How it all began (Alex’s POV):

If you were to ask me when I fell in love with Adam, I can honestly say that I have no idea. The first record I have of Adam and I saying “I love you” is from May 23rd, 2013… over 12 years ago. It was over Facebook messenger, where the majority of our high school friendship took place. Believe it or not, in that same conversation, we planned our wedding.

I think it’s fair to say that I started falling for Adam the first time he made me laugh. He probably fell in love with me at first sight… because me? at 15? with braces? Irresistible. If I’m right… he played quite the long game. Our friendship wasn’t well known by many, it really flew under the radar. It wasn’t intentionally hidden, anyone who asked why I was smiling at my phone so often would have just been told that “Adam said something hilarious.”Despite the distance of different friend groups in high school, we built a strong foundation that would then endure the distance of college.

We were completely unaware of how special our bond was, but we never let go of each other. Five years ago, the COVID pandemic brought us back into each other’s orbit, and we decided it was time to really give us a shot. We already loved each other in the way only true friends can. One year later, we said those three words again, and they meant so much more.

So our story began on the first day of high school. Maybe I can’t tell you the exact moment I fell in love with Adam because it wasn’t one moment. It was built over years in late-night messages and inside jokes. In the comfort my inner weirdo found alongside his, and in the friendship that got us through the pains of growing up.

As it turns out, that “long game” Adam played… worth it.

Proposal (Adam’s POV)

Alex and I had known for quite some time that we were going to get married, the only remaining question was when would we finally make it official? I knew that this was a once in a lifetime moment, so my goal was to make it as memorable as possible.

Alex had been (not so subtly) asking about a proposal for some time. During the planning stage, it took every bit of my will power to brush off those (not so subtle) remarks and not just tell her right then and there. I tried to throw her off the scent by suggesting that it might be a little while. Thankfully, my future wife believes everything I say.

The first step was to figure out where I wanted to propose. As a UCSB alumnus, Santa Barbara was at the top of my list, especially because Alex had never been there before. A bonus with choosing Santa Barbara is that it gave me a good excuse to include Alex’s scousin (cousin who is basically a sister) Chelsea, who also went to school in Santa Barbara.

I knew it couldn’t be as simple as telling Alex that we are going to Santa Barbara and inviting Chelsea to join us. Instead, I disguised the proposal trip as a college reunion weekend with 3 of my best college buddies: Gage, Jake, and McGonegal (his first name is Alex, but let’s go with McGonegal to avoid confusion). I told Alex (fiancé Alex) that my friends wanted everyone’s significant others to come, too. Lastly, at a family gathering, I conveniently brought up that Alex and I were going to Santa Barbara. Chelsea, who is a wonderful actress, excitedly invited herself and her husband Zach to join in on the Santa Barbara nostalgia. And in the background, I had also planned for our parents to be there that day in secret. From Alex’s perspective, I had organized very little of this excursion, but she was simply a puppet on my strings. Once all the pieces were in place, I couldn’t wait for the day to come.

On the fateful day, I was surprisingly calm. Everything was planned out and I was (pretty) sure what Alex’s answer would be. The day in Santa Barbara went exactly how I wanted it to. We met up with our friends and went to all my favorite spots. We took photos, had good food, and just had a great day together. Before our final stop, Alex, Chelsea, Zach, and I went to a brewery close by, and this is where the nerves started to kick in. I was running through the scenario in my head repeatedly. At this point I just wanted to do it so I didn’t have to think about it anymore.

Finally, we reached our ultimate destination: The Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara. I had the ring box in my bag for the entire day, but now I had to grab it without Alex noticing. I quickly realized that the box would not fit in my pocket, so I made a handoff to Zach for him to hold onto it until I needed it. This is when I really started to feel the pressure. My legs weren’t fully cooperating with me, and I was relying on Chelsea to lead us to the vista that I had our parents scope out ahead of time. Once we got there, everyone started taking photos in groups and couples. After a few rounds of pictures, Zach slipped me the ring box and it was time for our moment.

I called Alex back to the photo spot, and then it was time for my secret weapon: the luggage tag. I had previously given Alex a piece of carry-on luggage that came with a custom luggage tag with her initials “ALB.” After I called her over, I told her that I noticed her current tag was broken. I pulled out the same tag from my pocket, only this one had “ALE” on it. I could see the gears in her head turning as she looked at it, and that was my cue to get down on one knee. The incredible combination of genuine elation and disbelief is something that I will never forget. I have a hard time believing any moment could surpass this one. Even though we were surrounded by friends and family, it felt like we were the only people on the planet. On this day Alex became my fiancé, but I can’t wait until I can call her my wife.