Connect How did your love story begin?

We matched on a dating app and planned to make pizza and go thrifting. Then COVID shut everything down. We did FaceTime dates for months until we could finally meet in person, and when we did, it felt like we’d always known each other. It was his birthday, so I made him a cake. He’s from Pennsylvania, I’m Bay Area born and raised, but this is home for both of us now: two dogs, a cat, and a house we love.

What is your favorite memory you've shared as a couple?

Honestly, it’s impossible to pick. Walking the fairy-tale streets of Marburg, Germany where he studied abroad. Watching our friends get married in Sitges, Spain. Adopting our dog and slowly earning his trust after he’d been failed by people before us. Camping in Yosemite, Big Sur, the West Marin redwoods. Getting engaged at the Sonoma Botanical Gardens. Finding Mendocino and knowing that’s where we’d get married. Small moments can be big ones too.

What would you do with $20,000?

We’re getting married in Mendocino. It’s stunning. It also happens to be one of the more expensive places to host a wedding, and the reception venues have been the hardest part of planning. This would give us a real choice in where we celebrate with the people we love most. We’re going to have the best day regardless, but being able to treat our family and friends to something truly beautiful while we celebrate our love would mean the world to us.