Gabrielle and Eric met in the middle school jazz band at Pilgrim Park Middle School. Although Eric was a suave guy and Gabrielle a cute and talented gal, they never considered themselves anything beyond friends. In high school, their friendship grew when they spent a week in the sound booth together audio directing Brookfield East's musical. As seniors in high school, they found themselves in the same friend group, eating lunch together every day in the Spanish classroom.

Life continued on and they found themselves almost 500 miles apart. They occasionally kept in touch via social media/texting, and even got together one day over spring break. Now, Eric knew this was an opportunity he could not miss, so he made it clear to Gabrielle that he was interested in a relationship. Gabrielle made it clear that she was not.

One year later, the communication rekindled and it was discovered that Gabrielle would be home for a weekend. They decided to meet up once again and elected to see a Milwaukee Bucks game together. Things were different this time, and there was no way that Gabrielle could resist the "Powell curse". That one hangout quickly evolved into a date, beginning their relationship.

Thanks to technology, they kept in close contact thereafter, first texting daily which quickly escalated to daily phone and FaceTime calls. It was decided that Eric should visit her in Eau Claire, WI, which he did just a few weeks after their first date. This long distance courting continued until late May of 2023 when Gabrielle moved back home to Brookfield.

From there, Gabrielle and Eric spent every possible moment together. Friends and family were introduced and it became clear that this relationship would go the distance. In February 2024, they stumbled into a jewelry shop in Madison, WI where they looked at engagement rings. That summer, Eric asked her parents for their blessing, and they got engaged on August 5, 2024 at 5:15am on top of Lapham Peak's lookout tower during sunrise.

On October 4, 2024 they purchased a home in Milwaukee together and Eric moved in. They have been blessed by the Lord with a beautiful, well-suited home to start their family. Gabrielle and Eric cannot wait for her to move in after the wedding and begin their lives together.