We're getting married!

Our story begins during freshman year of high school in third-period math. Zach had just moved to Rancho Santa Margarita from Costa Mesa, and as the new kid, I just knew I had to get to know him. As fate would have it, our teacher placed us in the same study group, and we hit it off right away. When it was time to create a group chat for “study purposes” (Zach’s idea), he made sure to ask for my phone number — a move that, looking back, was pretty smooth. From there, we started texting every day, and the rest is history...

After months of texting and hanging out at school, our first winter formal dance was quickly approaching. At our high school, the winter formal was a Sadie Hawkins dance, where girls ask guys out, so naturally, I asked Zach in the cheesiest way possible — and he said yes! When the night finally came, Zach waited until the slow dance at the end of the evening to officially ask me out. And well, we’ve been together ever since!

After Zach and I graduated high school in 2019, we began our long-distance journey. I decided to attend Boise State University in Idaho, while Zach stayed closer to home, attending a junior college for two years before transferring to Cal Poly Pomona. Over those four years, we made it a priority to visit each other at least twice a semester, making the distance more bearable and creating memories that stretched beyond a phone screen. Although it was tough being apart, we both knew what we had was special, and it was worth holding on to. After many tearful goodbyes and falling asleep on FaceTime, our long-distance chapter finally came to an end in May of 2023. I graduated from Boise, moved back to California, and at last, we were finally able to move-in together!

After living together for several months, our eight-year anniversary was coming up and Zach had planned a dinner to celebrate. Although I didn’t think much of it at first, I started to get a little suspicious once he mentioned that we’d be taking professional photos at our favorite beach in Laguna before dinner. However, being in that “almost-engaged” place, I didn’t want to get my hopes up, so I played it cool and pushed my suspicions aside. Little did I know, Zach had an entire proposal set up at the beach, with our families hiding nearby. It was a beautiful picnic by the water, with flowers and champagne — everything my Pinterest dreams were made of. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, we headed to my aunt’s house in Dana Point, where an entire surprise party was waiting, with our best friends and family. We both agree that was the best night of our lives, and we can’t wait to experience that same magic on our wedding day!