Kayla and Eli had been working together for a year, and they both had a huge crush on each other. They would play the occasional game of Portal 2 together and talk for some time after, and Kayla had asked Eli out on a date which he didn't realize was a date, but both were too nervous to confess to each other. One September day, Kayla asked Eli to join a large group of friends for drinks in Seattle's Pioneer Square after work. (He had to cancel some WoW plans, but he kinda liked Kayla better. Just a little.) Our group of 20 made its' way down 1st Ave from J&M Cafe to Flatstick Pub, trying whisky sours, bourbons, and stouts along the way. Eventually 11:45 rolled around, most of the group had gone home, and the last train was going to leave soon. Eli had offered to walk Kayla to the train station. At that moment, Kayla asked Eli to stop at 2nd and Main St. under a street light, and opened her heart to him. Eli was so moved that he went in for a first kiss, and then a second shortly after, which was the blossom of their serious relationship.
Kayla's family is some of the most varied on Earth. They are hardy, numerous, and care greatly for her. So it was no surprise one of her older brother's first actions was to give Eli a stern talking to in the bathroom of a hotel in the middle of the introduction dinner- but that went out the window when Eli pointed out Kayla's ownership of a readily-available 12-gauge. In all seriousness, Kayla's family is wonderfully supportive of our relationship. Her immediate family was incredibly welcoming and continually makes Eli feel welcomed and, plainly, just another member of the family. Her brothers and sister have never made him feel uncomfortable and include both of us in everything. Eli feels lucky to have met all the good, hardworking, and thoughtful Heard family members. Even in our differences, there have been some respectful conversations with different perspectives. Regardless of background, Eli is glad to have met Kayla's family and only wishes he could see them more.
Eli comes from a very accomplished, educated, and organized family who started from humble beginnings, but used their intelligence and hard work to plant companies, products, artwork, and bright ideas across the world from Washington to Europe. So, it made her unbelievably happy when they welcomed her with open arms - literally! Eli introduced Kayla to the Rising side of the family over Christmas, where she arrived to find that all his aunts and uncles had wrapped presents for her and included her in the agenda for the Annual Rising Christmas Games. (She got a kick out of putting on reindeer antlers and letting people throw hoops on them.) She came down with a migraine later that night, which led to Eli missing out on the festivities while they sat in a dark room. When they came out, all of Eli's family members took turns giving Kayla a hug and offered water and medicine to help her feel better. At that moment, it really felt like she had found the second half of her family. Kayla met the Dice side of the family while visiting Gramps (Dick Dice) in his care facility. Once Gramps declared that he liked Kayla due to her open heart and firm handshake, she was accepted into the family with open arms. That was only the first of many visits we'd spend at Gramps' home, sharing stories, pictures, and updates about our life together. Kayla feels so happy to be part of a family where so many people have kind and accepting hearts, and is looking forward to seeing her family officially join with Eli's at the wedding.
In November 2019, Eli had started planning for a big family get together in the summer of 2020 for a "special event", but of course, the world decided to change drastically. So instead, a nice pandemic break with the close family was set up instead, under the guise of a rare family picnic on the Heard family's private neighborhood beach in Union, WA. Of course, surprise engagements are pretty fun! But how do you keep anything a secret from your partner when you live together and are told by the health department to stay inside as much as possible? How do you even get that all-important ring? Kayla of course would have said yes with a loop of string- but to truly be a surprise, Eli was going to have to do something he doesn't usually do... PREPARE and KEEP SECRETS! After a few unfortunate delays, a couple changes because of the tide and the weather, a date of July 11th was set (it was really not supposed to be near Eli's birthday... but the sooner the better- in case Kayla happened to put away some socks and find a mysterious box). To make matters worse, hair salons were still closed, and Eli now owned TWO unruly mops. Luckily, Kayla had had some practice, and had given him a good cut a few days before the proposal! So the date arrived, the whole family innocuously meeting up for a nice lunch party at the private beach. Kayla offered to drive from Kent to Union, giving plenty of time for Eli to write his question (... I didn't say I prepared EVERYthing....). After a nervous(for Eli) lunch, the whole group went down to the beach. Eli said the following: ---------- Kayla, These past 1000 days (I checked!) have been the best of my life. You're been an amazing partner, with your intelligence, your wit, your kindness, and your love. You've helped me grow as a person, be better, and you mean more to me than anything else in the whole world. Will you marry me? ---------- She said yes!
We're really excited to see you on our big day! As you can tell, we love good food on the beach and hate taking things TOO seriously, so we've done our best to make our wedding feel like one big cosy family gathering out in nature...with fairy lights, ocean views, and wine. We hope you have a great time celebrating this next chapter of our story and the uniting of our families!