They say the best way to get to know a person is to go on a trip together. For Kristin and Evan, that was certainly true. They met as undergrads working as tour guides at UCLA, but it wasn’t until a trip to Guatemala with mutual friends that they really clicked. They stayed up late talking, and as Evan puts it, “the rest was history.”

They spent the next six years dating, with more than half of that being long-distance, but in June of 2016, Evan hatched an adorably nostalgic plan to propose. They met up for the weekend in L.A., and for old time’s sake took a campus tour. He sneakily suggested they break away from the group and walk through their favorite parts of campus. “We found a nice tree, and sat and looked out over our beautiful alma mater. When we got up to go to the student store, Evan said, ‘Before we go,’ and I turned around and didn’t see him. I looked down, and he was on one knee with a beautiful ring!” Kristin remembers.

The pair settled on a fall wedding at The Maples in Woodland, just north of Kristin’s hometown of Davis. With the bride-to-be in Arizona for the first year of the engagement, some of the planning was a bit complicated, but everything worked out beautifully with help from family and Jennifer of Tan Weddings & Events. “I think my favorite planning memory is when Evan and my mom went to the open house event at The Maples while I was in Arizona. It warmed my heart to know two of my favorite people were together,” Kristin says.

When the day itself finally came, two of their best friends kicked off the ceremony by reading their love story to guests. It was truly a family affair; Kristin’s grandfather officiated and her brother and sister were in the wedding party, as were Evan’s two sisters. After the “I dos,” came the long-awaited party. The open bar and awesome DJ helped facilitate the crowded dance floor, and Kristin recalls the dancing portion of the evening provided not only one of her favorite memories of the day, but possibly of her life. “It was when I got to dance with my mom, aunt, and both grandparents. We all just held hands in a circle and boogied! My 86-year-old Nana had been feeling a little less energetic than usual and we were not sure if she would feel like dancing, so it really made my day being on the dance floor with her.”

As the night ended, guests got to a take a little of the fun with them thanks to some playful favors—a homemade version of the dice game Farkle, the couples’ favorite game. In addition to many more rounds of Farkle, Kristin and Evan are looking forward to sharing the rest of their lives and, as Kristin puts it, “figuring out how to become better versions of ourselves and better partners to each other.” 

— Jennifer Resnicke