*Not just an
ordinary love story
*Not true. It is a very ordinary, boring story, but we're still writing about it because we're excited to have a wedding website!
The Short Version
An immigrant girl and a boy from LA end up in same high school and sit next to each other on the first day of junior year. Girl needs to borrow a pencil, but is nervous to ask someone. She notices the boy's pencil case on his table, filled with MANY pencils. Politely asks the boy if he has any extra pencils that she could borrow (knowing that he does). Boy immediately says no. Boy avoids all eye contact. Girl is shocked. Complete silence. Boy then notices his pencil case, still filled with many pencils. Realizes his mistake. Instead of saving the moment and offering a pencil, quickly tries to hide pencil case in his backpack. Too late. More awkward silence. Still zero eye contact. 10 years later, girl and boy to be married.
Our Favorite Moments Throughout the Years
Nikka Marie
All our travels abroad, and the road trips with the pups. Ditching our fancy dinner reservations and instead having In-N-Out in the car on our prom night. Singing the wrong lyrics in the car to make Cesar laugh. When my baby brother lived with us during the pandemic, and Cesar did so good helping me take care of him. When Cesar started practicing hula with me and I was able to share that part of my Hawaiian culture with him. The first time that my Filipino cousins saw him get sunburned, and how panicked they were because they had never seen someone go from white to red in real life before. There's so much more!
Cesar Mateo
Our first kiss on the Ferris wheel on Santa Monica pier. Our first night with our first puppy. The one time that Nikka played soccer with me, made a great tackle, passed the ball, and I ran up the field and scored. When we sat on the cliffs on the coast of Italy, watching the sunset, eating grapes and mozzarella. Watching movies with Nikka’s brother our 'lazy living room' set up. Spending days with our pups, on the patio and in the hammock at our apartment on the beach. Going to Glamis with her family and grilling in a completely empty and quiet desert. Driving the road to Hana with the top down and her in the passenger seat. My birthday surprise that Nikka organized, with all my loved ones, mariachi, and drinks out on a boat in San Diego bay!
The Longer Version
(It's okay- you can skip this, if you haven't fallen asleep already. We don't really think anyone will get this far.)
Somehow, Cesar and Nikka overcame their awful first meeting and became friends during their junior year at high school. They started dating senior year. During early college years, Cesar and Nikka went on their first vacations together and traveled to the Philippines and Mexico . In 2017, they adopted their first puppy, Lyla.
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In 2018, Nikka was accepted at UCSD, and Cesar made up a reason to move with her. It was tricky to be without their families and learn to rely only on each other, but they found work that they enjoyed and friends that they came to love. Nikka completed her studies in Cognitive Behavioral Neuroscience and became lead therapist at a behavioral clinic, and Cesar was busy running successful businesses with his cousins. During these years, they were blessed to be able to travel to London, France, and Italy.
In 2020, they moved to a beachfront apartment that was only 37 steps away from the beach and 16 steps away from a taco shop (Cesar was so happy with where they lived that he repeatedly counted and took very specific note of this). In 2020, they adopted their second puppy, Sabah. In 2023, they decided to maximize on their youth and moved to Tijuana, Mexico, to enjoy life there. After a year in Baja, they moved back to Los Angeles to help take care of family matters.
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Throughout their life together, the couple has prioritized traveling and spending time with their dogs, family, and friends. Like all relationships, they have endured difficult times, but both remain dedicated to constantly improving themselves as partners and growing together as individuals. The couple is so excited to go on a big group vacation (and have a wedding) with their loved ones!