Our story began long before we even met.

In December 2022, Natalie was living in Riverside when her aunt Espie casually asked at a family gathering if she was “seeing anyone.” When Natalie said no, Espie immediately knew someone she had to meet: Steven, her former coworker.

Naturally, Natalie had questions.

“Is he family-oriented?” Absolutely.

“Is he funny?” One of the funniest people Espie knew.

And finally, the most important question:

“Is he tall?”

As the tallest of her siblings and a lifelong lover of heels, this definitely mattered—and thankfully, Steven passed the test.

After a few months of texting, Natalie and Steven finally met in person in March 2023 at Espie's house. What was meant to be a casual introduction quickly turned into hours of effortless conversation while Espie conveniently kept “forgetting” things in the kitchen to give them time alone. The conversation flowed so naturally that Steven ended up late to his own birthday party that day.

They also discovered their birthdays are just one day apart—Steven on March 5 and Natalie on March 6—which Espie celebrated with a cake for both of them.

From that day on, they became inseparable and officially started dating on June 10, 2023.

As their relationship grew, Natalie and Steven realized how connected their lives had always been: they were born in the same hospital a year and a day apart, raised only blocks from each other, and had families who attended the same schools and church—yet somehow had never met.

Looking back, we truly believe God was writing our story long before we knew it, and we are so grateful for every person and moment that led us here. We cannot wait to celebrate this next chapter on June 12, 2027, surrounded by the people we love most.