Loves Brews in Seattle

Seattle, best known for rainy days, coffee and the home of the grunge movement, is also great for brewing up romantic love stories. Like that of Emma Olgard and Carlos Rufin, who met here in 2013 at a housewarming party. This summer, they’ll start a new chapter in their love story by saying marriage vows together. Emma had just moved to Seattle and was trying to push herself to meet new people. Her sister’s co-worker was hosting a housewarming party and she decided to go. Emma recalls seeing Carlos there but feeling like he hadn’t noticed her at all. He seemed to be on his phone a lot. Emma was getting ready to leave with her sister, which seemed just the push she needed to say something to Carlos. The best thing she could think of at the time to was, “You’ve been on your phone a lot tonight, you must be really important.” Then it got fun – Carlos’ friend decided to help, and invited Emma to go downtown with him and Carlos that night. Since that night Carlos and Emma have been almost inseparable. Carlos asked Emma out on a proper date two days later; they went to Lunchbox Laboratories because they have a common obsession for great burgers. “I’m pretty sure our first three or four dates all involved various kinds of burgers,” he said. They dated for a year and a half before he proposed. And had a lot of fun in that time. “I think my favorite date was Teatro Zinzanni for our one-year anniversary. The show the performers put on was both entertaining and jaw dropping. And for Emma and me … it was just the perfect, most romantic day,” Carlos said. There have been times in the relationship when they have been apart because of Carlos’ work that took him out of the country. “Carlos had become such a big part of my everyday life it was a tough transition when he went to China and was working 12-hour days with a 9-hour time difference,” she said. On one trip, he told Emma that his stay there going to be extended for another two weeks. She was devastated. The night he was originally supposed to be home Emma went out with friends to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. She received a text from Carlos asking her to come outside. She ran out of the bar and was surprised to see Carlos there, standing in the street in the rain with all of his luggage. It was like a scene straight from a romantic Hollywood movie. Carlos knew Emma was the one for him after he got back from this trip. He had felt a hole in his heart while he was gone, and as soon as he returned, he felt complete. He started ring shopping, eventually buying one in December while Emma was traveling with her family in Europe. They started looking at homes in January. Emma knew something was going on at this point. She had a personal rule that she wouldn’t consider buying a home with someone unless they were engaged first. In February Carlos has made an appointment for them to meet with a lender. Emma was certain a proposal was in the near future, and truly thought that it would be happening on St. Valentine’s Day. But Carlos still wanted there to be an element of surprise. “I devised a plan that would throw her off: I did everything I could to make Valentine’s Day as romantic as possible, without any ring. As we walked through Gasworks, I made sure to walk slowly while pausing from time to time as if I was about to ask her something important; we ate at her favorite restaurant and we had super nice tickets to Cirque du Soleil. It must have worked, because the next morning she seemed a little down.” Emma confided in Carlos that she had been certain he was going to propose on St. Valentine’s Day. She didn’t have to wait too much longer. That day while at her sister’s house for dinner Carlos planted the ring in his car. He told Emma he forgot his phone in the car, would she mind grabbing it for him. She walked out to see a note and a rose on the windshield. That note lead to more notes hidden in the car – ending with a final note and a bottle of champagne. “When I walked up the driveway, he came outside grabbed my hands and got on one knee. For me, it was the perfect proposal. It was intimate and we were surrounded by loved ones,” she said. Carlos gushes about Emma. He thinks she is the compassionate, intelligent and stunning. “She truly cares about everyone she meets and is so emotionally in-tune with herself.” Emma wanted to find someone that loves, respects and cares for her as her Dad does for her Mom. She says Carlos is hands-down the most intelligent, loyal and kind person she has ever met. “With Carlos, I have hit the jackpot.” The couple will wed this August at Barrister Winery in Spokane. Their wedding colors are eggplant and gold, which work out nicely for Carlos, an alum of University of Washington. When planning their wedding they wanted to keep it fairly small and intimate, sharing it with the people they love the most. Emma delightfully recalls shopping for her dress. She said yes to the dress when she had it on and could not stop smiling. She knew it was the dress that she would marry the man of her dreams in. There’s also a special twist with the dress. After she purchased it, she found out that the designer was from Barcelona, Spain, which is where Carlos’ dad is from. The Spanish culture is a big part of Carlos’ family and they even have a few family members traveling from Spain for their wedding. After their wedding Emma and Carlos are looking forward to relaxing on their honeymoon in Hawaii. This year has been a whirlwind for them from getting engaged to buying a house, and now the wedding plans. “The honeymoon will give us a chance to slow down and enjoy the moment,” Emma said. They plan on sitting in the sand, enjoying a tropical cocktail or two, eating delicious food, and maybe other fun activities like a helicopter ride.