One evening they went out with a group of friends in La Mariscal, the club district of Quito. Bridgett wanted to show off some dance moves she had acquired in her Baile Deportivo (dance sport) class. After teaching a few moves to Aaron, he asked her if she would be his dance partner for the rest of the night. A bold question that would change the course of their lives forever, as they salsa’d, samba’d and cha-cha’d their way into the early hours of the morning.

A few months later, they attended a bull fight (yes, matadors and all) for the annual Fiestas de Quito celebration. They were still floating on a cloud of independence-day-induced celebration when they exchanged I love yous for the first time. And they had a pretty good feeling that nothing would ever be the same ever again. 

The years ahead were filled with challenges big and small - from navigating the logistics of long-distance dating to the pain of losing Aaron’s father to a chronic illness. But their bond and love only grew stronger.

As they started to build their life together in Chicago, making new friends and reuniting with old ones, adopting a cat and a dog, and supporting each other while growing together, they became comfortable as partners in life. 

With the future as an ever-present topic of interest, they began to discuss marriage. Was it really for them? Did they need to be married to do all the things in life they wanted to do? What about all that wife-as-property stuff that marriage was founded in? 

Even as the questions grew, the fact that they wanted to build, and continue to build a life together never changed. So on December 5, 2019 at the Whitney show at Thalia Hall, Aaron got on stage and asked Bridgett to marry him. And now we ask you to celebrate our journey and our love with us!