Shoutout to our friends at Hinge! We were actually suggested to one another on the dating app, Hinge. Neither of us were within the distance range preference, and Chase was outside of Allyson's preferred age range- so being matched was truly serendipitous. After a month of talking back and forth via Hinge and Instagram (it was tax season, after all), we were able to meet up. Chase planned the most romantic afternoon with a picnic at a park and a trip to see the Marine Mammal Care Center. The afternoon ended up being a series of wrong turns and closed sandwich shops, but we had the time of our lives visiting various overlook spots (Allyson had never seen an LA beach before!) and visiting the Marine Mammal Care Center and Cabrillo Marine Aquarium. It took Allyson nearly an hour to realize that Chase had taken her to Torrance State Beach to watch the sunset, and not just because he was nervous. But that was kind of how the night went. Chase just kept coming up with new things to do and new ways to keep the date going. We ended the night with a truly awkward hug at the end of his oddly long driveway, and the rest, as they say, is history.

*Allyson's Perspective* To be fair, I had an idea something was going on. I knew the ring had been purchased, we'd talked about getting married, but I had no idea when he'd propose. We'd gone camping for the entire week prior and it had rained nonstop. Coming home a day early, I decided to plan a late surprise for my mom's birthday and invite my brother, his wife, and their babies to Disneyland with us. I thought I was so clever planning a cute surprise- but they were all planning something so much sweeter. Just after the castle lit up, Chase asked to have our photo taken in front of it. Being that it was one of the first nights of the castle's Christmas light show, the front of the castle was PACKED. Like, we had to bump through all the people just to get to the other side. I was willing to wait until another time, but Chase was persistent. He and Bianca (my SIL) picked a spot on the side of the castle, and my mom called over a couple of Disney photographers. I thought it would be a cute moment to get engaged, but I didn't catch on until Chase took out his phone to FaceTime his family (who were outside the park!). There were tears and some words that I couldn't quite make out, but the moment was perfect and beautiful and I said YES to the man of my dreams at our favorite date spot! We went to Downtown Disney for dinner with Chase's family and celebrated the most perfect evening before venturing back for the fireworks show- though my ring was arguably the sparkliest part of the night!

We were married on December 18, 2020 in a beautiful ceremony overlooking a marina in Huntington Beach. We had gone through three venues, in three cities, and three total COVID lockdowns prior to our wedding date, so to finally be married was an absolute dream. We invited only members of our families who were older than 21, and kept distancing and COVID-safety protocols in place (until Kelsey requested a song and got all our booties on the dance floor). Nobody contracted COVID after our wedding, and we were very grateful for the health of our guests. Our wedding was truly the most beautiful day of our lives. We were surrounded by so much love, both from those in attendance, those in virtual attendance, and everyone else involved! The day truly went off without a hitch and every bit of the event was just beautiful. We are grateful to be married and to have had each other through the total mess that 2020 was. Thankfully, 2021 has already brought so much change. We have both been fully vaccinated (as of Valentine's Day, so romantic) and are looking forward to the rest of our families getting theirs as well. As cases continue to drop, it has given us hope that our 2nd wedding (12/18/21) will be even more fun, even more beautiful, and even more safe for our families! We can't wait to see you all there!