“It was a Thursday, a warm September afternoon at the convention center in downtown Phoenix.

Adam, one of the few employees of a local non-profit healthcare organization, was assigned the task of helping the event planner of the company that was sponsoring the largest annual fundraiser of the organization Adam works for.

Angelina, a utility company event planner, had recently ended up in this position, finding herself working with this organization for this first official event.

Angelina and Adam had met before, briefly, in August during a planning meeting for this event. But on this particular afternoon, they actually had the chance to talk.

He was taken by her beauty, her smile, and her grace under pressure.

She was moved by his kindness, and willingness to be patient and helpful to her.

During the few moments of downtime on this busy Thursday, they spoke of their love of the southwest. They talked about their families. They spoke of just about anything other than the event.

Friday, the event day, was no different.

But when she needed him, he was there. She would run after him, asking for assistance on a project.

He sought her out, giving her his contact information under the guise of helping her social media posts make it onto promo screens during the event.

The event went off without a hitch, save for a fire alarm that evacuated over a thousand people onto the sweltering Phoenix streets.

Adam offered Angelina tickets to a baseball game, hoping that he would get to see her again. She already had tickets to that game, but took a pair for her parents. She hoped she would see him there.

They texted that evening, leading up to the game the next day. Adam and his friend Scott, now one of his groomsmen, sat in a suite owned by the other utility. He looked for her, hoping she would show up.

He finally saw her. She was jumping up and down frantically waving to him from the dugout, where she was sitting with her Maid of Honor, Lauren. They made plans to hang out that night.

On this, the first time they officially hung out, Adam even got to meet her parents. Angelina forgot to introduce Adam to them.

On that night they shared their first kiss in an underground bar in downtown, egged on by their friends.

They saw each other the next night, laying in the back of his truck and talking until they fell asleep.

—

It took a while for their roads to finally meet together to make it official.

Life threw some curve balls at them, making it a little rougher than they expected. Good things don’t come easy, and this was evident.

—

Adam asked Angelina to be his girlfriend, and she refused. She wasn’t ready for someone to be under that title. Angelina is fiercely independent and strong willed. Adam kept asking. Finally, after she felt comfortable, she asked him. She used the words from a George Strait song to ask Adam. He said yes.

—

Their first official date was celebrated in Fort Worth, Texas.

Angelina got chipotle salad dressing in her eye, Adam finally got to have a Lone Star Beer.

They went to their first rodeo that night, and danced in the World’s Largest Honky Tonk, under a rhinestone saddle.

—

Angelina doesn’t come alone. Her partner-in-crime is Piper Marie, her beloved beagle. When Adam asked Angelina to move in, he knew Piper would be part of the deal.

He made the room for her as part of the deal. Piper’s one bed eventually grew to a bed in each room for her, even though she preferred to sleep in their bed. Piper gradually became Adam’s dog, his best buddy. They are almost inseparable, wherever Adam is, Piper usually is.

Piper accompanied Angelina and Adam on their first long road trip, through the high deserts to Santa Fe, exploring towns along the way. They are three of a kind.

—

For Christmas, Adam and Angelina trudge into the forests with Adam’s parents, hoping to find the perfect Christmas tree. It’s not nearly as easy as it seems to pick the right tree, but it is always done. Angelina will settle for what Adam thinks looks good, with a clear skeptical-ness in her voice as she agrees to the one’s he points out. Those trees, whether ponderosa or juniper, always end up looking perfect in the corner of their living room.

—

Adam knew early on he would marry Angelina. It took a while to do it, but it was always the plan.

When he decided to do it, he tried to plan the perfect way to ask her. Friends and family gave their two cents as to how it should be, but Adam knew the perfect place to do it.

Angelina spoke of Tucson with pride, and with love. It was her coming-of-age location, and somewhere with a special and sacred feel to her.

Adam planned it out for her birthday, but being the natural planner she is, Angelina wanted to make plans. Adam would try to deflect her requests for her birthday, but she thought he didn’t make plans. Lauren would step in to keep her busy and her mind occupied about that day. Adam enlisted the help of Ema, one of her bridesmaids, and her fiance Tony to help plan the big day.

Adam wanted to ask her in front of St. Augustine Cathedral in Tucson, somewhere she spoke of wanting to attend mass. Plans were made for that to happen. Then 10 minutes before the already delayed moment of ask, Tony let Adam know the cathedral was under construction.

Plans were moved, last minute, to the steps of Old Main, at the University of Arizona, where Angelina attended.

Adam played a doting tourist, wanting to see the campus where Angelina was educated. He asked her to walk him around while they waited for dinner plans. He had been to the campus many times, but he acted as if he hadn’t.

They walked up the steps of Old Main, to the front doors. They peer inside the lit up building.

Adam’s heart was beating fast. He was anxious.

Angelina asked what would happen if they broke a window. She made the noise of a loud alarm.

He dropped to his knee. The left one. It was uncomfortable.

She laughed and asked what he was doing.

He took her right hand, and asked her to marry him. She said yes.

He put the ring on the wrong hand. It stayed there until it was resized, he bought the wrong size ring.

On the inside of that ring, the words she had used to ask him to be her boyfriend.

—

Angelina likes to go to bed early, Adam likes to go to bed late. They both try to find the middle ground for the other.

Angelina understands that Piper now has picked Adam over her. She is okay with it.

Adam understands it’s now his job to feed Piper at 5 am. He is okay with it.

The laughs, the tears, the agreements, the arguments; they are all things they will share forever.

—

Fate brought them together, and allowed them to get to know each other in ways they never knew possible.

The love between them is evident in the way Angelina looks at Adam, and how Adam looks at Angelina.

Their love will continue to be shared and will grow as they take this next step, a step they hope you will join them to celebrate.”

I can’t get enough of this perfect love story. Below are some of the amazing vendors who contributed to Adam & Angelina’s gorgeous desert ranch inspired wedding!