“The greatest adventure is what lies ahead."

Our story begins on Hallows Eve 13 years ago, which sounds a lot spookier than it was. Ashley wore a Batgirl costume, and sweet Edward was enamored. He was in a straight jacket, and she wanted to be a therapist... coincidence? Ready-made joke/life lesson about how we don't "fix" our partners? You decide. In any case, she thought he was cute. They each approached Kirsten (Edward's sister and Ashley's friend) individually at that Halloween party to inquire about each other, but Kirsten warned them both of their significant differences. What Ashley took as admonition, Edward took as a challenge. He persistently suggested a date, and figuring that date wouldn't matter for anything like a future anniversary because they had such different world views, she agreed to a first date on 9/11/10 (now affectionately known as their Disaster-versary). They dated casually for about 6 months the first time, remained close friends after that separation, and dated on and off for 7 more years. In 2017, Ashley realized she wanted to marry her best friend. Edward had wavered less in that knowledge. By 2018 they were building a life together complete with dogs, cats, and reptiles. And now... "the greatest adventure is what lies ahead."

Edward recreated one of their best Disaster-versary dates with a couples massage (!), dinner at Nirvana Grille, and a walk at Thalia Street in Laguna Beach. He got down on one knee in the sand, and while Ashley couldn't see his face or the ring, he mispronounced her name, and asked her to be his wife! It was perfectly imperfect. Her Ring: Moonstone in a 1930's white gold antique setting. The following night, egalitarian as ever, Ashley proposed right back (to Mr. Edward "Lorenzo") with a special at-home anniversary dinner and personalized gifts, including a pumpkin with an L and laurel wreath (connected to our name meaning: “From Laurentum, The City of Laurels). His Ring: The One Ring, forged in the fires of Mount Doom.