Julian & Francisco: Timing is Everything

Francisco & Julian. All engement photos: Hugo Allard

“Our story is just about timing.” This Dallas couple met 9-years ago on Tinder and, while the ‘swipes were right,’ the timing wasn’t. 

Four years after their first swipe and after a few other encounters along the way, they swiped again, this time both single. Francisco was very focused this time around, as he said, “if this is it, then this it and if not, then it needs to be done!” So, the two set out on their first proper date. 

Julian was very strategic about said date, selecting a place that was famous for its food, and infamous for its long waits for a table and slow service. This would give him the most time to talk to and be with Francisco. “We get there and there’s no wait. We sat at our table immediately. Before you could even say the order, the food had arrived at the table. My whole date plan was going to hell!” Francisco, by contrast, remarked how smoothly everything was going, both at the restaurant and on the date! But Francisco remained committed to the date being a proper one until the end. “I said I wasn’t going to go home with him that night, but that we would both get off the apps, reconnect later, and really start dating.” 

And really date they did. Within months of meeting the two had met each other’s families and moved in together about a year after. “He moved into my place a few months before the lease ended to make sure it would work. We got another place and a year after that bought our first home together,” Julian said of the timing. “Buying a house made it more real, and so we started talking about what we wanted if we got engaged, what our wedding would be like, if we would elope. Oh, and we got a puppy in 2019!” Francisco said. 

Timing was everything again for them when it came to getting engaged. Julian, one of Dallas’s most sought-after wedding planners, was set to produce a wedding in 2020 on the Amalfi Coast in Italy. “This was going to be the perfect place to get engaged, but the wedding was postponed to 2022 and I didn’t want to wait that long and wanted our engagement to be at a destination. Travel has been a big part of our relationship.” Given Julian’s profession it is apt that their first trip together was to London for Julian to cover the royal wedding of Harry and Meghan.

On the occasion of another wedding in the Caribbean in August of 2021, Julian set his sights on popping the question. His sights so set that he even had their engagement rings engraved with their proposal date. A hurricane set to hit the region nearly scuttled the plan. “I was ready to get engaged in an airport terminal, but we got to St. Barths and it was magical.”  

Julian had arranged for a sunset cruise on a catamaran which, on the one hand led Francisco to think this would be the day and place that Julian would propose. But, on the other, the very scruffy looking boat hands seemed out of kilter with Julian’s usual way of planning. Francisco went on: “He is definitely not proposing. There’s not even a photographer here.” However, “[Julian] had deliberately told them to dress that way so I could disguise the photographer who I even had passing out food and drinks so Francisco wouldn’t catch on to what was about to happen.” 

The catamaran dropped it’s anchor in a beautiful cove just before sunset and Julian pulled out two engagement rings. From bended knee, Julian proposed to Francisco, putting his ring on his finger and, just before Julian was about to put his on himself, Francisco interceded. “Oh no, no! Let me have that ring so I can propose to you,” and so he did, and then some. 

Despite it being assumed that Julian would propose, Francisco took the clue from Julian having kept Francisco out of planning of the St. Barths trip, he decided to have on hand a watch for Julian in case his suspicions of getting engaged came to be. The watch was waiting for Julian on their return to their hotel. Committed with rings and time, and thanks to the hurricane, the two spent an extra day in St. Barths reveling in having committed to a lifetime together. 

So, how does the ultimate wedding planner begin planning his own wedding? “He was surprisingly hesitant about it,” Francisco said. Though supported by one of his colleagues and having found a venue where Julian has not worked before—making it all novel and “surprisingly not like work” for him—the two have been able to focus on a wedding that celebrates their Latin and Southern roots. But, as you can imagine, one of the challenges was simply finding a time when Julian would not be swamped with other weddings! “We luckily landed on the weekend of our anniversary,” Julian explained. “The venue, all the vendors, it worked for everyone.” Not surprisingly, their timing was perfect.