How We Met
Chase & Zari both grew up in San Diego.
Zari remembers cheering for Chase’s football team back in elementary school. Chase remembers Zari from their shared eighth-grade history class, especially how nervous (and cute) she was whenever she got called on. Despite growing up in such close proximity, they never actually spoke.
Chase went on to Torrey Pines High School, while Zari attended the private school just down the street, Cathedral Catholic. Chase shared classes with some of Zari’s closest friends, and Zari had classes with some of Chase’s. Yet somehow, they still never crossed paths.
Fast forward nearly a decade. Both Zari and Chase had separately moved to Los Angeles, spent years in the same dating scene, and somehow never even stumbled upon each other. Until one day, fed up with dating, Zari upgraded her dating app to see more potential matches, and there he was. Chase sent a simple, suave “hey,” lol and everything changed. What actually followed was their first date, which ended with both of them crying from laughing so hard and realizing they were having more fun than they’d ever had on a date. They kept the love growing through long-distance commutes between Westwood and West Hollywood, until they moved in together by the beach in Santa Monica. All along, they had been orbiting each other’s lives, never realizing that the love of their life had been right there the whole time.
Zari’s favorite things about Chase:
He is the funniest person in the world and never fails to make me laugh or turn any moment into fun. He has the biggest, warmest heart and cares so deeply about the people he loves. When he’s with his people, he never wants the moment to end. He truly cherishes it as it’s happening. He’ll turn to me and say things like, “I’m pinching myself,” or “I’m having SO much fun,” with his classic Chase smile. He loves blasting his favorite rock-and-roll music anytime, anywhere (LOL). He’s also incredibly ambitious and works tirelessly from sunup to sundown to make his dreams come true, which inspires me every day.
Chase’s favorite things about Zari:
Zari makes the world brighter. She’s happy, hilarious, fun, and strikingly beautiful. She’s pushed me to try new things and see the world in a way of possibility. Since our first date, we’ve had the most fun every single day together and I can’t wait to keep doing that forever.
