We knew each other for seven years before having our first conversation. Throughout high school and university we would say hello, but never more than that, until one night we found ourselves seated together at a friend’s birthday. The connection was instant and obvious, and we wondered what had taken us so long. After that, I became a fixture at his apartment, stopping by on my bike ride home from class. We’d talk for hours about anything and everything, supporting each other through challenges, learning about ourselves and who we wanted to become. Our friends wondered if we were dating but we didn’t think of each other that way, at least we didn’t think so.

Two years into our friendship we went away to a cabin with friends. It was a lazy weekend of sunbathing and swimming. The last night, while lying in bed, I realized I loved him. I didn’t know what type of love, yet, but I knew it was deep and caring. When I told him I loved him, he knew what I meant. He said he loved me too. I was filled with butterflies, so happy he felt the same way. When we returned home, we hesitated to act on our feelings. We didn’t want to lose each other, to risk the friendship that had come to mean so much to us both. But by then there was no turning back. Knowing how much we loved each other we had to give it a shot. We began slowly, carefully, unsure if our relationship would last.

Days turned into weeks, and I had surgery. He supported me through recovery, even learning to tie my hair in a ponytail. Weeks turned into months, and I moved to California. He flew out to visit and we explored the area together, hiking National Parks and savouring our time together. Months turned into years. I moved back home, moved away again for university, and all the while our love grew stronger. In 2020 we uprooted our lives and moved to Victoria together. We’ve fallen in love with the island, road-tripping to Port Hardy, camping every chance we get, and becoming avid surfers despite our beginner-level skills.

On January 29th, we went to my favourite spot in the city, Gonzalez Beach. We sipped Milano coffee and tried our best to keep our toes out of the frigid water. He asked me to stand for a photo, and when I turned around he was down on one knee. We were both so emotional that neither of us remembers what he said next! Among tears and laughter, he slid the ring on my finger. We’ve been sharing our joy with friends and family ever since.

At almost six years together, our relationship has had its great times – exploring, camping, hiking, long road trips and finding podcasts we both love. We’ve had our hard times too – living long-distance, working through arguments, and the stress of moving across the country. We’ve even had really hard times – struggling individually with mental health challenges and at times unsure if the relationship would last. But with every struggle, we've talked, worked together as a team, and made it out the other side. Through it all, our love has matured, growing stronger with each argument and resolution, growing deeper through mutual trust and vulnerability. We bring out the best in each other. He makes me more patient and understanding and I make him braver and more confident.

After only a few weeks of being engaged the wedding planning process is already becoming overwhelming. Winning this prize would take pressure off the wedding so that we could truly enjoy our engagement and focus on what’s most important about our wedding day – celebrating our love for each other with friends, family, and our community. We could also use the money we would have spent on a wedding to build our future here, with a house on the island where we can start a family.

Victoria, we hope you’ll consider us for this contest and we are so excited to share our love and joy with you all!

Alexis and Wilson