In 2018, Courtney’s coworker, Travis, asked her if she played volleyball. Upon learning she had played in college, he proceeded to ask if she would be interested in being a substitute on his beach volleyball team. Courtney agreed, as she had recently moved to St. Louis and was looking to make friends. Well, it turned out Juan was a member of the team. Courtney quickly became a “permanent sub” and continued to play with the team each week. One Sunday evening, they decided to grab drinks at Schlafly, a local St. Louis brewery. Being that it was a Sunday night, the brewery closed early. Juan and Courtney said their goodbyes after a drink or two and headed home. Shortly after arriving home, Courtney felt a little bummed to have ended the date so early because she was having such a great time. Fortunately, Juan felt the same way, and they decided to meet back up at a local dive bar! And the rest, as they say, is history. Fast forward a few years, Juan and Courtney have continued to build a life together in St. Louis. They adopted two dogs, Cooper and Stella, both rescues from Puerto Rico! Both completed their Master’s degrees filled with late study nights and a lot of reading. They love to spend time outside and stay active. A little fun fact, the night Courtney got Juan’s number, she told him she would teach him to ski! Courtney held true to this promise, and with a few lessons, Juan now loves to ski (although he may not have been given much of a choice)! In 2021, Juan became a Crossfit coach, which is now an activity they love to do together! We have felt nothing but love from our various communities throughout our relationship! We cannot wait to have everyone together to celebrate!

After four years of dating, Juan felt ready to take the next life step with Courtney. However, he was unsure how he would formally ask Courtney as she was nearing graduation from Wash U and they were planning a trip to Puerto Rico. One specific request Courtney had made was that Juan NOT propose during her graduation weekend. With that in mind, Juan knew that the moment should be a quiet and intimate one for them to share together. He thought about how much they enjoyed the natural beauty surrounding their neighborhood and what better place for an engagement than the Missouri Botanical Gardens. Thankfully, Juan's good friend Zach, who works at the Garden, offered to help with his proposal. But then came the hard part. Given that Courtney was usually heavily involved in any plans made between the two of them, Juan wondered how he was going to surprise her with this proposal. Luckily for Juan, many people came together to try and throw Courtney's scent off the trail to ensure she suspected nothing on that day. That afternoon, Juan and Courtney left the house with Courtney believing they were going to a cocktail hour at the new Chihuly Glass Exhibit at the Garden followed by dinner with Juan’s sister. As Juan and Courtney drove to the Garden, Juan began to feel a bit of nerves, unsure how he was going to pull off the proposal. Zach met Juan and Courtney at the side gate and proceeded to give them a private tour of the Chihuly exhibition. Eventually, Zach left, and Juan and Courtney were alone near the Japanese Garden. Underneath a cherry blossom tree in full bloom, they both walked up to a picnic blanket with a bouquet of flowers and a bottle of champagne on top. It was at this moment that Courtney began to realize what was happening and turned to see Juan on one knee. Much to Courtney's surprise, she had no idea the proposal was coming on that day. Juan then planned to grab a drink with Courtney at a local cocktail bar, Planter's House, before moving on to celebrate with dinner at one of their favorite restaurants, Louie. A few weeks later on Courtney's graduation weekend, Juan was able to pull off another big surprise - an engagement party. Close friends and family came together from all around the country to plan and celebrate Juan and Courtney's engagement!