Our story began like any great wine tasting...

The story begins early in the spring of 2015. Eric found out on Facebook that Laura had accepted a position at Epic, where he worked in Madison. They were acquainted with each other through mutual friends from Tech, so he offered to help her get settled in when she moved to Madison. From there the relationship took off (literally; their first date after Laura moved to Madison was skydiving)! They both knew going into the relationship that Eric had plans to move to California, but that didn't stop them from falling for each other.

While both knew that the long-distance could go on for some time, neither anticipated two years filled with 2,000 mile flights, job searches, grad school, and constant pressure on the relationship. But the couple's perseverance eventually paid off: in the fall of 2016 Eric accepted a position at Google, and the following summer Laura accepted a position at Handshake in San Francisco. The stresses and pains of the previous two years only served to strengthen the relationship, and reaffirm to the couple that they were meant for each other. With the end of the long-distance situation in sight, they excitedly planned a cross-country road trip for July 2017 to move Laura out to the Bay Area for her new job.

After living far apart for so long, living together in close-quarters introduced it's own new challenges for the couple. And a small, hot, one-bedroom apartment certainly didn't make things any easier! But the couple faced these new challenges together, and it only served to strengthen and grow their relationship even further.

Luckily, it only took a couple months for Laura to spot the perfect place where they could live together longer-term. This officially launched the latest chapter in their lives together, and all of the California adventures that it would entail: wine tasting, cocktails, hiking, long drives along the ocean, and weekend excursions to the beach.

Two years and one dog later, Eric finally decided it was time. They had planned a weeklong trip to London and Ireland. Eric knew that Laura would anticipate a proposal, and took extra measures both before and during the trip to throw her off the scent. Finally, on the 9/5/2019, Laura and Eric arrived at Blarney Castle in Ireland. It was a beautiful day, and the castle was surrounded with lovely gardens. Eric had already decided in advance that this was the place, but he just needed to figure out the when. While strolling through the rock close, Eric noticed that they were finally away from all of the other tourists, and spotted a gate overlooking a nearby pasture. It was beautifully framed by the nearby woods, and he knew he found the right spot. He told Laura to stand by the gate so that they could take a picture together. After setting up his camera and posing for a few shots, Eric pulled her close, got down on one knee, and surprised her with the long-awaited proposal. We're so excited to share and celebrate this amazing chapter of our story with you. It's been an amazing roller coaster of a journey, but it's only the beginning. And we can't wait to adventure into the future together!