OUR STORY
BRIDE
Julia Elizabeth Lee
BRIDE
Kelsey True Cornell
Julia and Kelsey matched at the end of July in 2022
FROM HINGE TO HITCHED…
OUR LOVE STORY.
Authors Note: Though many of you have heard our ‘How We Met’ story, you have not heard it told by A.I. in a Shakespearean format…
Enjoy.
Hark! In the modern realm of digital courtship, where hearts connect through glowing screens and algorithms divine, two fair maidens' paths did cross upon the platform known as Hinge. 'Twas Julia who first cast her favor, like a arrow swift and true, accompanied by words most sweet regarding a tome they both knew.
Lo! When first they planned to meet, both were engaged in separate revelry with their respective companies. When Julia offered postponement of their fated encounter, her beloved would hear none of it! Such determination did move Julia's heart, compelling her to journey across the treacherous Valley of San Fernando (a quest most noble indeed, for any soul dwelling in Los Angeles knows such a traverse requires courage most pure).
Arrayed in garments that, by her own admission, befitted a journey through distant safari lands, Julia arrived at the tavern of Master Furley. Their souls, already entwined through messages most divine, did find even greater harmony in person. Such merriment led them to retire to watch the jesting of Lady Taylor Tomlinson, and thus began a fortnight of deepening affection.
Even when duty called Julia to the distant isle of Manhattan, she forsook the city's nightly pleasures to commune with her love through magical devices. Upon her return, she orchestrated a celebration of her beloved's natal day, unwittingly choosing the very establishment most dear to her love's heart - surely the gods themselves did guide her hand!
But soft! What moment divine revealed love's true depth? 'Twas during a simple morning quest for coffee, when a passing stranger inquired about the duration of their courtship. With hearts beating as one, they spun a tale of three years' devotion - and in that moment of playful deception, truth most profound was discovered. For the future they pretended at became the future they desired most earnestly.
And so, dear friends, these two souls, who ventured forth seeking naught but casual companionship, found themselves ensnared in love's sweetest trap. Their tale stands testament that Cupid's arrows fly true even through dating applications, and that love most profound can begin with a simple digital "like" (and perhaps a questionable choice of safari-inspired attire).
PROPSAL #1 | AUGUST 15th, 2023
Julia had The Broad museum closed down for just the two of us. A special Keith Haring exhibit is on display for a limited time only & she ‘thought it would be nice for us to be able to see it, just us.’ How this didn’t sound any alarms in my mind I’ll never know, but I gave her a big hug while thanking her for ‘such a nice date night.’ We entered the first room & I took in the art work while I bopped to Prince buzzing through the building. One of many serendipitous aspects of the evening. I was loving it. I took my time through six rooms, asking our tour guides questions & taking photos of Jules looking fly next to the art. Then we turned into one of the last rooms of the exhibit. It was my favorite room because of the colors of the paintings that filled the space. To my right was a wall covered with a giant Keith Haring original of his untitled piece with a big red heart & two figures dancing below it. I said “Baby we gotta take a picture with this!” and as I’m saying this, she takes both of my hands & the energy in the room changes instantly. Then many moments happen within 15 seconds. She pulled me to the spot she had planned months before. I looked around in panic-excitement; seeing the two tour guides pulling out their phones and already half crying. I look back to Julia and ask ‘What. What is happening? Is this happening?’ She tells me to take a deep breath, my buddy Lou pops out from the corner, he starts taking photos, and I start to cry. It, indeed, was happening. Julia wrote the most romantic poem to me & recited it. She reached in her purse pulling out a bright blue box, got down on one knee, & asked me to marry her. I scream-laugh-cried yes and kissed my fiancée as long as she would let me.
After we took photos, we had our own moment alone in the famous Infinity room. Julia recited her poem to me one more time so I could actually take it in; it’s true that you blackout when it’s happening! We gushed & giggled, wishing for time to stand still just this once. We ended our visit in the gift shop buying a souvenir to commemorate the best night of our lives to date. As the night continued, she surprised me with a dinner where my mom, brother, & her parents were waiting for us to celebrate + a boutique hotel room for the night where she had a card, rose petals, candles, strawberries, and champagne waiting for us. For the finale, (yes there’s more) she opened her phone & played a video she had put together of herself and my closest friends & family counting down the days until she proposed. We cried together in pure happiness & took in the last moments of our first night as an engaged couple.
I can’t believe this dream has come true. I’m engaged to be married to my deepest soulmate. I’ve never felt more safe, more seen, or more whole. I’m so in love with our life, Julia Lee. I’m beyond excited to do the rest with you.
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PROPSAL #2 | DECEMBER 19th, 2023
Over the holidays, Kelsey planned a date that would take us through the decades.
To start, she pulled out two vintage 60s dress options for me. I just about died when I saw the bow dress. It was me to a T and fit like a glove. Like the true lady Kels is, she pulled the car around the front of our apartment, only it wasn’t her Hyundai. Kels was propped against a yellow 71 convertible Mustang with a bouquet of sunflowers in hand. (Cue the second time I just about died lol) We hopped in and as we headed to our first destination, Kels handed me a silk hair scarf and cat eye sun glasses to complete my look. She thinks of everything. After a short cruise we arrived at the iconic 50s-style diner, Mel’s Drive-In. Naturally the producer in Kelsey wanted to document the day so between bites of our burger we took film photos and videos. Seeing how next level this date was, my suspicions began to rise and my nerves were at an all time high, so we popped over to our favorite arcade that opened in the 70s so I could shake it off. Kels destroyed at basketball but don’t worry I brought home the W for air hockey.
Next we headed to the top of Mulholland Canyon to catch a scenic sunset. Not gonna lie, it definitely wasn’t the picturesque moment Kels planned for due to some unprecedented weather. Apparently it does rain in LA. Lol But that didn’t ruin our fun. We put the top up, parked, and Kels pulled out a picnic basket complete with a blanket and bottle of saki. We cheersed and sipped, making the cloudy moment ours. When we continued our drive through Beverly Hills, the rain stopped and we put the top down, admiring every business and mansion dressed to the nines with Christmas lights and decorations. We could have cruised up and down all the streets for hours but before I knew it we were parked in front of the Saban Theatre (formerly the Fox Wilshire Theatre). Being the musical girlies we are, I thought we were ending our adventure with a show. Oh how wrong I was. As we approached the entrance, Kels started talking about our love of theatre, rattling off fun facts about the history of this one. You know the iconic Don’t Stop Believing performance from Glee? It was filmed here. And legends, like Katharine Hepburn and Marlyn Monroe, graced this stage. To my surprise when Kelsey opened the door, the entry area was empty, but lavender lights (my fave color) flooded the room. As we made our way to the main theatre Kelsey grabbed my hand and whispered, “Take this in. It’s gonna go fast.” When the doors opened I could see a single ghost light on stage and dozens of roses. The tears immediately followed. Once on stage, Kelsey took my hands and read me the sweetest love letter where the last line paid tribute to a favorite movie of ours. “After all, I’m just a girl standing in front of a really hot girl asking her, Julia Elizabeth Lee, will you marry me?” Between my uncontrollable sobbing and sniffling I was only able to get out a “Mhmmm!!” But quickly followed it up by my easiest “yes” of all time. As we hugged and cried I started to hear the beginning of “Can You Feel The Love Tonight.” And the next thing I know, a choir is making its way across the stage and my fiancée asks “Can I have this dance?” After dancing to a few songs, friends who were secretly recording us joined us on stage for, as I’m sure you can guess, more hugs and crying.
It was finally time to drop the rental car off, and while I was very excited to go home to see our cats and eat Taco Bell, we decided to keep the night going a little longer by getting a night cap. Of course, Kels didn’t take us to just any bar. She coordinated for the car drop off to be at Mr. Furley’s where we had our first date. When we walked through the door, the entire bar erupted. My heart was so full seeing so many familiar faces show up to celebrate this milestone moment. The thoughtfulness and intention behind each part of this day still makes me cry. Kelsey, you are the best partner I could have ever hoped for. Thank you for making our life together feel like a dream. I love you so damn much and can’t wait to be your wife.
And for those of you wondering,
I did still get my Taco Bell
at the end of the night.
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