Our story began with a swipe—though not just any swipe. JP’s Hinge profile caught my eye with his genuine smile. I thought to myself, "He seems really happy. I wonder what makes him so happy.” And just like that, we were sitting across from each other at Final Gravity, a brewery, while eating sushi that we ordered next door.

What was supposed to be a quick first date, since I had to wake up early for clinicals as a nursing student, turned into 2 hours of banter over favorite foods into our life dreams. Between bites of poke sushi and sips of hazy beer, two things stood out. His smile—the kind that is contagious and the way his eyes lit up when he talked about helping patients recover as a physical therapist.

At the time, I was deep in nursing school, drowning in textbooks and clinical rotations. “Just so you know,” I warned him, "I really need to focus my time studying." But JP didn’t flinch. Instead, he became my unofficial study partner, and showed up at local coffee shops. While I was studying, he was working on his business. His focus helped me stay focused too. We set timed breaks and we would chat and laugh in during it. I needed that since nursing school was so stressful. He was not a distraction at all. In fact, I felt like he facilitated my goals of becoming what I always wanted to be, a nurse.

Two years later, he brought me back to Lake Natoma, where we’d shared our first “official” date. This time, though, instead of nervously asking me to be his girlfriend, he got down on one knee—and I just said "YES"...even though he did not even show the ring or say officially proposed yet.

We can’t wait to celebrate with you—because if there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that love isn’t about grand gestures. It’s about showing up, drinking boba in hand, ready to walk through life’s chaos together.

J&M

Ceremony

Reception