Julian & Chris: Engaged, 4.30.16
As Julian and Chris told me their story, I literally stopped them every few minutes (in our 1 hour, 20 minute long conversation) to say ‘OMG that’s like a scene out of a movie!’ Count how many times you say it by the time you’re done reading this post and let me know the number.
What I love the most about their story is how meaningful it is for the both of them to have found each other when they did. Without getting into too much detail- both of them endured plenty of heartache when they came out to family and friends. For the most part, Julian’s relatives were accepting. When Chris came out, his mom and her then-husband were the first to know. They were not as receptive to the news as Chris would like.
Luckily, for the both of them, all of that had been resolved by the time their paths crossed in 2012.
On June 2, 2012, Julian and Chris were about a week into their social media relationship and were ready to take it to another level by meeting in person. This all happened just in time for PRIDE (how appropriate, right?) There had been a couple of back and forths via text that nearly ended without these two meeting, but fortunately- the odds were in their favor.
The way Julian described the way he felt when he first saw Chris gave me the chills: “I feel like the crowd just separated once I saw him standing there holding his phone up; it was love at first sight for me. He doesn’t admit that but I know it was for me.” From then on out, they were inseparable. Their PRIDE outing ended with a visit to Bobby’s (don’t they all?) and a graduation party for one of Julian’s best friends.
Within a month, Chris made it official with an elaborate surprise which included reservations in a candle lit private room at Ruth’s Chris.
So when it came time to propose last April, Julian knew he would have to come up with a way to top that. And he did, four years later. His surprise involved a scavenger hunt through Downtown Fresno with some of their VIPs handing Chris each clue. The final clue took him to the top of the Pacific Southwest building, where Julian was waiting with a ring in his hand. They have video of the whole thing too! [http://bit.ly/2lYxcIf]
For these two very deserving, Downtown Fresno-loving darlings, they say having each others love and support was worth the wait.
Julian: “He’s my best friend. Hes my very best friend. It means the world to go through life with someone who is going to challenge me and make me better.”
Chris: “What I always loved about being with him was that I found someone who shared the feelings I have about the world, family values and my relationship with God. My faith has always been important to me and has led me through some really hard times.. so it means so much to know that relationship is just as important to him, too.”
HashtagiDo 