Kelsey and Mitchell found each other on OkCupid in July of 2019 and agreed to meet up at a local bar. On a quiet Monday night, Kelsey walked into an otherwise empty bar to see Mitchell and thought, “Oh wow, he’s even more handsome in person!” They knew from the beginning that Kelsey was moving abroad at the end of the summer. Mitchell told Kelsey that he wanted to see her as much he could before she left. As it turned out, she wanted to spend as much time as possible with him as well. For the next month and a half, they got to know each other, talked constantly, and met each other’s friends. Mitchell even met Kelsey’s parents and siblings, who adored him. There were tears when they separated and Kelsey moved to Prague in September of 2019. They didn’t know what would happen, but they agreed to continue talking as friends. Then one day, in October of 2019, Kelsey asked Mitchell if he wanted to see what this thing between them was and date long distance. To her great joy, he agreed! They video-chatted every day, early in the morning for Kelsey and late at night for Mitchell. In February of 2020, they met up in Venice, Italy. They walked along canals, sipped Aperol Spritz at tiny cafés, and kissed on ancient bridges. They traveled across northern Italy together, through the fair city of Verona, to a tiny town on Lake Como at the base of the Italian Alps. They said wistful goodbyes at the end of an idyllic first trip together. Little did they know that the pandemic was about to sweep through Europe. Kelsey flew back to California only five days before the US closed its borders. She spent Mitchell’s 30th birthday, their first as a couple, in quarantine. As the pandemic stretched on, they were grateful to be in the same place and the same bubble. In July of 2020, a year after they had first met, Kelsey and Mitchell moved in together. Throughout these difficult times, they have cared for and supported one another while falling even more in love. If there was ever a time to see what their relationship could be, the last few years have been that. They met as much of each other’s family as was safe to do during this time, and they look forward to traveling to meet the rest. On August 23rd, 2022, Kelsey and Mitchell took a trip to a local resort with a lazy river at the base of a mountain. They spent the day floating and laughing together, then took an evening hike at the top of Palomar Mountain. As they watched the sunset from the top of the mountain, Mitchell asked Kelsey to marry him. And she said “Yes!” Since then, Kelsey and Mitchell have moved across the country to Jacksonville, Florida, where Mitchell is working for the next 3 years on orders in the Navy. They plan to return to their home in San Diego, but they are enjoying being close to Mitchell’s family and childhood friends in the meantime. Mitchell and Kelsey look forward to celebrating their wedding with you in lush Florida on October 26th, 2024!