Our Story

Our story began in 2019 at a friend’s house, and before we even went on a date, we were already walking down the aisle—as part of the wedding party!  For Marco, it was love at first sight.  For Karlei, it was… concern.  Marco had just had his wisdom teeth removed, and while he technically had “pretty eyes,” Karlei was mostly focused on his massive “chipmunk cheeks.”  Luckily, the swelling eventually went down, but the laughter never did.

Our friends quickly pivoted from hosts to aggressive matchmakers, “accidentally” seating us together at every turn.  We spent that fall bonding over pumpkin painting and high-stakes games of Bop It (the ultimate relationship test).  By January 2020, we finally went on a real date, and we’ve been inseparable ever since.

Family has always been our heartbeat.  Both of us were raised in Las Cruces—shoutout to our parents, Danny and Risa Olivarez, and Sandra Ochoa and Ramon Perpuli—where we learned that love, hard work, and a little chaos go a long way.  Karlei knew Marco was “the one” because he loved her family like his own; Marco knew Karlei was his forever because she was his biggest cheerleader through every school and work milestone.

When it came time to pop the question, Marco knew it had to be a getaway.  In May 2024, we headed to Karlei’s favorite place on earth: Disneyland.  The day was a total whirlwind of nerves.  Marco had promised Karlei’s dad, Danny, that he’d call with the news by 5:00 PM.  But as the Disney crowds grew and the sun began to set, the deadline came and went.

Soon, Marco’s phone was vibrating off the hook with “check-in” calls from the family.  He had to heroically ignore every single one—risking the wrath of future in-laws—to keep the surprise alive.  Finally, at midnight in front of a quiet, sleeping castle, Marco dropped to one knee.  In that instant, the world went still, the “chipmunk” became a fiancé, and our forever officially began.