The couple's story began at California High School, way back in 2004. They knew each other by name and by sight, as they were in the same graduating class and even had some classes together, but Tania was too cool to hang out with Michael. Think of the movie High School Musical, but if the main characters never had their "meet cute." To give you a better idea, know that Tania was the Homecoming Queen and Michael was the Drum Major - they were simply in very different social circles! And I suppose it should be mentioned that their graduating class was the largest the district had yet seen. Michael and Tania graduated High School in 2008. Michael went on to attend college at Cal Poly Pomona, and Tania attended college at UC Santa Barbara. Fast forward 8 years, and Michael and Tania lived in the same city again. Starting in 2016 Tania began attending her home Church of St. Bruno, after quite a long absence! Over the next couple of years, Tania began noticing Michael here and there at Mass, and Tania's mom began to nudge her with strong hints (as mothers do), to take an interest in the "well-dressed young man that comes to Mass all by himself." About one year later, they finally re-met! The day was Sunday, February 12, 2017. See the correlation to their wedding date? ;) And, the rest is history still in the making :)

Tania and Michael's engagement story is short and sweet. Tania was coming off a very busy and exhausting weekend of work. Although she was still preoccupied after such a crazy work weekend, part of her heart (and gut!) pondered the possibility of an approaching proposal, but she didn't want to get her hopes up! All the same, Michael had expressed to her that he wanted to take her out and have a nice date night. Tania's heart just about melted, and she couldn't wait to dress up for a fancy date after such a long time! Monday, September 27, 2021 - date night! The first stop on their date night was Christ the King Church in Hollywood, where Tania and Michael first consecrated their relationship to Our Lady four years earlier, on Tania's 27th birthday. They were able to pray in front of the same shrine they did back then, and they were even prayed over by a friendly Nun! After their stop at Christ the King, they continued their date at Yamashiro restaurant. For those who have never been, it was a truly beautiful sight to behold. They were promptly seated in the highly-coveted inner garden (a blessing from above!), where Tania was met with a bouquet of flowers and a sweet card waiting at the table. At this point, Tania's hopes were elevated just one notch. After an incredible dinner, and the most natural and carefree conversation, their date continued in the terraced Japanese gardens just outside the restaurant. Being a Monday night, there were no crowds and there were no onlookers. Michael took advantage of this moment and proposed to Tania in a genuinely intimate and private way. To Michael's immense relief and unbelievable joy, Tania said yes! They spent the next moments in bliss, sharing one of the happiest moments in their lives. That this all took place with the backdrop of a scenic view was a small bonus. Side note: Since the engagement date is the same as their dating anniversary, Michael (luckily) has one less date to worry about in the future ;)