our next adventure!

The past few months have been tough for us all and recently we have had to make some really hard decisions about postponing or proceeding with our wedding. Due to new state mandates and the ongoing pandemic, we have decided to move forward with our wedding, but are limited to hosting a small ceremony with our immediate family and close friends. This is not what we envisioned for our big day and hope you understand that this is a drastic measure we never expected to have to make. We love every single person we invited to our wedding, and this is heartbreaking for us. Please hold us in your hearts on September 5, 2020 as we take our vows to each other.

We met at pharmacy school in the small town of Hilo, Hawaii. There is something about Big Island that has a way of bringing people together. What started as a close friendship grew into much more. Mike found himself chasing Melissa around the island on her spontaneous beach and hiking adventures from Makalawena Beach to Waipiʻo Valley. We fell in love. Now we are continuing our love in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. We are excited to see where our lives together take us next!

We owe it all to great timing. Mike’s parents were in San Diego at his sister, Reneé’s, after a wedding in St. Lucia. Melissa’s mother, Sylvia, and her boyfriend, Vince, also happen to be in San Diego attending a conference. We planned to go to San Diego to visit friends and family, but little did Melissa know, Mike was planning the perfect proposal. It was Sunday, the day before we were leaving to go home and it would be the last night we could get dinner with both our families. We spent the day brewery hopping with friends. All day Melissa kept insisting to Mike to make dinner reservations. Of course he doesn’t “get” the reservation until right before. The plan was go to a restaurant on the beach, get drinks and say goodbye to friends, while we wait for Sylvia and Vince to meet us after the conference. We met Mike’s parents and sister on the beach and took a bunch of family pictures. As soon as Sylvia and Vince showed up, we took one last picture. As Melissa was about to walk away, Mike got down on one knee and said “will you hike with me forever?”