Wow, what a crazy few years it has been! When we first sent out our save the dates in early 2020, we had no idea what a whirlwind we were in for. Due to the circumstances around Covid-19 during the Spring of 2021, we had to make the difficult decision to postpone our big wedding until Fall of 2022. Our number one priority was and still is our loved ones' health and safety. We were lucky enough to still be able to have a small and simple ceremony in Yosemite with our immediate family last year. While we deeply missed the presence of all our friends and family that day, we were so happy and excited to be able to get married. Now that 2022 is here, we are absolutely thrilled to be able to have the big wedding we always dreamed of with all of you present!! We look forward to having everyone together for a safe and fun wedding celebration! One major change of plans is the location of our celebration. While the original wedding was planned for Yosemite, we are no longer able to host a wedding at our original venue. The Ahwahnee is remodeling their kitchen throughout 2022, and therefore are not allowing weddings. However, we could not be more excited for our new wedding venue - The Avila Beach Golf Resort! As Cal Poly graduates, we have shared many special memories at Avila Beach, and we cannot wait to share this special day with you all in such a wonderful setting. Cheers!

We first met at our town’s local amusement park, Great America, when we were in the 8th grade. Desiree was there with her friend (now Bridesmaid) Julia, and Zach was there with his friend (now Best Man) Nate. When Nate and Zach went to introduce themselves to Desiree and Julia, Zach nudged his friend and called “dibs” on Des. Then the rest was history. Apparently calling "dibs" worked, because here we are 12 years later!

We found an old photo taken the day we met that had a time stamp on it and realized we knew the exact day we had met. It had been 10 years since that day and we wanted to celebrate it. We studied abroad in Italy together and missed it every day since we returned home. We decided to make a trip back to celebrate our 10-year “meet-a-versary”. On the tenth anniversary of meeting each other we spent the day exploring in Fiesole, a small town overlooking the city of Florence. The views were stunning, and it was the most amazing day full of delicious food, wine, perfect views and good company. Zach wanted the proposal to be completely spontaneous and planned to carry the ring with him throughout our trip until he felt the moment was right. As we reached a gorgeous garden in a villa overlooking not only Florence but all of Tuscany, with the sun setting in the background, he knew the moment was right. After Zach popped the question, the hotel was kind enough to provide a private balcony and bottle of champagne to celebrate. We watched the sunset with a live musician playing the song “what a wonderful world”. At that moment, we could not have imagined a more wonderful world and are so excited that we get to take it on together.