We met for drinks on a windy Monday night at Wallflower in Venice, California. But Noah "didn't drink much," and most of the food on the menu he couldn't eat. "Oh boy," I thought. But he was warm and funny and adorable and after hitting 3 different spots on Rose Avenue, we clicked over a shared love of Ray Charles — pinot noir for me, hot tea for him — at Superba Snack Bar. Something special was in the air. Our second date was on the Venice boardwalk. He wooed me with his negotiation skills on the price of a gold and turquoise Himalayan singing bowl. I dragged him to the sunset drum circle on the sand. It was then he knew he might have just found the free-spirited California girl his mom told him to look for. Soon after I decided to pull out the big guns with a home-cooked meal of spiced lamb ragu over roasted spaghetti squash. He was sold! We've been laughing and cooking and eating and doing silly hippie stuff ever since.* *I am Noah and I approve this message. In addition, I definitely did find the California girl my mom always said I belong with and I couldn't be happier or luckier than to have found her :)

When Krystal and I were in Greece for her brother Lee's wedding to his wife Georgia, we heard about the local tradition of the bride arriving at the church on a donkey. We joked that if we got married we would definitely have a burro at our wedding. And a taco truck. Later that year when I was home for Christmas in Kansas City, I decided I wanted to marry this woman so I bought a ring. She had no idea, but around the same time began hinting about wanting to get engaged. I told her I was pretty sure the burros were on the way, but patience was necessary because they move quite slowly due to their small feet. She laughed, so that bought me some time. With the ring in hand, I began planning proposal ideas. After a couple failed attempts, and a 5 mile walk home on the Fourth of July with no Ubers in sight, I spontaneously (and nervously) kneeled down in the park near our house because I just couldn't wait any longer. I am proud to say that my proposal line was "the burros have arrived." * *This is Krystal, and this is a true and accurate representation of these events. I do not blame Georgia for not wanting to ride a donkey. No donkeys will be harmed in the making of this wedding. Many tacos will be.