the best love is the kind. . .
That awakens the soul and makes us reach for more,
that plants a fire in our hearts, and brings peace to our minds.
Stockton, California
Benjamin and Katherine met at the University of the Pacific year 2008 — in Economics class! They became good friends that semester, but Ben graduated soon after — and headed back East to New Hampshire.
They kept their friendship strong through phone calls and handwritten letters (yes, that was a cool thing back in the day!). One day, Katherine called Ben and invited him to India to attend her best friend Vinni’s wedding.
It took Ben less than 24 hours to decide and it was the best decision of his life. After three long years — they got together again in India!
October 29, 2012 | New Delhi, India
After India, it was back separate coast for the two of them. They still kept in touch, until. . . Ben made a career & life change — heading to the West Coast for a coding school in Portland, Oregon. They both visited each other during Ben’s 5-month stay in Portland.
April 09, 2014 | Big Sur, California
July 4, 2014 | San Francisco, California
Ben decided that Portland wasn’t close enough to Katherine — and so he moved to Oakland to pursue both love and a career in tech.
That same year, they moved in together and spend their first Christmas together — ending their 5-year LDR!
November 29, 2014 | Walnut Creek, California
Benjamin and Katherine spent the next couple of years fulfilling their dreams together, spending lots of time with family, and traveling to new places.
May 01, 2017 | Laguna, Philippines
December 28, 2017 | Palm Coast, Florida
The Proposal
Ben planned a weekend for Katherine in San Francisco under the guise of a “staycation” as reward for a year of hard work. After a few days of wonderful meals, music, and relaxation, Benjamin popped the question in front of the iconic Painted Ladies. She said Yes!
December 22, 2018 | Alamo Square Park, San Francisco, California
We’ve always known we wanted to be together. The years have been long (14 years!) and hard, but they’ve also been wildly beautiful. It’s through these years that we’ve come to realize how important our relationship meant to both of us. We feel so blessed to have each other — we are so in love and we can’t wait to make it official!
Benjamin & Katherine