ReYES Wedding

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Sometime in 2023, Christian requested to follow me on Instagram, and I almost didn't accept because I rarely accepted followers I didn't know. Luckily, we had a few mutual followers (shoutout to my friend Lyndsey, who knows everyone), so I accepted. The rest is history. A few weeks later, Christian sent me a sweet message saying hello and telling me he thought I was beautiful. To this day, he still doesn't let me forget that I took six hours to respond! LOL! At the time, I was with my friends, Jackie and Kelly, doing our "coworker conference" shopping - we had very important things going on, okay? Eventually, I responded, and one of the first questions I asked him was whether he believed in God. When he said yes, we joked that he was a "double Christian." We exchanged messages for the next two weeks while I was in South Carolina visiting friends and family, so by the time we met in person we had already formed an emotional connection. The very next day after I returned home to Virginia - because we couldn't wait - Christian took me on our first date to Guapo's Restaurant. It was my first time there, and now it's one of my favorite restaurants. We watched many people get sung "Happy Birthday" in sombreros, which helped distract me from how shy and giddy I felt. I still remember the butterflies after that date. When we left the restaurant and walked back to the car, Christian surprised me with flowers he had hidden in the back seat. I was caught off guard by his kindness, but I also thought it was funny that he didn't give me the flowers at the start of the date. Maybe he wanted to make sure the date went well first, LOL! Before saying goodbye that night, Christian could tell my walls were still up. I was guarded because his kindness and comforting nature made me realize I was going to fall for him, and I feared getting hurt. I told Christian that my heart was “locked up.” His response made me laugh: "That's okay, I'll find a locksmith." He wasn't scared, and that gave me comfort and told me to trust him to lead us. After that first date, we continued seeing each other and quickly became inseparable. Traveling has become one of our favorite things to do as a couple, and so far we’ve explored four countries together - with many more adventures ahead. About six months later, we got our first dog together, Calvin, and that fall we moved in together. I’ve always felt comfortable with Christian and trusted God's plan for our relationship. One of my favorite parts of our relationship is how much we laugh together. Even during times of conflict, I know I can say something that will make Christian cave and laugh. I have always loved Latino culture and enjoyed learning Spanish. Christian has taught me so much more and it has been such a fun part of our relationship. From the language, to his mom's food (OMG), to learning the history, it feels like God was preparing me all along for this Salvadoran life. Since moving in together, we have accomplished many home improvement projects. I still joke that when I moved in, the house didn't have kitchen counters, cabinets, a sink, or even a shower curtain! We have come a long way in both our relationship and our house projects. Through life's ups and downs, we've weathered many storms together. The loss of my dad in 2025 was one of the biggest storms we faced, and I couldn't have gotten through it without Christian. I think that was the moment I truly knew I wanted to spend forever with him. He has a way of making the hardest moments feel lighter simply by being himself. What I love most about him is his ability to bring comfort, laughter, patience, and steadiness into every season of life. In December of 2025, Christian pulled off the proposal of my dreams at Yellowstone National Park. He never fails to make me feel special and I love that about him. We look forward to celebrating our wedding with everyone!

Sometimes, the best things in life start with the simplest moments. For us, it began with a tag on a story. Through a mutual connection, I came across Sabrina on Instagram and decided to follow her. It took her about two weeks to accept my request - but looking back, it was well worth the wait. As I watched her stories and posts, I was drawn to how full of life she was - always on the go, always doing something exciting. At that point in my life, I admired someone with that kind of energy and passion. A few weeks later, I finally worked up the courage to message her: "Hey! I hope all is well! I just wanted to say… you are extremely gorgeous, have a wonderful day on purpose!" And then… I waited. It took Sabrina a while to respond but when she did, it felt like I had just won at life. At the time, she was in the Carolinas visiting friends and family, and what started as a simple message quickly turned into days of conversation. After about two weeks of talking, we finally met in person for our first date at Guapo’s in Georgetown and from that moment on, everything changed. Seeing Sabrina in person, I immediately fell in love with the bright, genuine, and warm person she was - something that no phone screen could ever fully capture. From there, our story unfolded naturally. We went from dating to becoming boyfriend and girlfriend, and before we knew it, we were building a life together. We traveled to the Dominican Republic, welcomed our big, friendly, 100-pound golden retriever Calvin into our lives, and shared countless memories during our first year. That year flew by but it built something lasting in my heart. Together, we created a home - literally and figuratively. We lived through the chaos of construction, even washing dishes in the bathroom at one point because we didn’t yet have a kitchen (which we now laugh about). Side by side, we built our kitchen, finished our rooms, designed a patio, and even created a backyard gym. Through it all, we built a foundation rooted in comfort, trust, and resilience. Our relationship was tested in ways we never expected. One of the most difficult moments came with the passing of Sabrina’s father, Mr. Roger Ball. During that time, our relationship deepened in a profound way. It became about showing up, supporting one another, and holding space for love even in grief. That season strengthened us. It taught us what it truly means to stand by each other - not just in the good times, but in the hardest ones. Our journey continued with new experiences and deeper connections. We traveled to El Salvador, where Sabrina experienced my culture and heritage firsthand - even climbing a volcano with my family (a trip we’ll never forget… especially my dad’s knee afterward!). Later, we explored Costa Rica, and our little family grew again with the addition of Lola. Watching Calvin and Lola become best friends was something we never knew we needed, but it filled our home with even more love and joy. As our relationship grew, I found myself reflecting on everything we had built together - the highs, the challenges, and the unwavering love between us. I knew I wanted forever with Sabrina. She had always dreamed of visiting Yellowstone, inspired by a show we loved watching together. So I made that dream part of something even bigger. Surrounded by some of the most important people in her life, I proposed at Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone. In that moment filled with love, joy, and certainty - I knew without a doubt that we were meant to spend our lives together. After countless conversations about our future, one thing became clear - we wanted to build a life as one. And now, here we are… excited to begin our forever together. We can’t wait to celebrate our love and say “I do” on the Eastern Shore of Maryland on March 20, 2027.