Cristina and Rafael first met on a blind date on a cool January night at a restaurant overlooking Fort Lauderdale beach. The two were set up to meet for a couple of drinks. Three shared plates and a dessert later, they ended up closing the restaurant down. Anxious for more time together, they kicked off their shoes and walked alongside the ocean talking effortlessly and endlessly.

As most young couples do, Cristina and Rafael soon became inseparable just months into their newfound adoration. The two made things official in April of 2018. That feeling when falling in love, head in the clouds, heart sinking, butterflies in your stomach feeling. Quite literally in the clouds. From skydiving to the top of the Eiffel tower in Paris, they made lifelong memories together for the first time.

Three trips around the sun later, on January 13th, 2021, Rafael brought Cristina back to the restaurant where it all began. An acoustic guitar played their favorite love songs gently in the background as they celebrated this marked occasion. This night's weather proving not as cooperative as it had been three years ago on that first romantic walk, Rafael's plan to propose on the beach quickly moved to plan B. The living room of Cristina's place. As they began to drive home, friends and family covertly decorated the room in candlelight, over 300 long stem roses, and a neon sign asking the pink glowing question "Will you Marry me"? .🌹 As soon as the door opened, Cristina felt the butterflies in her heart. Rafael led her to the center of the room, got down on one knee, and asked for her hand.