In light of the pandemic, we have decided to elope with our immediate family and a few close friends. This was a difficult decision, but given the unpredictable nature of this past year and the increased number of cases in Arizona, this is what makes us feel most comfortable. We will surely miss all of our friends and extended family, and we hope to find a way to share a piece of the day with all of you. Thank you for all of your understanding and support as we begin this new phase in our life! Our elopement will be in Scottsdale, AZ on Sunday, October 17, 2021. We will be fortunate enough to spend five days spoiling our loved ones and showing them around our new home in Arizona. We will be married in a private outdoor ceremony by one of our closest friends, Molly, who was the one to introduce us. The ceremony will be followed by a dinner where our entire families will get to meet each other. While it will be unconventional and smaller than we had hoped, we are beyond excited!

Emilio and I met 5 years ago at a coffee shop in downtown Billings where Emilio was working. I was working for another coffee shop at the time, but on my days off I would spend hours at the shop downtown. I had noticed him working before, but I didn't think much of him until we nearly bumped into each other outside. He smiled at me as our paths crossed. It was one of those smiles that makes you stop in your tracks. After that smile... I knew I had to know more about him. I confided in Molly, a friend of mine who also worked with Emilio. Unfortunately, she told me he was already taken. Hopes shattered, I continued to take my trips to the coffee shop as usual, admiring him from afar. Imagine my surprise when shortly after, as I sat in the coffee shop, I got a message from the cute barista! Turns out Molly was wrong, and not long after I had confided in her, Emilio did too. Unbeknownst to us, Molly was pulling strings behind the scenes to make sure we connected! We soon became inseparable and visited nearly every single coffee shop in town as we continued to get to know each other. And the rest, as they say, is history! We have challenged each other, supported each other, and grown with each other over the last 5 years. I could not be more excited to now continue our journey as husband and wife! The event is made even more special knowing that Molly, who started it all, will be the one to marry us! October can’t come soon enough!

It was a day like any other. I was working my usual shift at the coffee shop, but I had other plans. My friend Molly had introduced me to Julia at a bowling alley a week or so prior. She made quite the impression on me and I honestly couldn’t stop thinking about her. She started popping into the shop every now and again to do work; it was always a struggle to keep my eyes off of her and my mind on the task at hand. So that morning I asked Molly what her deal was. She kind of started laughing and asked me why I cared. I said I thought she was cute and was just curious. Molly started laughing again and basically said she had had the exact same conversation with Julia the weekend prior. She said that I should ask her out. So that was my plan. Julia was sitting in her usual chair working. I was trying to find the right time to casually approach her and say something, but in true millennial fashion she was on her laptop, her cellphone, had a pair of headphones on, and was ignoring everyone and everything in a twenty foot radius. Frustrated and at the end of my shift, I left the coffee shop and started home. I decided I would slide into the DM’s instead of my original plan. Fast-forward 5 years, WE’RE GETTING MARRIED PEOPLE!