Elise and Joe
Our Story
Elise's Version
It was after our first date that Joe stole my heart. Being in Los Angeles for two years, I was ready to dip my toe into the L.A. dating scene, so I polished up my OKCupid profile to just “see” who was out there. Lo and behold, I came across the profile of this gorgeous man with long black hair and arm muscles to die for who also shared my interests in martial arts and film. I swiped right and was met with "It's a Match”! I thought okayyyyy, just play it cool, and let him message me first. (It may be online, but I'm still a lady and a gentleman should make the first move.) FINALLY he messaged me. We chatted a bit, and he asked for my number right away. Since I felt that there could be something there, I decided to go ahead and give him my number. After about a week of talking, we decided to meet in person. Not going to lie, this was a little scary because I didn't know him, but I was still very excited to meet him.
I arrived dressed to impress, and he was…LATE! I later came to realize that Joe has his own timetable. As I was waiting, receiving multiple texts from him assuring me that he was indeed on his way, I thought, "This better be a good date." Thirty minutes later, he showed up and whisked me off to “Suehiro”, his favorite Japanese restaurant in Little Tokyo with little booths that make you feel like you could actually be dining in Tokyo. I had no clue what to order as the closest thing to Japanese food I had ever had was Benihana. Joe was happy to help me figure out what I would like, and he ordered me a fun drink. As we waited for our meal to arrive, he proposed we play a game to break the ice. Whoever laughed more than 20 times would lose. I wasn't going to lose, so I agreed. Of course, I lost!!! He was so funny and charming— I couldn't help myself.
Later, I excused myself to go to the ladies room, and as I turned the corner, I stumbled into a curtain. I thought to myself, “Oh God, I hope he didn't see that.” I looked back just to make sure he hadn’t see that but nope. He was looking straight at me! So embarrassing. I wondered what he thought of my not-so-cool curtain move. After dinner, we continued to have a great time visiting different shops in Little Tokyo, and we ended the night at his favorite karaoke spot, Tokyo Beat. We had a blast watching everyone sing! As the night wound down, he walked me to my car, and as we said goodnight awkwardly waiting to see who was going to make the first move, Joe leaned in and kissed me goodnight. It was sweet, and I smiled all the way home that night…and he has kept that smile on my face and in my heart ever since.
Joe's Version
I first met my baby on a little app called OkCupid. Sure it's not quite the most romantic spontaneous way of finding someone, but our first date sure was! I remember looking up "martial arts" on the app's search engine and there she was. Beautiful, gorgeous, and smart. I swiped right because I liked her. Surprisingly, it said it was a match (meaning she swiped right first.)
After some time, we made plans to finally meet up in Little Tokyo at 7:00pm on April 29, 2017. But getting there didn't go as planned. I lost my wallet earlier in the day at the park and was running 30mins late. Perfect for getting in the mindset for a date! What was interesting is that on my way to the train station, I bumped into my cousin Mark Festin completely out of the blue. I told him I had to rush and he wished me goodluck!
I finally met her, locked eyes with her, and instantly I couldn't stop smiling. I'm lucky she was smiling back too instead of being upset with me being.... 45mins late! We went to Suehiro where I ordered Teriyaki for myself and Oyakodon for her (chicken, egg, and scallion dish) which she never tried before.
I taught her how to use chopsticks which she was absolutely horrible with at the time. We joked and laughed with each other. We shared our dreams and goals. It felt electric and so happy. We couldn't stop smiling the whole time (see the videos below.) We were smiling so much we had to play the "No Laughing" game. That's the game where, if you laugh, the other person gets a point. She had gone up to 22 times, but she claimed she only had 2.
We had our first kiss that night and continued dating over the next few months. Everyday with her felt like the best day of life. We said "I love you" to each other on July 4th, 2017.
We had gone for a hike at the beautiful Albalone Cove. The ocean was golden and lit the waves. I saw her there and said to myself "This would be a great place to propose to her one day."
On September 12th, 2020, we went for a hike at Albalone Cove. Only this time, I proposed. I was lucky she said yes and made me the happiest guy in the world. And in 2022, here we all are! It's been a journey and this wedding is still just the beginning. We thank you for coming to our wedding.
