Our Story

Many moons ago, two creative souls crossed paths for the first time in art school. What began as a shared love of design, storytelling, and creating things soon grew into a friendship, a partnership, and ultimately a love story. Through years of creating, dreaming, and building a life together, they discovered that their greatest masterpiece would be the one they made together, side by side.

From a very young age, being creative was the force that fueled Oliver and Clarissa’s imagination. Drawing, painting, and crafting came easy; thus, art became an expressive extension of who they were. Against the wishes of their parents, they both wanted to pursue a life of innovation and expression and applied to the School of Art at the University of Arizona. 

In their time at school, there was an unknown thread between Oliver and Clarissa. They both had similar classes, friends, and shared the same hallways at school…but ironically, they had never met. Not until the invisible string of fate would bring them together in the Spring of 2013. Clarissa had just lost an important family figure in her life: her grandfather Richard “Dickie” Rodriguez. Dealing with his passing, school was no small feat, and Clarissa did her best to show up and make the most of her time at school. Just as this important figure left a hole in her heart, Oliver made his debut and entered her life. A mutual friend realized Oliver and Clarissa had not met, and introduced them to each other. Quick introductions were said, and to Oliver’s surprise, Clarissa was less than enthusiastic to meet him. She simply said “hey…” and continued on with her work. Oliver was taken aback and flagged this new person as just an acquaintance at school. Each of them pressed on with their lives and went on their own paths during the hurdles of that Spring semester. Nonetheless, this was simply a teaser before the premiere of their friendship. 

As the weather changed from warm to cool and the chill of the Fall semester made its presence known, Oliver and Clarissa met again at the university’s newspaper, The Daily Wildcat. They were both hired as student designers, and to Oliver’s surprise, the same person he had met back in March - the same person who snubbed him - was his new coworker! Clarissa had forgotten all about the first encounter, and on her first shift she introduced herself with a smile. Oliver immediately had his guard up but politely greeted her, and they both started their newspaper training. On that first workday, Clarissa asked Oliver about his major and who his friends were…and to her surprise, all of it was very familiar. She had learned that Oliver was in the same program, had the same classes, and had the same friends as herself. Her mind was racing, and she asked why they hadn't met before. Oliver told her they indeed had met, which shocked Clarissa and made her a little embarrassed that she had not remembered him. She immediately apologized and began to tell him about what she had been going through at the time of their first meeting.

The awkward conversation quickly turned into a chat amongst new friends. They chatted about where they were from, their childhood in the 90s, their families, art and design, food, ancient cultures, music, movies, and video games.They especially enjoyed talking about Marvel, Star Wars, and their love for all things Jurassic Park! Every time they had a shift together, it was something to look forward to. A casual workday would evolve into platonic dates, which always included Raspberry Peace Teas and breakfast burritos in the mornings. After work, they would make the long walk back to the School of Art together, carrying on conversations and making plans to meet up outside of school and into the weekend. 

Before they knew it, they became great friends. Oliver and Clarissa would casually watch movies at Harkins Theatres, hang out at Oliver’s apartment with their friends, go on trips to California and create lasting memories and hilarious adventures. It is also worth mentioning their love of dancing. To Clarissa’s surprise, she found out that Oliver was the one and only man who had dance-partner potential in her life. On their many nights out, they would dance the night away, and a couple of club stages had the privilege of having them.

Their connection later evolved into something else…something more than friendship. Both hesitant to reveal their feelings, Clarissa and Oliver found themselves playing a long game of Hard-to-get; each determined not to be the first to admit what had been growing between them. Clarissa may have fallen for Oliver’s charm first, but she was not about to surrender so easily. In the end, Oliver finally gathered the courage to ask her to be his girlfriend on April 20, 2015, on the front porch of Clarissa’s childhood home. What began that day was not simply a new romance, but a deeper chapter with the person who had already become his closest friend. 

Over the years that followed, Oliver and Clarissa continued to grow side by side. Together they navigated college graduations, first jobs, career changes, new homes, family milestones, unexpected challenges, and countless adventures in between. They learned how to support one another through both triumph and hardship, discovering that the strongest part of their relationship was not simply their love, but their friendship. By the time they became engaged, they had already shared more than a decade of building a life together—a life filled with creativity, laughter, resilience, compromise, adaptability, and unwavering partnership. 

For them, marriage is not the beginning of a new journey, but the continuation of the path they have been traveling together all along. At its essence, this wedding is a celebration of their unshattered connection to one another. A reason to gather the people they love most and witness the next chapter of a story that began many years ago, in art school.