Our story begins at an iconic Oklahoma City dance and live indoor rodeo club called Cowboys. We were friends of friends who happened to be at the right place at the right time. Leah was relatively new to the city, and Hugh summoned the courage to ask her to dance. It was awkward; Leah has no recollection of this first encounter, and Hugh believed that this one-time opportunity to make a good impression had slipped through his fingers. As months went by, the pair met intermittently at get-togethers of mutual friends and found themselves bonding over their shared love of The Office and literally having the same weird sense of humor. The time between their meetings would sometimes be two weeks, or even up to eight months, but their impressions of each other stuck, and they would always pick up chatting right where they had left off. Two years after that first awkward dance, an opportunity of redemption presented itself: a group of mutual friends were once again headed to Cowboys. This time, sparks flew on the dance floor, and four days later, they went on their first date. It was clear that big things lay ahead.

It was December of 2017 when Hugh made his first trip to Orange County, California, to meet Leah’s family. It was soon after this trip that he called Leah’s twin sister, Claire, and nervously asked her blessing of his intent to marry her sister-- he later asked her Dad too, of course. From there, Hugh began the journey of engagement ring design and in March of 2018 the perfect ring had been completed. That May, Hugh and Leah traveled once again to Southern California for a friend’s wedding, and an impromptu Cote family reunion. Wanting to incorporate Family, Nostalgia, and God into this next big step in their relationship, Hugh took Leah to the grounds at the Mission San Juan Capistrano (Leah’s family parish since childhood). As they walked through the gardens, Hugh anxiously sought the perfect spot– with just enough sunlight and flowers, and just far enough away from the multitude of tourists. On a perfect side pathway, leading to the Serra Chapel, Hugh leaned in, whispered “This is REAL!” and dropped to one knee to ask the question that he had been planning to ask for months. Leah said, “Yes, of course!”and the two went into Serra Chapel, lit a prayer candle, and asked for God’s blessings on their new life to come.