(As told by Ryan)

Our story begins in the Fall of 2010 when I was returning to Chapman University as a sophomore. It was my first college reunion, that exciting time of the new school year when you’re settling into a new place, catching up with friends whom you were away from over the summer, and facing a gauntlet of new faces around campus. One of those warm Orange County evenings in a backyard party, I couldn’t stop catching glances with one of those new faces. It was a freckly, fiery-haired girl who was meandering around the lawn being introduced to everyone in her vicinity. I eventually saw my opportunity to introduce myself. I was struck by how someone so attractive could be so easy to talk to. The first conversation with Amy was easy but relatively short before we both said goodbye and went our separate ways.

The next time I saw Amy, she was dating my friend and fraternity brother. We would all attend the same events, spend time around each other at his house, and over the years I got to know Amy better as a friend. One day this group of friends and I were getting ready for a party, and I inadvertently said the most prophetic statement of my life. In her boyfriend’s house, she was playing a better host than any of the residents and I innocently told her “You’re wifey material!” I’ve never had eyes for any of my friends’ relations, and it was only my way of saying “Thanks,” but I’ve never been more right in my life.

Years would pass, we would date other people, graduate, and go along our separate paths. Amy pursued her teaching credential at Cal State Long Beach, and I moved to San Francisco to design mobile apps. Not long after graduation, I would learn that Amy was dating another close friend of mine. Once again, I would find myself getting to know her better as the girlfriend of a friend as we would travel together on day trips and weekend excursions around the Bay Area.

In 2014, I was sad to learn that the two had broken up. Amy was visiting San Francisco and I promised my friend that I would meet up with Amy in one last attempt to help get them back together. I joined her and her friend Sophie (now Maid of Honor) at an oyster bar called Bergerac. Over dinner, I pleaded my friend’s case to Amy. Despite an honest effort, I learned that there was nothing I could do to help. However, over a few rounds of oysters and cocktails, we did figure out that we had been attracted to each other since the night we met in 2010.

That revelation was a rush. In an instant I was flattered, conflicted, and disappointed by the missed opportunities over the years. There was so much possibility with the discovery, but we agreed that it wouldn’t be right to act on it then, as I had gone there to support my friend and we wouldn’t start dating long distance. I said goodbye to her as she and Sophie loaded into an Uber and we once again went our separate ways.

We sparsely stayed in touch, dated other people, and pursued our careers over the next year and a half when work permanently brought me back to Los Angeles in 2016. A few months thereafter, Amy slid into my Instagram messages when she saw my post that I was living in Southern California.

On August 21st, 2016, I would take Amy out to our first date to Pearl’s Oyster Bar on Sunset Blvd. We had plenty to catch up on, but at the same time we knew more about one another than we had on any first date before. We were both certain that there was something special about the other. After years of hard lessons, missed connections, and growing up, we were each finally in the right place with the right person.

Almost 4 years later, surrounded by close family in a central Oregon meadow, I got down on one knee and asked Amy to marry me. Nothing has been as rewarding as growing in love with Amy, and I can’t wait to celebrate that love with you all—the people who matter most to us—not far from where she agreed to take this big leap together.

Thank you for considering contributing to our wedding registry!