Our Story

Written by Karla

Although we knew of one another in high school, our paths did not cross much more than Ian being friends with my cousins and a shared Physics class. Fast forward to a few months after high school graduation, and we found ourselves at the same party. During the party drunken plans were made, including a hike the very next day. When Sunday morning arrived no one had any intention on following through with these plans, well except Ian. He had texted me asking when everyone was planning to leave, which sparked our back and forth snapchats and texts. Ian then asked me to get dinner at Fantastics, a VERY low key, some might even argue, fast food like restaurant. So yes, I did NOT think it was a date. However, that night Fantastics was holding a fundraiser for Youth and Government, a program my close friends and brother were a part of. Even if I were to have assumed it was a date, I did not want our “first date” broadcasted to all of Pedro. After some more back and forth, we settled on Acapulcos, coincidentally the same place my parents had their first date over 30 years ago. All my friends were away at school, which freed up my last couple of weeks before leaving for UCLA, so I gave the kid a shot. This led to many late night movies and endless ice cream dates, seeing one another almost every night.

As my move to UCLA approached, Ian asked the question that changed everything: "Are we doing this?" And so, we embarked on a four-year ‘long distance’ journey up and down the 405. He attended many date parties, ate endless meals in the dining halls, and became the go-to handyman for our friends, a role he still holds today as we live within a couple of blocks of one another. His compassion, kindness, and patience have always been his best qualities. He supported me through the highs and lows of college life, proving time and again how lucky I am to have him by my side.

Ian shows his love through many outlets, but his most remarkable gesture thus far has been his embrace of my Croatian culture. He accepted and exceeded my expectations of an all American boy. Sharing the place I spent my summers, and even inviting him to stay with my grandma for a summer in 2017 was what sealed the deal. Seeing even my toughest family members mesmerized by his character confirmed what I already knew. Ian has taken Croatian language classes, leads the countdown to our yearly trip, and can even be seen belting the lyrics to any Klapa song better than me. I am so excited to marry my favorite person in my favorite place.