Ok… our story. We met the old fashioned way: online. First I was blown away by how beautiful and well traveled Sarah was. She had a prompt on her dating profile that said “best way to ask me out” and her response was “pizza.” Wow. Oh heck yeah. I skipped the small talk, told her I wanted to try a new pizza place called Pink Onion, and asked if she was free next Wednesday. When she walked in my first impression was confirmed: she was stunning. We went through the small talk and got to ordering. I suggested a medium pizza and salad. She said we should get the large pizza. OH MY. This is the one!

We hit it off. She was witty, interesting, family-oriented, and thoughtful. The conversation flowed naturally. I felt a sense of familiarity with her. I suggested a bar for a drink after dinner and we walked around the corner to a random bar. The vibes were fun. We started playing dice and a random guy joined us for a while. Once he left Sarah went for the hard hitting questions. On my dating profile I said I was Catholic and spiritual. She asked me, “is Jesus Christ your lord and savior?” I wasn’t shy. I talked about my spirituality. She did the same, and it was attractive to see her depth. By the end of the first date I was really attracted to her.

For our second date, I asked her to go on an urban hike with me. We hiked through Glen Park Canyon, to Twin Peaks, through the Castro and ended up in the Mission. It was a lot longer than we planned for, and even more fun than I thought it would be. The conversation flowed and the laughs just kept coming. Again I felt a sense of familiarity, comfort, and ease. This was the start of Labor Day weekend, and it was a beach weekend in SF… you get two or three of those a year. I was planning to work on Sunday. And just as I sat down in front of my computer, Sarah sent me a deadly croissant selfie. Jeez. I couldn’t resist. She picked me up and we went to Crissy Field Beach. It was 80 and sunny, and I was so happy I could barely contain myself.

Fast forward 9 months and we moved in together. It was fun to share a vision for the space and build something together. Throughout the relationship I felt a strong sense of compatibility, and living together was no different. We were teammates and the next step was obvious to me. I loved that every step towards proposing was confidence inducing: talking to friends, talking to my parents, asking Ed and Anna for their blessing, working with Claire and Nikki on the ring design, and planning the proposal and celebrations. I know Sarah is the love of my life and I can’t believe I found her. Took me a while, but boy was it worth the wait!

I’m excited to marry this incredible woman and partner, and I’m excited for you all to celebrate with us. Bring your dancing shoes and your hangover remedies. We’re going to have a fun weekend!!

Registry

Your presence on the dance floor is all we want!! Below are a few gift ideas if you're confident in your dance moves and want another way to add to the celebration ;) The cash funds charge a service fee. Venmo also works for us: https://venmo.com/u/EricReuland