Weddings 91301: Meet Michelle Arons and Chris Welch

Michelle Arons and Christopher Welch, 26, are the quintessential hometown couple. The two met in sixth grade at Lindero Canyon Middle School and stayed friends throughout college at UC Irvine. 

"Occasionally we would see each other around campus," said Arons, now a graduate student affairs officer in the department of physics and astronomy at UC Irvine. "Every time we saw each other, we would give each other a friendly wave hello and talk for a few minutes. By the middle of our senior year, we were giving each other a wave, a hug and a second look."  

Welch finally asked the newly single Arons out on a date during their senior year. "He made a great dinner and we had a great time," Arons recalled. "We spent lots of time together after that and fell head over heels for each other. We have been inseparable ever since."

On Dec. 23, 2009, Welch proposed to Arons, surprising her with a romantic setup at his Irvine apartment.

"There were tea candles everywhere in the apartment, showered by red and pink rose petals," said Welch, a Web developer in Irvine. "I got down on one knee and asked her to marry me. She gasped and started to tear up. She sunk to the floor so that she was almost even with me. She said of course she would and that she loved me."

Arons and Welch will be getting married at the Renaissance Hotel in Agoura Hills on Nov. 13. Patch will be following them every step of the way.