The day Luke and Hannah met in person was August 24, 2015. Luke met Hannah while she was in downtown Sonoma with her dear friend Kelsey. Luke came to Murphy’s Irish Pub, sat down, and was immediately comfortable. He had no problem joining the conversation, sharing fries, and entertaining both the girls. Luke invited Hannah to Steiners to play pool and over the course of a few hours, they knew they really liked each other.

At one point in the night, Hannah said to Luke, “If you lived here, I would definitely try to make you my boyfriend.” It was a bold statement, but she could already tell what a good heart and adventurous soul Luke was bearing.

The truth is, Luke and Hannah never thought they would see each other again after that day. Within the month, Hannah would be moving and attending UC Santa Cruz and Luke would be embarking on a 3 month cross-country bike tour from Canada to Mexico. Falling in love was not what they imagined when they both swiped right on the Tinder app just a few days before. Luke messaged Hannah, “I like your style.” To which Hannah responded, “I like your smile,” and so it all began.

After their first Steiners date, Luke did a practice ride and rode his bike from Monterey to Southern California, where he was preparing for his extended bike tour. He gave Hannah a call, “I left my passport in Monterey. I could ask my mom to send it to me, or I could come back up and we could spend some time together.” And that’s exactly what happened.

Luke and Hannah spent 5 days together, 3 days in Sonoma and 2 days in Monterey. Luke helped Hannah pack up her VW Golf and they drove down HWY 1 as this was the week Hannah was officially moving to Santa Cruz and would be starting University. Over these 5 days, Luke and Hannah grew in love and solidified the bond they quickly developed. Hannah dropped Luke off at the Monterey airport and then directly went to the beach to contemplate the new life that was beginning there and then. She was in a new city, starting a new school, and although hadn’t professed it yet, was deeply in love.

Over the next few months while Luke was on tour, they messaged every day. They got to know each other even more, asking profound questions and exploring their views of the world. They built a foundation of genuine care and interest in one another.

Fast forward to December that year, Luke completed his bike tour and Hannah made it through finals week at UCSC. Luke had quit his job and moved out of his apartment in order to make his bike trip happen, so he found himself at the steps of Hannah’s Santa Cruz mountain home where she lived with 3 roommates. Luke lived with them for a while before embarking on another journey and 2 year stint of growing cannabis in Calaveras County, three hours from Santa Cruz.

The long distance made their relationship stronger as communication, boundaries, and full transparency were paramount. Luke and Hannah credit the long distance to building a strong foundation of love, honesty, and unwavering commitment.

Luke and Hannah eventually moved to Monterey where they lived for 3 years before moving to Sonoma. They have 2 dogs who they love dearly, Lyrah and Kaboo. Lyrah was Hannah’s dog before she met Luke and Lyrah absolutely helped to win Luke over. Hannah and Luke decided Lyrah needed a friend and found a German Shepard puppy who flunked out of the police academy, he was just perfect.

On Luke and Hannah’s 5 year anniversary, in the midst of the pandemic, in the middle of their living room, Luke dropped to a knee and asked Hannah to marry him.

They have always been sure of one another, even since the first day they met. When Hannah said “I’d make you my boyfriend,” she could not have imagined 9 years later, she would be making Luke her husband.

Exactly 9 years from the auspicious day they met, on August 24, 2024, Luke and Hannah will be pledging their eternal love and commitment to each other in front of their friends and family in the beautiful and serene Lake Tahoe.

A note from the couple - Thank you for being a part of our love story, for all the support you have provided in our lives, separately and together. We are stronger, better people for having a community of friends and family who we cherish so much. We are so excited to celebrate with you and are beyond grateful for the travel time, intention and action it will take for you to join us on our wedding day and to witness our exchange of eternal vows to one another. We love you so much!

Fun Fact - Hannah & Luke consider the day they met, August 24, 2015, to be their anniversary. They may not have known it on that very day, but subconsciously they were committed! They were engaged on August 24, 2020 and will be married August 24, 2024.