Taylor and Caitlin met during their first year of law school at UCLA. They’d smile at each other in the courtyard, or in passing to the library, but that was pretty much it for a long time. Caitlin didn’t know Taylor had been putting in work behind the scenes to try to get to know her; she was too busy speed-walking to the parking lot immediately after class. Taylor didn’t know Caitlin had a boyfriend at the time, but she was so fast at walking it didn’t really matter. During the summer of 2016, after finishing their first year, Taylor and Caitlin both worked in the City Attorney’s Office in Downtown LA. There were a lot of UCLA students working in the area, and everyone would meet up to get lunch and catch Pokémon (lol). One day, Taylor texted Caitlin and a mutual friend to join his group for lunch at Horse Thief at Grand Central Market. They seemed to be the only ones who would rather talk about Game of Thrones than talk about the usual law student things: school, grades, outlines, job prospects, salaries, case law, etc. Ironically, now that is somehow reversed. (F.U. GoT) That summer and into the next semester, they texted here and there, and met up for lunch with other friends. Taylor invited her to join them for other things—parties, bar review, DTLA excursions—but after work, per usual, Caitlin speed-walked back to her car and disappeared into the night. Finally, in January 2017, Caitlin found time to hang out with Taylor to see what she’d been missing. Still putting in work behind the scenes, he created a bit of a ruse to get his friends to Bungalow in Santa Monica, where she would “happen to run into him.” Once she arrived, they became inseparable, and had their first kiss at the Shangri La rooftop bar. They had their first official date the next evening, and talked for hours over sushi. That sushi date turned into nearly seven years of movies, hikes, law proms, lake trips, pumpkin carving, beach trips, musicals, international travels, and sloppy steaks at Truffoni’s. Turns out they have a lot in common aside from their career choice. They read all the same books as a kid, and went through all the same phases. For instance, the Klaus Baudelaire phase (insufferable 8-year-old using big words incorrectly, carrying a journal everywhere to jot down facts in case they were needed later [they weren’t]); the Hermione Granger phase (see previous, but with magic spells and midnight book and movie premieres); the Broadway Musical phase (lots of Sweeney Todd, still no end in sight); the Constantly Quoting Movies and TV Shows phase (Steve Carrell has almost single-handedly molded their young brains). Together, they see things wildly and in wild ways (see? that was a quote). Since then, they’ve been happily living in LA and avoiding everyone’s questions about when they’re getting married—until now.

Taylor and Caitlin went to Italy in August 2018, and fell in love with the country. They always knew they would go back—specifically to the Lungo Il Tevere festival along the Tiber River in Rome (affectionately called the “White Tents”). Unbeknownst to Caitlin, that was where Taylor planned to propose during their trip in June 2023. Taylor’s plans were almost thwarted by their new mortal enemy, Aer Lingus, and a 32-hour travel fiasco. Long story short, they missed their connecting flight from Dublin to Rome due to a nearly two-hour delay, risking the plans Taylor had made months in advance. Once they finally got to Rome, Taylor perfectly orchestrated everything—they got an amazing lunch and walked around the White Tents, and agreed to come back in the evening. He woke her from her nap with an espresso martini, and encouraged them to get dressed up to celebrate their first night in Rome. He told her that his Nonna had taken a picture in front of the Castel Sant’Angelo, which overlooks the river, and he wanted to recreate it. Then, they’d walk to the White Tents for dinner. The cab dropped them off in front of the Castel, and Caitlin took various (like, way too many) pictures of Taylor in front of it—different angles, lighting, poses. Meanwhile he was just trying to get her across the bridge to where the real surprise was waiting. They continued across the bridge, down the stairs, and by the water. He then offered to take a picture of her looking at the Castel. She paused for a few moments to let him take the picture, then turned around to see him on one knee. A violinist started playing, and two photographers started snapping away. After the initial shock wore off, he then said he had one more surprise. She looked up the stairs, and saw that his whole family had come to Rome to celebrate with them!