Pool Party / Welcome Party

Wedding Day

Ceremony

Castello di Gabbiano

Reception

Our Wedding

When Chris was waiting for his interview&nbsp;time for a freshmen organization, FEAST, out of the room came the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Legend has it, he can still remember exactly what she was wearing. As the elevator doors closed, he was filled with despair, as he knew the chances of finding her again amidst the 60K other students were slim to none.&nbsp; In her first FEAST meeting, Jessi was anxious with competitive energy. You see, she had to decide which boy would be her costume partner for the Halloween party. However, 15 other girls were also picking at the same time, and Jessi of course wanted her first pick. Finally, someone found a picture from the “guys only” pool party and started passing it around. After looking at the picture for 10 seconds, Jessi immediately knew she wanted and loudly proclaimed “I want Chris Hattaway.” 2 hours into their 30 min coffee meeting, Chris and Jessi had completely forgotten about planning their Halloween costumes and were talking about anything and everything. Their immediate connection slowly turned into mischievous plotting to win the costume contest. They stayed up until 5am handmaking their costumes (okay, Jessi’s roommate, Allie did most of the work). You’ll NEVER guess who won the costume contest! They celebrated by throwing their trophy (a large pumpkin) off the top level of a parking garage, and a month later Chris asked Jessi to be his girlfriend. Their time together at Texas A&amp;M was filled with tons of love, laughter, and AGGIE SPIRIT! While in college they experienced football games, more FEAST events, and the merging of two friend groups which resulted in 2 other proposals! Jessi participated in the school’s Dance Art’s Society, where she danced in many recitals and even choreographed her own piece, and Fish Camp, where she had the important job of instilling the Aggie Spirit into incoming freshmen (and dyeing her hair blue). Chris played for A&amp;M’s club baseball team and received 1st team All-Conference recognition and a Gulf Coast South conference title. Additionally, he won many intramural championships from softball to kickball, and becoming a 3-time undefeated dodgeball champion; receiving five very stylish t-shirts across his career. Upon graduating college, they moved to Minneapolis Minnesota. Exploring a new city and pushing through the hurdles of living far away from family and friends, caused them to grow even closer. They learned how to have fun on their own, both pushing each other to try new things. They realized the importance of leaning on each other when things got hard. They tried tons of new restaurants, became speakeasy aficionados, trained for and ran a half marathon (painfully), did cold plunges in frozen lakes, and even learned how to drive in the snow (not really). Chris and Jessi’s proposal story is full of fake surprises and conniving little sisters. Jessi and Chris were flying to Dallas to “surprise” their friend, Peyton, at her bridal shower. Jessi was very excited because, as terrible as she is at keeping secrets, she finally managed to keep this one thing a surprise. Little did she know, Peyton had been helping Chris plan the engagement the whole time (cue the Oscar award). Jessi did, however, start to get suspicious when everyone kept asking her how she was going to do her nails for their upcoming “girls’ dinner,” at the Dallas Arboretum (which doesn’t even have a restaurant). She texted her sister, Majorie, to confess her suspicions, but Marjorie swiftly replied with “Don’t get to anticipated for this weekend, I may know something you don’t, and I don’t want you to get your hopes up and ruin your weekend”. She then proceeded to tell Jessi to go with RED nails NOT white. How could Jessi argue with that? While the girls were getting all primped, Chris was nervously pacing around the picture-perfect proposal spot he and his friends had secured. As if Chris didn’t have enough to be worried about, right after he received the “eagle has landed” text, a massive family of 50 people started seizing the area. One of Chris’s friends bravely stepped up to fend off the intruders (a very nice family who immediately moved out of the way and sat in the grass to watch the spectacle unfold). With all of Chris and Jessi’s family hidden behind some bushes, Chris anxiously walked to the middle to of garden to await his future bride. After a few fake pumpkin pictures, Peyton hurried the girls along for their “dinner reservation”. Blinded by the sun when they turned a corner, Jessi didn’t even realize that her friends had retreated a few steps behind her, until she opened her eyes and saw Chris standing in the middle of the garden. She immediately knew what was about to happen as she walked to him, and he bent down on one knee. It was the easiest “YES” of her life! And the rest was history! And “the rest” was filled with celebrating their love with all their family and friends, creating dozens of Pinterest boards, Jessi buying tons of white dresses, and Chris picking the wrong option almost every time he was asked for input (just kidding! Chris secretly enjoyed wedding planning)!

Our Story

In order to enter Italy, your passports will need at least 6 months past your date arrival - please ensure yours isn't close to expiring! We recommend arriving Friday or Saturday to avoid any travel delays and jetlag. Jessi and Chris will be arriving on Wednesday! Please be mindful that some flights from the US are overnight, so double check your arrival date.

Flights

Airports to Fly into

- Florence Airport (FLR)- Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport in Rome (FCO)- Pisa International Airport (PSA)- Bologna (BLQ)&nbsp;Its very easy to take a train to Florence from any of these locations.

Transportation

Wedding Day Transportation

We will be providing transportation to and from Castello Di Gabbiano on 5/27/25. The pickup spot will be in a central location in Florence. More details coming soon.

Rehearsal Dinner Transportation

We will be providing transportation from Castello Di Gabbiano to Florence on 5/26/25 upon conclusion of the dinner.&nbsp;Taxis and Ubers are readily available from Florence to the castle, but not from the castle back to Florence.

Travel

Where to Stay

Santa Maria Novella Square

This is a great location to stay for guests who want to experience the heart of Florence without having to do much walking (shown in the red circle). We recommend booking an Airbnb, as they are typically much more budget friendly.&nbsp;Consider booking Airbnbs sooner rather than later as they book up quickly.

Oltrarno

For guest who don't mind a 10 - 15 minute walk to the Arno River, this is another great location to book Airbnbs. Located on the other side of the Arno River, Oltrarno is away from the 'hustle and bustle' of Florence while being a less expensive location (shown in the blue circle). This is also where the Carlson house is located (and where Jessi and Chris are staying), (pink star).

Accommodation

Day of Wedding

We’d love to see our family and friends get dressed up for our big day. Our attire is formal or black tie optional! Ladies can wear a nice floor-length or tea-length dress, jumpsuit, or pantsuit (no black please). Gentlemen can wear a nice suit or a tuxedo. Please see our Pinterest board for inspiration:<a href="https://pin.it/75cGXzzzD" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://pin.it/75cGXzzzD</a>

Rehearsal Dinner

The theme for the rehearsal dinner is: old money / vintage Italian! For inspiration look at the “Welcome Party” section of the Pinterest board above.

Attire

* Please join this WhatsApp group chat for easy communication in Italy! *<a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/chat.whatsapp.com/HXiL76cAM4V2up33BURarE__;!!BBM_p3AAtQ!MG0jFZxBgnYAbJ-VCal-qxYMA04EcdKrLaanrkiWn25JOuvGZY3d8LIehZ-M-6HII7qBkkKzxEO6PiDa0owgtmmGqn3hVbGK$" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://chat.whatsapp.com/HXiL76cAM4V2up33BURarE</a>

Friday: 5/23/25

Noon: Jessi &amp; Chris Pasta making class 4 pm: Troy's Tour of Curiosities: featuring a 1.5 - 2 hour walk around Florence. Meet at the JJ Cathedral Irish Pub (get there early if you want a beer)! 7 pm: Sunset at Piazzale Michelangelo. Grab drinks &amp; watch the sunset. Live music and wine carts will be onsite. 9:00 pm: Jessi &amp; Chris dinner with Friends

Saturday: 5/24/25

8:30 am: Meet bus pick up location. Eat breakfast before hand &amp; bring sandwiches/snack for lunch. 9:00 am: Bus departs for Cinque Terre 11:00 am: Arrive in Cinque Terre. Take train to beach spot 1:00 pm: Hike from Monterosso to Vernazza! 2:00 pm: Explore town/swim 3:00 pm: get back in bus &amp; head to Florence NAP!!!! 1:00 am: Clubbing at FLO

Sunday: 5/25/25

Afternoon tennis: join Maureen &amp; Troy for some chill (competitive) tennis! 2:15 pm: Santa Croce History Tour lead by the Carlson's favorite tour guide. Open to everyone! Meet at Dante Statue (to the left of the Santa Croce Church). Fee is a donation to the tour guide. 7:30 pm: Sunset at the Ponte Vecchio. Live music, immaculate vibes, Florentine sunset, most likely even more wine! 8:30 pm: J + C dinner with family

Monday: 5/26/25

12:00 pm: Wine Tasting &amp; Tour at Castello di Gabbiano featuring 3 original wines. 25 euro per person. 1:30 - 4 pm: Pool Party &amp; Yard games 5:30 pm: Ceremony rehearsal (meet by the castle doors) 6:00 pm: Rehearsal Dinner. Taxis and Ubers are plentiful in the city (we recommend sharing if possible). Get a good night's sleep for the wedding!!!!

wedding day: 5/27/25

9:00 am: Bridal party starts getting ready 4:00 pm: Pre-Ceremony welcome drink 4:30 pm: Ceremony 5:00 pm: Cocktail hour &amp; pictures 7:00 pm: Dinner &amp; Speeches 9:00 pm: Cake Cutting 10:00 pm: Dance Floor!!

Jessi & Chris

Jessi & Chris

Wedding Party