In September 2021, at the wedding of our close friends Syna and Mackenzie, Jana and Mario’s journey began. After the ceremony had been postponed multiple times due to the pandemic, everyone was thrilled to finally be celebrating—and little did we know, it would be the start of our own love story. For over a year, Syna and Mackenzie had been (not so subtly) trying to set us up, but neither Jana nor Mario was taking the bait. Then fate intervened. When a groomsman dropped out at the last minute, Mario was promoted in the wedding party and paired with Jana for the procession. From the moment we linked arms at the rehearsal, an undeniable spark was lit. That spark carried through the weekend, and the next day Jana took the bold leap and asked the question: “Do you want to hang out when we get back home?” Back in Arizona, we made plans for our first date. Jana was recovering from being sick after the wedding, but we didn’t want to miss the chance to spend time together before Mario left for a trip. So instead of going out, Mario came over to Jana’s condo, where we cooked dinner and watched School of Rock (yes, the Jack Black movie). Mario proceeded to talk through the whole movie - he was just trying to get to know her - which Jana later admitted drives her crazy. Even so, the spark was undeniable. Just three months later, we booked our first trip together to New Orleans, where we strolled through the French Quarter, talking about the future. Later that year, Mario bought a house and officially invited Joey, Jana’s cat, to move in… Jana came along too. Our relationship continued to grow, traveling together across Austin, New York City, San Diego, and even Italy. Shortly after returning from Italy, we were ready to grow our family and adopted our sweet pup, Olive. Once Joey adjusted to her new four-legged roommate, we knew we were ready for the next big step. Neither of us really care about Valentine’s Day, but in February 2025 Mario had a weekend off—which just so happened to be Valentine’s weekend. He knew this weekend was his chance to propose and suggested a trip to San Diego. Mario carried the ring with him all day, too nervous to leave it in the hotel. Jana even rested her hand on his pocket several times without realizing what was inside. That evening, Jana had planned a sunset bonfire on the beach. Just as we were walking down, the skies opened up and it started to pour. After going back for an umbrella and trying again, the crew set up the bonfire as a light drizzle lingered. As the beach goers cleared and the sunset passed, Mario realized it was the perfectly imperfect moment. With the waves crashing in front of us, he got down on one knee—and Jana said yes.