Colin mostly grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii, but his dad was in the Navy, so he moved around a bit too. Sofia was born in El Salvador but had to leave the country at age 11 due to rising violence. She grew up in Victoria, Texas, and moved to Houston to start her career. Both were interested in dating but were waiting for the right person. They thought about marriage but wanted to focus on other things in life first. Colin worked for a few companies when he was younger and eventually changed careers to become a photographer and trail guide. Sofia worked in various companies after college and eventually started a career at Toshiba. Both weren’t sure about starting a serious relationship. Both were focused on other things—until just the right time...

So, when they both got serious about dating, they turned to a very modern solution—online dating! Because they both knew that sharing a similar faith would lead to a strong relationship, they decided to use CatholicMatch.com. At the time, however, Colin was still in Hawaii. He was browsing local profiles but was disappointed by the small number of people online. He therefore decided to move to the mainland to start a new life and search for his one true love.

Sofia had envisioned a different plan for her life but kept having a nagging feeling in her heart that there was something else out there for her. Thanks to her support system, she hesitantly ventured online.

Colin moved to Utah because his sister lived there. He struggled to find promising matches nearby. He had some video dates, but he didn't connect very strongly with the people he met. He hesitated to search in faraway Texas, but eventually decided to give it a try.

Colin happened across Sofia’s profile and gave it a like. He thought she was pretty and was impressed by her religious devotion. Colin sent a message to start a conversation. A lot of times the profiles are inactive or the messages are ignored. But this time, Sofia replied!

Sofia thought Colin was cute and shared some interesting ideas on his profile. She was intrigued…

After texting for a little bit, Colin asked for a video chat. But Colin didn’t really know how it would go. He still didn’t really have a good sense of who Sofia was and thought this could be another random video date like the ones he’d had in the past.

Within the first 15 minutes, Colin knew. Colin knew she was the one. Was it love at first sight? In the modern age, it was love at first video call. :)

Colin had met many people through photography and being a trail guide. He was used to forming connections with people. Some connections were light and temporary; others were polite and formal. But Colin felt a deep connection with Sofia right away. He knew this was something real. Sofia was shocked at the depth of their shared experiences, and it felt like it was meant to be.

In the months that followed, they had many more video calls. Sometimes they talked weekly; sometimes they talked biweekly. They learned quite a lot about each other! You learn a lot about someone when you stare at them for two hours and talk about yourself. So they were getting to know each other very well.

After a few months of talking, Colin was ready to take the next step. He decided to visit Sofia down in Texas. His parents were concerned he was making a rash decision. But Colin knew. So he made hotel reservations and booked a ticket to Houston. They decided to meet at a local park in Houston. This is a picture taken on that day:

The connection they felt over the video call was the same in real life! They both loved spending time with each other. Without intending to, they spent most of that first day together. Everything seemed amazing. Then, on day two, Colin got very sick with the stomach flu. The pain was intense. He had intense stomach cramps and it was very hard to move at all. He was worried that he was losing time with Sofia! He moved hotels and spent the day lying in bed. But Sofia heard about this and brought Colin lots of soup, crackers, natural remedies, and medicine! She was so kind!

Thankfully, after a few days, Colin recovered. And Colin and Sofia quickly resumed their dates. They got to spend a good amount of time together. Here are two pictures from those dates:

After the trip was over, Colin went back to Utah. He told his parents he had met the love of his life and that he was moving to Texas! (He didn’t quite use those words, but he kind of half-told them this.) His parents were a little flabbergasted that things were moving so quickly, but Colin was convinced. So he packed up his car with his things and drove down to Texas. Sofia was so excited Colin was moving down so that they could date in real life.

Moving to Texas was a big risk. Colin started a career as a wedding photographer, and when he got to Texas, he had a lot of work to do! But things started to work out. Colin began to get business, and he and Sofia got to go on many more dates. Here are some pictures from those first months together:

After about a year of dating, Colin knew it was time. He convinced Sofia to join him for a photoshoot at a garden estate. Sofia suspected Colin might propose but when the photoshoot started, they were just taking normal couple photos. So Sofia thought she might've been wrong. But then all of a sudden, Colin got down on one knee... And asked her a question...

And she said yes! Now, on September 20, 2025, Colin and Sofia will become husband and wife.