Wedding Day

St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church

Ceremony

Newman University

Reception

Wedding Reception

Our Wedding

Gage and I met in August 2022 during an all-school in-service at Kapaun Mt. Carmel Catholic High School in Wichita. It was my first one as a teacher, and the topic was visible learning. The speaker had us pair up with random attendees—our “dates” for the day, as he called them. I’m pretty sure Gage was my “6 o’clock date.” Nothing came of it. At the time. I saw him around the building now and then. We’d chat at in-services, he’d show off his cool socks, and that was about it. I jokingly referred to him as my “school boyfriend” to a few friends, because he was so nice to me—but let’s be honest, he’s just nice to pretty much everyone. To me, he was just the history and financial planning teacher, and the cross country coach. Then, a year later, he started stopping by my classroom after school to say hi to me, since I always stayed late for yearbook and journalism, and he always had practice. One day in early December, he asked me out. And I said, “Not right now.” I had been having a lot of drama in my life at the time, and I didn't want to bring that into something new—especially not with someone I could already tell was genuinely a good man. I knew Gage was a solid person, not just from my own interactions with him, but also from the students and athletes who had him as a teacher and coach. I remember praying that if this was something God wanted to happen, He’d find a way to make it work. And then He did. Turns out, when I said, “Not right now,” Gage heard, “Maybe later.” A few months later, during parent-teacher conferences, I vividly remember Gage pulling up a chair at my table to talk with me—for a while. For those of you who know him, he is quite a yapper. At one point, he even called across the gym to another teacher to let him know if anyone came by his table… because he had very clearly abandoned it to talk to me. The next week, he asked me out again. This time, I said yes.&nbsp; A little over a year later, on April 12, 2025, he asked me another question.💍And, once again, I said yes. It's crazy to think that my “school boyfriend” became my real boyfriend, and is soon to be my husband. We hope you’ll join us as we say, “I do." Please keep us, our families, and our future marriage in your prayers during this season!

Her Side of the Story

So there I was... Living the life of a dreamer as I always have. The start of the 2022 school year was quickly approaching, I noticed because cross country season was just around the corner. As usual, there was a collection of veteran teachers mixed in with the fresh crop of new teachers at school. However, this year, there was an especially pretty new teacher. So, I went on a date with her. Not just any date,&nbsp;but an in-service activity where we were supposed to talk about visible&nbsp;learning or something or another with someone not at our table.&nbsp; So anyways,&nbsp;I laid down the mack, and learned her name, and then promptly&nbsp;began to work on the complete opposite end of the building from her. I didn't bother much because I had heard rumors that she was dating some fella. So, I kept dreaming. Time wore on, and I heard the rumor that Lori was no longer dating anyone. I was *deeply saddened* as you can imagine. So, being a good guy, I made sure to console her by visiting her now and again in her distant classroom.&nbsp; Eventually, I decided that I'd give her another chance at love and ask her on a real date this time. However, she didn't feel that she needed that chance. So, she shot me down like an outlaw facing the justice of Wyatt Earp. I was used to this, though, and since her phrasing was "Not right now," that meant to me, "maybe later." So, more time went on, and eventually I gave her another shot and this time she couldn't resist my charm, and we went on a date to go eat Mexican food.&nbsp; She ended up putting up with me for a year full of my antics and lots of miles of driving between Wichita and Salina or Clifton. I decided that if she could do that for a year, maybe she could do that for a little while longer. So, I asked her to marry me and she said maybe later..... Just kidding, she said yes this time. That brings us to now, and I am one step closer to living the dream.&nbsp;

His Side of the Story

Our Story

Photos

Teresa Leiszler

Garrett Garcia

Haley Burks

Jeremiah Holland

Jamie Kuhlman

Chris Burnett

Emily Genereux

Dray Carson

Wedding Party

Accommodations

A block of rooms is reserved atHOTEL AT OLD TOWN830 E 1st St N, Wichita, KS 67202 CALL TO MAKE A RESERVATION: 316-267-4800 BOOKING LINK: <a href="https://reservations.travelclick.com/12558?groupID=4905903" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://reservations.travelclick.com/12558?groupID=4905903</a> ROOM BLOCK: Garcia/Leiszler Wedding Block (St. Thomas &amp; Newman University) December 12-14, 2025Hotel Accommodations (per night):Queen Studio: $129King Studio: $139Queen/Queen Studio: $149One Bedroom Suite: $225 BOOK ROOMS BY: November 14, 2025 to get a discounted rate. Please make note:The ONLY way for guests to book within our block and get the group rate is by calling the phone number listed above OR by using the booking link listed above.If you look up this hotel separately online, it may accidentally lead you to call a third party that cannot access our group discounts or have current availability. MORE DETAILS FOR YOUR STAYGuests will LOVE exploring Old Town!Walking distance to restaurants &amp; entertainmentVIP Perks &amp; Discounts with your room keyKitchens in ALL hotel roomsComplimentary Garage Parking

Travel

Q + A

Registry

Things to Do

Lori & Gage

Lori & Gage

Travel

Accommodations