We deeply appreciate you being part of this special event in our lives. Having you here with us on this meaningful day fills us with joy and gratitude. It is truly a gift to be able to bring together our families and close friends to celebrate this new chapter we are beginning together. Our wedding, small and special, was planned with a lot of love, taking into account both of our personal tastes and desires. Every detail was chosen with care, reflecting our story and what it means to us to share this unique moment. We wanted it to be an authentic day, simple yet full of meaning, surrounded by the people we love most and who have been part of our lives on this beautiful journey. Thank you for joining us in this celebration, for your support, your love, and for making this day even more memorable. We feel very fortunate to have you by our side, and we can’t wait to continue creating memories together in the future. Steven & Manuel

The night we met, was one of those magical moments that change everything. We met for the first time in a small bar in Duluth, surrounded by laughter and the hum of the city on a winter night. I was out with some friends from work, and Steven was celebrating a friend's birthday with his group. We struck up a group conversation between my friends and his friends, and I remember how easy it felt to talk to him, we suddenly weren't strangers anymore. Part of our conversation that night was about our upcoming plans and we found ourselves joking about the possibility of running into each other again in the future. As the night went on, I couldn’t shake the feeling that our meeting wasn’t just a coincidence. The laughter, the shared conversation, and the way we seemed to connect so easily… it was like everything aligned in that moment. And here we are, a year later after our one year anniversary, with that night in Duluth becoming the start of our journey together.

Our relationship has always felt like a series of small miracles—two people trying to bridge the gap between Two Harbors and Minneapolis, finding ways to be together despite the miles that separate us. Living in different cities hasn’t been easy, but we’ve made it work in ways that still amaze me. We manage to travel back and forth—sometimes twice a month, sometimes more, depending on what’s easiest for us, and sometimes plans and time weren't in our favor. There are long drives, tired eyes, and the challenge of balancing our own lives with the desire to be with each other. But there’s something beautiful about that effort—the way we’ve learned to prioritize each other in ways that make every reunion feel even more precious. When we’re together, it doesn’t matter where we are, what we’re doing, or how much time we have. Whether it’s a quick weekend visit or an extended stay, we make the most of every moment. And when we’re apart, we find new ways to stay connected—through messages, calls, and planning the next trip. Even though we’re often in different places, we’ve always been able to make our bond feel close and real. What we've built—this love that has grown despite the distance—feels more like a partnership than anything else. We’ve created a rhythm that works for us, and in doing so, we’ve discovered that love isn’t just about proximity. It’s about the trust, the understanding, and the shared commitment to being there for each other, no matter how far apart we might be.