Stephen and Heidi met as freshmen at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo where they were in the same friend group. Throughout college, their friendship grew and Heidi developed feelings for Stephen, but did not make them known. To her surprise, Stephen asked her on a date right around graduation and their relationship began. Heidi had accepted a job in Orange County and Stephen a job in San Diego. Through many drives back and forth to visit one another, they made the most of the weekends together. In spring 2024, Stephen moved back to Orange County and he proposed a few months later. They are so excited to get married and spend the rest of their lives together. The Proposal: When Heidi and Stephen were early into their relationship, Stephen was living at home in Orange County and not yet working in San Diego. To celebrate 1 month of dating, he cooked bolognese from scratch and set up a romantic dinner for him and Heidi on the roof deck of her family's beach house on Balboa Island. Fast forward to September 2024, Stephen tricked Heidi into giving a "tour" of the beach house to his family before a "dinner reservation." To her surprise, he had recreated the same setup as two years prior and popped the question. It was the perfect night of celebrating the start of their future together.