...Church Bar in Baltimore, to be precise. After Maddi (accidentally) ghosted Ali for two weeks, we set up a date on a cold February night in 2023 at Church Bar in the Station North neighborhood of Baltimore, MD. When we locked eyes for the first time, we both felt the spark, and what was meant to be "just a drink" turned into us closing down the bar, talking for hours about just about everything. The spark we felt that night has only grown with time and distance - we can certainly attest that absence does make the heart grow fonder! As you know, Ali was preparing to graduate from the UMD School of Medicine in May 2023, and went on this date not thinking she'd find her future wife three months before moving across the country - oops! The looming long distance made us decide right away whether or not we were in this for the long haul, and clearly, we were. Maddi met Ali's family about two weeks into us dating, and Ali met Maddi's family within the first month. We had conversations about marriage, children, careers, dreams, fears, and core values within those first three months that take many couples years to have, and it has made us a strong pair from the beginning. When Ali moved to Sacramento in May 2023, Maddi had already decided that she was going to follow suit - she just needed some more time to close out her Baltimore chapter after more than three decades of calling the city home. So our long-distance relationship began, and our new normal became talking on the phone for hours every night. Over the course of our relationship, we have gone down countless Wikipedia rabbit holes together, scoured restaurant menus and done virtual tours of hotels around the world, racked up more "Real Housewives of New Jersey" watch parties than Ali would probably care to admit, and soaked up every last detail of each others' day to day lives. We also planned frequent trips to make sure we had quality time in-person together on a semi-regular basis. In addition to making memories in Baltimore and Sacramento, we've soaked in the natural hot springs in Virginia, rung in Maddi's 30th birthday in NYC, eaten lobster rolls in Portland ME, spent Christmas Eve at Disneyland, gotten on the wrong train en route to a Broadway show (and ended up with a surprise pit stop in DC), perused historic grave sites in Boston, and celebrated Ali's successful first year of residency in Lake Tahoe with their closest friends at UC Davis. In late June, before arriving at Lake Tahoe, Ali drove Maddi to a picturesque lavender farm in the Capay Valley. We walked through the fields of lavender, the gentle buzzing of the bees providing the perfect background music for gazing at the rolling golden hills surrounding us and breathing in the sweet floral scent in the air. After Ali asking for the hundredth time, "when are you gonna marry me?" and Maddi joking for the hundredth time, "you need to get me a ring first," Ali got down on one knee, presented a stunning lavender sapphire ring to Maddi, and popped the question for real - of course, Maddi said yes! Maddi knew right away that she wanted to propose back to Ali. She hatched her plan over the next few months, and then in early September, with the help of her friends and the staff at Hotel Revival, she pulled off a surprise proposal in the exact spot where Maddi met Ali's family for the first time! She arranged six bouquets of flowers by hand to create a "field of flowers" of their own, with panoramic views of the city where we first fell in love serving as the backdrop for this magical moment. Ali was totally taken by surprise, and said yes as Maddi slid the art deco-inspired emerald ring on her finger! True to our relationship's roots, we are hosting two wedding celebrations - a disco dance party in Baltimore, MD, and a more intimate garden ceremony in Redondo Beach, CA - so that we can celebrate our love from coast to coast, and we are thrilled to invite our friends and families to join us!