Our Story
Once upon a time...
How We Met
April 6, 2024
It all started with a match on Hinge. What Mariana didn't know was that she'd already seen a viral photo of me going around the internet back in 2017 — with no idea we'd ever actually meet. We bonded over a shared love of Shrek and Taylor Swift, and it wasn't long before she asked to meet my dog. Our first date turned into a walk along Vancouver's seawall — and we haven't stopped walking together since.
Making It Official
June 7, 2024
After multiple Taylor Swift celebrations, some legendary ABBA nights, and amazing dinners and activities like Paint Nite and Emo Nite in between — it was pretty clear this was it. We made it official, and in less than six months we moved in together — and we're very happy we did.
The Proposal
February 7, 2026
I invited everyone to a PowerPoint Party — and nobody knew my presentation would go from bachelor life, to everything Mariana has brought into it, to getting down on one knee. She had no idea. Everyone else figured it out a few slides in.
The Ring
I always said an engagement ring isn't a way of measuring anyone's love — but then I realized that every time I said or did something stupid for the rest of my life, that ring is what she'd be looking at. Based on Edgar Tica's Marq'ay — "to hold in the arms" in Quechua — this 18k gold ring was handmade in Cusco, Peru and secretly shipped to Canada. I got the diamond in October — five months before the proposal — and custom ordered the ring with a 2-carat diamond and two emeralds to match her eyes.
The Proposal
I invited close family and friends to a PowerPoint Party — a get-together where everyone prepares a slideshow on any topic and presents it for laughs. What nobody knew was that my presentation would start as a tribute to my bachelor life before turning into everything Mariana has brought into it, and ending with the proposal itself. She had no idea, but a few slides in — once I started talking about her — everyone else in the room saw it coming.
The Celebration Weekend
What Mariana didn't know was that I'd booked a weekend at the Hazelnut Inn ten months before the proposal — all part of the plan. The Hazelnut Inn is a one-of-a-kind storybook inn tucked away in the village of Yarrow, just outside Chilliwack. We stayed in the Under Hill Suite — a cozy underground cottage hidden behind its own walled garden, complete with a waterfall and outdoor fireplace. The weekend after the big question, we escaped there for our engagement photo shoot and a couple of days to soak it all in. Scroll down to see some of the sneak peeks!
