We met in graduate school. One of our first notable interactions was in the graduate lounge, where Michael complained about how nobody would provide useful advice on how to improve his resume. Another first interaction is when they met at a research seminar, where Clara invited Michael to a school event at the beach happening that weekend that she didn't actually end up attending. They started as friends through playing weekly Dungeons and Dragons and ended up dating.

Clara designed her own ring at Brilliant Earth, and Michael picked it up when it was ready. The official proposal was supposed to be during our trip to the Netherlands, but Clara had already been wearing the ring and left it in her sweatpants pocket when we left for the trip. Instead, when we returned home from the Netherlands, Michael got down on one knee in our living room and asked her to marry him.

Clara and Michael met their two good friends, Julia and Gladys, at the San Marcos Courthouse before heading to a local park to perform the ceremony. Julia officiated the ceremony and Gladys witnessed and took photos. During the ceremony, Clara and Michael exchanged the engagement ring that fits both their ring fingers perfectly.