Elyse and Erik’s story began in 2019 at a Santa Monica bar—41 Ocean. Elyse was out with two friends, Erik was visiting with his, and somehow fate (and a photobooth) brought them together in the corner of the bar. One perfectly timed photobomb later—and just like that—sparks flew. They hit it off instantly!
How One Photo Bomb
Changed Our Lives
Although Elyse and Erik’s story officially began in Santa Monica, their lives had crossed in unexpected ways long before that. Both Southern California natives—Elyse in Thousand Oaks and Erik in Palos Verdes—they later found themselves in Washington for college, just over an hour apart at Gonzaga and Washington State. They never met there, but it became one of those details that, in hindsight, felt like a thread connecting their stories all along.
Their story truly picked up in the South Bay. After that initial Santa Monica run-in, it was a chance encounter at Vista in Hermosa Beach that changed everything. Elyse walked up to reintroduce herself, but Erik didn’t need the reminder. Not long after, he reached out to ask her to grab drinks—and from there, things naturally fell into place.
When they reconnected in 2022 and knew they were ready to make things official, Erik went back and figured out the exact date they had first met in 2019. Then, in a move that felt entirely like him, he waited until that very day—October 5th—to ask Elyse to be his girlfriend.
Today, the South Bay is home. Elyse and Erik now live together in Manhattan Beach, where their relationship has continued to grow into something steady and lasting. It’s where they’re building their life together—and where they look forward to everything ahead.