Angel and Lora

First off, we are so excited to celebrate our special day with you! Angel and I have been dreaming about this day for the past eight years, and we are thrilled to have you there.

Feel free to look over our website and read about how we met, our adventures, and about our favorite accomplishments. You can also read about our awesome bridal party, check out some of our favorite restaurants and activities, look over our engagement, graduation, and proposal pictures, and of course, RSVP to our wedding. Our wedding website also comes with an App! So feel free to click on the last tab for a direct link to the App Store. 

We can't wait to see you soon. Thank you for being a part of our lives!

We met during our freshman year of high school at Madera High. We were both involved in the art club, and we were painting signs for a food frenzy. Angel was painting the word "brownies" on a poster board when I noticed that he had misspelled the word and was clueless that he had made a mistake. We both laughed hysterically after I called him out, but little did I know that this first encounter would be the start of our love story. It felt like we had an instant connection that even my friend could not help but notice. She ended up telling me that we would be cute together. 

Although we did not become close friends after we met, Angel always made sure to say hello to me at school--I could not help but notice his fun and outgoing personality. It wasn't until junior year that our relationship began to develop. On the first day of school, Angel walked into our 3rd period Digital Art Photography class and went to take a seat across the room. After he started to sit down, he noticed me and came to sit in front of me instead.

During class, Angel and I got to know each other very well. He would always turn around to talk to me, and we would get in trouble for talking and laughing too much. Our friendship developed quickly and I eventually invited him to join a community service group with me.

Angel eventually asked me out on October 16th, 2011 and the rest is history!

With this, I leave you with our very first picture together (October 13, 2011)

After graduating from Madera High School, it was uncertain whether we would attend the same college together, but God had a plan all along! We started college at Fresno Pacific University in 2013, and together we encouraged each other through all-nighters, breakdowns, and a lifetime of growing and learning.

I graduated a semester early in December and Angel in May of 2017. And off to grad school we went! 

In December 2015 I took Lora to visit my hometown in Mexico to celebrate Christmas. I was nervous to take her there since she had never experienced the "real" Mexico, plus not many people in my town had ever seen a white and blonde-headed girl in person before. It all worked out and we both had a great time with my family. Lora also finally had the chance to ride on the back of a truck!

Our trip to Mexico was so much fun! I toured Lora around my small hometown and I showed her all the things I used to do growing up. It was important for me to show Lora where I came from, and I am glad that we were able to experience this together. 

Weeks after graduating from Fresno Pacific, I started grad school in January at National University to pursue a Master's in Educational Counseling with a PPS credential. I have always had a heart for helping people, and this was one way for me to make a change in students' lives.

Angel got a full-time job at Fresno Pacific right after graduating, and he chose to take a semester off to focus on his new job. His plan was to go to grad school to pursue a Master's in Social Work, but eventually he decided to pursue School Counseling as well.

Our time in grad school was tough for many personal reasons, but we had each other. On June 30, 2019, we graduated from National University and we reached another milestone together! 

I proposed to my Lora on November 23rd, 2018, the day after thanksgiving, at a Christmas Tree Farm in Reedley, CA. I created a fake email account and an advertisement on Photoshop for a "members only private event" at the Christmas Tree Farm. Once done, I sent an email with the fake event advertisement to my personal email. Lora of course fell for this story and agreed to go with me! 

When we arrived at the farm, Lora was hesitant to be there because it was dark. The law abiding citizen that she is, she wanted to go back in the car and head out. I knew this was going to happen, but I persisted and dragged her to a very dark area of the farm... not the best move, but it was part of the plan. As we walked further from my car and deeper into the darkness, I said "I have something to show you," and a Christmas Tree lit up with picture ornaments from our seven years of dating. It was game on after this!I read my first speech in front of the single lit tree. Meanwhile, a photographer and two videographers captured the whole action from behind the Christmas trees (shout to Matlyn May Photography and Jeremy Neipp Visuals). After the first speech, two rows of Christmas trees lit up leading up to an arch at the end of the path. Here I read my second speech and proposed to Lora! It was perfect.

After a couple of minutes of tears, her best friends came out from behind the trees and surprised her. Some of my closest friends also came out and congratulated us both. (Shout out to John, Danae, Nick, Diana, Gabriel, and Haley for helping me with the set up. I totally would not have been able to do this proposal without your help). We then walked around the house on the property where both of our families and closest friends were hiding and waiting to surprise Lora. We ended the night with a surprise engagement party. Best night of our lives so far.

You can watch the full proposal video here: