along their journey!

It was a rainy Saturday morning in February. Luis complained about the rain, mentioning that the weather app on his phone had not predicted rain for that Saturday. In her mind, Katie thought, "Chill, dude; it's been raining every few days for weeks now." The amount of rain that winter was quite unusual for Southern California, but at least the drought officially ended! Katie had a hair appointment scheduled that morning with Luis's nephew's wife, who is a hair wizard. Luis offered to come along so he could hang out with his nephew. It rained on and off throughout the day, but by early afternoon, it had finally stopped. There was mention of going to the Huntington Library and Botanic Gardens near Pasadena, CA, but Katie noted that it closed fairly early and it would not be possible to drive there and enjoy it at all before it closed. Temecula is not too far from Riverside, and the idea came up last minute to go visit a winery. During the course of the evening, Luis's hands started shaking (later he said it was due to the cold, not nervousness). He and Katie walked over to a gazebo at Lorimar Winery, where he got on one knee and proposed. The word "Yes" was exclaimed, after which Luis said "You said yes, so no take backs!" For being a last minute plan, it turned out to be a lovely and special evening. He got a beautiful diamond and had it put in the engagement ring that had been Katie's grandmother's. She had told him that if they ever got engaged, she would love to use the white gold ring that had been her grandmother's and he listened, so brownie points for that ;)