Ben and Michel met while working at a restaurant in Downtown San Diego. They didn’t notice each other for the first few months, but once they did (Ben changed his hair), the fireworks began! Everything changed one Halloween when Ben asked Michel to go on a hike at Torrey Pines. A hike that was only supposed to be 2 hours turned into 4 hours, and before they knew it, Michel cancelled the plans she had with her friends that night so that she could spend more time with Ben. One afternoon while they were working, a guest started a conversation at the hostess stand about a romantic steakhouse called Mr. A’s. He ended up asking Ben and Michel if either of them had been there before, and they said, “No.” The guest proceeded to tell Ben that he should take Michel there for dinner, and Ben said he would. It then became a running joke between Ben and Michel. Anytime Ben asked for something, Michel would respond with, “Where’s my dinner at Mr. A’s?” On December 1st, Michel got her wish and what began as a playful joke became the setting for their first kiss. Since that day, they have been inseparable and have never looked back. They love traveling to National Parks (they’ve been to 30+ so far!) and discovering new places together. Some of their favorite memories are from adventures they never planned but simply stumbled into. You often won’t find one without the other nearby. Anytime someone sees Ben or Michel by themselves, they inevitably ask, “where’s your other half?” They are alike in as many ways as they are different, and they both bring out the best in each other.

Ben planned a romantic proposal while they were on vacation in Florida, but as we all know, things don’t always go as planned. Ben’s original plan was to propose at Fort Tortuga National Park, an island off the coast of Florida, since National Parks are a special place for them. Ben tried to plan ahead, but when he tried to make a reservation for the island, he realized they were fully booked until the following year. In Michel’s eyes, Ben is the sweetest, most patient, and easy-going person in the world. Therefore at the time, she couldn’t understand why Ben was so upset that they couldn’t go to that specific National Park or why he didn’t want to just find an alternative place to visit while in Florida. Ben eventually found another Island off the coast of Florida where he could propose and planned to do it in front of a light house. Not only was it cold, windy, and looking like it would rain that day, but when they got to the island, Ben quickly discovered that the access to the light house was closed that day. His proposal plans once again seemed ruined. Once more, Michel could not understand why Ben was so upset over a light house. He was so upset that, all she wanted to do was make him feel better. She started suggesting other places they could go and different things they could do. But the more she suggested other activities, the more frustrated Ben seemed to get. After walking up and down the boardwalk several times, they noticed that there were people behind the locked gate near the front of the lighthouse. Ben then demanded that they explore the island a little bit more. Miraculously, they found an entrance at the end of the island which led right in front of the lighthouse. And on January 29th 2022, Ben finally got down on one knee and asked Michel to marry him.