We are so excited to celebrate our special day with all of you! Having each of you there to witness this milestone means the world to us. From the bottom of our hearts, we want to thank you for your love and support throughout our journey. We are deeply grateful to God, our family, and our friends for guiding us and being part of our story. It’s going to be an unforgettable celebration, and we’re thrilled to share it with you!

I met Asher 10 years ago during a theater production of Seussical Jr.. We didn’t interact much at the time, but it’s funny looking back at pictures from the show and realizing that our story started that long ago. A couple of years later, we ended up volunteering for Fiddler on the Roof, and that’s when I really started to notice him. One of my clearest memories from that time is rushing on stage to grab chairs. Every single time, I’d grab one, turn around, and—wham—there he was, right next to me. I was moving so fast I’d end up accidentally smacking him with the chair. Honestly, it happened about six or seven times. I felt so bad for this shy, quiet guy that, for at least two years after that, every time I saw him, all I could think about was not hitting him with a chair again. Eventually, we found ourselves in the same friend group. What caught my eye was that Asher was someone everyone loved—so genuine, always happy, and an extremely talented guitarist. As our group’s occasional hangouts turned into weekly get-togethers and then backpacking trips, we grew closer together. When I was 16 going on 17...we even played lovers in the theater production of The Sound of Music. And, well, the rest is history.

I met Arianna through several theater productions starting in 2015 which included both helping behind the scenes and acting. I remember being struck by her quietly intense, fierce, and mysterious personality—it fascinated me like no one else ever had. Fast forward a couple of years, my best friend Nate invited me to a community beach trip, and she was going to be there. I was ecstatic. He kept inviting me to other gatherings and get-togethers where she would be. Arianna always struck me as positive, friendly, and supportive to everyone around her. I could feel God’s peace within her and His love flowing from her. During the summer of 2021, Nate invited both of us to a backpacking trip he was organizing. I had just been on a family vacation right before the backpacking trip, which ran behind schedule due to a car breakdown. I had been so excited to see her and ended up skipping the Grand Canyon to fly back to CA, just to make sure I went on that trip. Once she let down her wall of mystery, I saw a side of her that was beautiful, funny, fun, and filled with so much light and joy—I couldn’t get enough of her. After several more plays and backpacking trips, in June of 2023, I asked her dad if I could date her.

When Asher and I started dating in June of 2023, I remember asking him how long he thought we would date before getting married. When he said “five years,” I felt encouraged because that was the same number I had in mind. We both knew, almost immediately, that we would marry each other. As we prayed, trusted God, and settled into our full-time jobs less than a year after we started dating, we began reconsidering our timeline since we weren’t in school anymore. Fast forward to October 2024—Asher told me he wanted to plan our monthly date. I was surprised but thought it was sweet. He mentioned he wanted to go to Yosemite, which was a place we’d visited often that summer. Honestly, I couldn’t complain; it’s my favorite place. But then, I started getting suspicious when he wouldn’t tell me anything about the plans. He knows I don’t love surprises and that I’m always trying to make little revisions to any plan. Eventually, I stopped asking questions after he caved and told me he was planning a “game.” On October 11, 2024, we left early in the morning, made our usual pit stops on the drive up, and when we arrived in the valley, Asher grabbed a big black duffel bag from the trunk. He said it was coming with us for the game. He handed me an item and told me I had to relate it to a picture we’d taken in the park in past years. We slowly began recreating the pictures, and as we were walking to our second-to-last spot, I started to get hungry. I asked if he wanted a beef stick, but he turned me down, which was unusual—he never turns down food! I offered him water, and he drank so much. He only does that when he’s stressed or nervous, so I asked him about it, but he just said he was hot. When we reached the last clue, I couldn’t quite figure out where it was leading. He ended up telling me the location and I pointed out that we hadn’t actually taken a picture at this location before. He said he’d snuck a picture of me when I wasn’t looking (later, I found out this was a cover-up—there was never a picture taken). As we walked toward the final destination, I could feel how nervous he was—his hands were so sweaty, and I could literally feel his heartbeat through them. I stopped and asked what was going on because he was acting so off. He said he would tell me when we got to the last spot. I started thinking about what could be happening, and then, as we neared the spot, I saw a rose on the ground. And then another, and another. He softly asked, “Well, are you going to pick them up?” By the time I picked up the third rose, it hit me—and I started sobbing happy tears. I was then led to a beautiful, secluded spot, where there was a picnic blanket (the same one my dad used when he proposed to my mom), a cake, some bubbly, and a sign that read, “Will you marry me?” He gave the sweetest, most heartfelt speech and asked me to marry him. I said “yes!” After soaking in the moment, I asked how he’d set all of this up, and that’s when he told me my mom had been there the whole time. I immediately started looking around and spotted her hiding behind a bear box with her best friend, Kandice. We all enjoyed the drink and cake together, savoring the moment. Ultimately, five years turned into just one year and four months before I said "yes" to the love of my life.

After I got permission from Arianna’s dad at the end of summer 2024, I knew the exact location I’d propose at. We had done several Yosemite day trips that summer so I thought it wouldn’t be too suspicious to suggest another one. I almost couldn’t consider any other option. It’s Arianna’s self-proclaimed favorite place, where we became close friends, and celebrated our 1 year of dating and it’s stunning! Just like her :) I planned a game which consisted of walking around the valley and recreating several pictures that we had taken over the years, using clues to which spots we’d go to. I never get nervous but I had a knot in my stomach and couldn’t eat a thing. I was strategically picking my windows in which I could check my phone for the time. We could NOT be early to the last spot because Arianna’s mom and her friend Kandice were headed there to set up a romantic picnic. I thought it was all over when Arianna asked “did we even take any pictures in that spot??” We hadn’t. But, from the moment she saw the first rose leading to our secluded corner by the creek, everything was perfect. Once we got to “the spot” I stumbled through my memorized speech, awestruck at her radiant smile with the sun shining through the curls in her hair. When she said yes, my forever came into view.