OUR STORY

From a Wedding Date to a Wedding Day...

By Riley

We met in July 2019 at a Tom James Company meeting in Marco Island, FL. After getting to know each other over a few days, Mike asked for my number just before we boarded our planes to Detroit and San Francisco.
 

When I got back home, I told all of my friends and family I had just met my future husband and would “probably” be moving to California in a year.
 

Before we knew it, casual texts/phone calls turned into watching movies together over FaceTime and an invite to be my +1 to a wedding in Vegas. The trip ended with one question: “When are you going to move to California?”

​

Mike squeezed in a Midwest trip just before the pandemic shut down the world, meeting my family who made comments like “It’s as if he’s been a part of our family for years,” and “I’m standing next to my future son-in-law!” No pressure!
 

I made a trip to sunny San Diego in April 2020 to meet the Russell Clan. I was welcomed with daily Bikini Body Guide workouts, afternoon tequila shots, and some imitation of how my Midwest accent pronounced “pale ale,” all cementing the fact that Mike was The One.
 

As Masters of Good Timing, we planned a trip to apartment hunt in San Francisco over Memorial Day weekend. Even protests, looting, and late night screamers didn’t prevent us from finding the perfect place for our first apartment together.
 

We had a short farewell tour in Ohio before beginning a cross-country road trip to move me from Ferndale to San Francisco… almost exactly a year after we met.
 

Since then, there have been endless adventures, laughs, challenges and one moody, cute puppy that’s continued to fill our life with the most love and joy our hearts could ever imagine.
 

We are so excited to say “I do” and celebrate with all of you, whether that’s near or far.
 

If you’re on this page, that means you’ve played a special role in our love story, and we are so grateful for you.

A Golden Proposal...

By Mike

I knew Riley was The One after we finished the cross-country road trip to move her to San Francisco. We had fallen in love and were excited to move in together, but this was a major test as we began our life as a couple. Luckily, we got along effortlessly and it felt like we had been doing life together for years.

In September 2024, I finally made the leap to visit a jeweler. While I wasn't an expert in all the technical details of rings, I had a clear sense of what Riley liked. With a little help from our friend, Abby, I found the perfect one and placed the order a few weeks later.

Originally, I had planned to propose during a trip to Napa at one of our favorite wineries, Tres Sabores. However, a last-minute visit from a friend to San Francisco threw a wrench in those plans. In hindsight, it worked out for the best—Riley would have definitely figured it out if I had kept the Napa plan because she's usually the one who takes charge when we visit Wine Country.

As I thought about other places we love—like the beach, Sausalito and Monterey—I landed on Golden Gate Park. It felt perfect, especially since we live just across the street and often go there for runs, picnics, and walks with our dog, Dolly. I went on a run to scout out the best spot for the proposal, but none of the places felt right. It wasn't until I ran through the Conservatory of Flowers that I knew it was the spot. All I needed to figure out was the timing.

I chose November 10th, the day before our anniversary, to propose. I told Riley that we had plans to meet some friends across the park for lunch, and that we should walk there. The only hitch was that Riley was running late coming from an appointment in the East Bay.

When she finally got home, we started walking toward the park. I'd coordinated with our friend, Carly, to take photos for us, and she was coming from the other end of the park. She texted to let me know she was behind schedule, so I stalled by pretending my knee was bothering me and suggested we walk slower. Riley asked why we didn’t just take a Lyft, and I told her my knee would feel better soon.

As we approached the proposal spot, my heart stopped: a group of tourists had pulled up e-bikes right where I was planning to drop to one knee. I panicked, my mind racing to find a new spot, but when I looked back, the tourists were gone! Carly had swooped in, told them what was happening, and kindly asked them to move along. Whew!

We got to the spot, and I stalled a little longer by snapping a random photo of the flowers so Carly could get into position. Then, as planned, I dropped to one knee. Riley said yes, and Dolly could hardly contain her excitement. We then celebrated by heading to one of our favorite bars in the city, where we were joined by all our local friends. Best day ever.