Like most modern stories, ours began on Hinge. She showed up late to our first date, and I was fully expecting an apology. Yet, for some reason, it never came. Instead, I had called her “girl” a few times over text, and she showed up expecting me to apologize. Naturally, we ended up dancing through the night. As time went on, she became the fourth person in my newly bought house, just behind my parents, and just as naturally, they hit it off right away. After a night out at the Legion, Maria did something no one else ever had: she got my parents to play board games, something my dad normally wants nothing to do with. Seeing how easily she fit into my family, I knew I loved her. A year goes on and our first Christmas together is in her home town Pereira, Colombia. Even though my Spanish is muy mal, it didn’t make a difference, I was treated as part of la familia. Not long after Colombia, she moved in. While the Swiftie obviously came with a cat named Enzo, who is very much a part of the family, we also got a Portuguese Water Dog named Louie. While he did have a problem with the munchies that one time, he has been the best addition to the family we could have hoped for. As our story continued, we traveled to Cartagena, Colombia. To Maria, this was a fun weekend getaway, but what she didn’t know was that I was quietly carrying a bigger question with me. Whether it was the energy, history, or colors of Cartagena, it was there that I realized I could love her anywhere around the world. Without hesitation, I asked, “Will you marry me?”. And now, here we are. One year apart from the day of that proposal, we’re beyond excited to celebrate our marriage in the same place, on the same date, in her home country. This is our story so far, and we are so thankful to have you be a part of it. -Max