We know what you're all thinking... "those crazy kids must have met at a nightclub in Vegas." In reality, Rachel was there to win $$ at her family's annual gambling trip, and Juan was there to run the Rock N Roll marathon with his sister. Little did they know, they were going to leave Vegas hitting the jackpot on love... For those of you who don't already know, Rachel's cousin (Brandon) and Juan's sister (Deny) are married. Rachel's family had coordinated the Vegas trip to be the same weekend as their marathon. R&J exchanged a few conversations during the trip-- the first was walking through the parking lot at the Flamingo hotel and Juan showing Rachel a music video of one of his favorite singers, Allen Stone. (Since then, they've paid tribute to Allen for sparking their relationship by going to several of his concerts together-- thanks, Allen!). At the end of the weekend, they parted ways as Rachel went home to Seattle and Juan went back to Phoenix. Shortly after the trip, they "friended" each other on Facebook and started chatting...

In the months following the Vegas trip, Facebook chats turned into texts, and texts turned into FaceTime dates. They planned a trip for Juan to come visit Rachel in Seattle that summer, which turned out to be the best 4-day long first date. Highlights from the date include stand up paddleboarding, hiking Snow Lake, riding bikes to Gas Works Park, attending a concert at a winery in Woodinville, and staying up until 6am laughing, singing 90's jams, and getting to know each others quirks. By the end of the 4-day long date, R&J decided to seal the deal with a long-distance relationship.

On February 19th, 2018 (exactly one year after Rachel moved to the Bay Area), Juan went down on one knee and popped the question at Crissy Field in San Francisco. His plan was orchestrated beautifully, with the sunset and the Golden Gate Bridge behind them. One of his close friends who is a photographer was there to capture every moment.