We first met in early July, last summer. What was supposed to be a “quick coffee” meet up in between work meetings… ended up turning into a 3-hour first date! We sat on a bench overlooking the ocean in Carlsbad, coffees in hand, talking about life, love, family, work, travel, preferences…. Everything under the sun. We quickly lost track of time as we were so excited about how similar we were and how much we had in common. Mark made sure to lock down a second date …. Scheduled for the very next day 😊. We both had a really good feeling that our connection was something special and from that point onwards, we didn’t go longer than a few days without seeing one another. We excitedly spent most of our free time together and after a couple of weeks of dating introduced each other to family and friends. One of our favorite memories is our first trip together to Santa Barbara. We effortlessly spent several hours each way in the car together and enjoyed a weekend away where we stand-up paddleboarded, road e-bikes through Montecito, celebrated “fiesta,” did some wine-tasting and found an impromptu concert in the park. Mark proposed to Iris in March while her sister, Jade and her husband (also Mark), was visiting from Canada. On an unsuspecting Monday evening, with the help of Jade and (her) Mark, Mark was able to get Iris out to the beach where they met for the first time. Mark planned a surprise proposal at sunset. Saying “yes” to one another was a beautiful and special moment for which we will forever remember. We feel so lucky to have found one another and we are so grateful for the love and happiness we share, and the strong partnership we’ve built. We can’t wait to spend the rest of our lives together, and look forward to having you join us in our celebration of marriage!