I moved around a lot as a kid, so I never really had the chance to put down roots anywhere. No place ever truly felt like home. From Chicago to California to India and back to California, I always felt like something was missing. That is, until I came back to Chicago and saw her. For the first time, I felt something different—something like home. Just kidding, I'm not that corny—but seriously, I knew there was something special about her.

What started as a casual glance quickly grew into a crush, and that crush turned into what a fifth grader might call love. I had all these feelings, but the idea of even saying hi felt terrifying. So, I waited. And waited. Finally, after years of building up courage, I was able to say hello—but not much else. So, I came up with a plan: I'd befriend her cousins, the people closest to her, and hopefully, it would make talking to her easier. Befriending her cousins went smoothly, but talking to her? Still felt impossible.

More time passed, and we found ourselves in high school. Talking in person was still a struggle, but I’d graduated to Facebook Messenger. We’d have great conversations that lasted for weeks—until out of nowhere, she’d give me the cold shoulder. I’d wait a little while, try again, and we’d pick up where we left off—only for the cycle to repeat itself. This back-and-forth continued throughout high school, until eventually, we drifted apart as we went off to college.

In college, we didn’t talk much during the first semester. It was tough, but at that point, I realized I couldn’t keep chasing something that didn’t seem to be going anywhere. Then, one of the biggest blessings of my life happened. Call it coincidence, I call it divine intervention, but my roommate happened to be dating Marie’s roommate and invited me to visit ISU (shout out Seb and Ashley). The moment I saw her again, all the old feelings came rushing back. I was in.

The visit went well, but it was clear that we were still more friends than anything else. I was hurt, but I knew love wasn’t something you could force. Then she came to visit SLU, and while we were still mostly just friends, something amazing happened. A few weeks later I visited friends at Marquette. I saw her, we had small talk, but before I left, she said: let me know when you get back. Little did I know, this small gesture would blossom into so much more. We started texting, then talking on the phone, and finally FaceTiming. The moment we started FaceTiming, I knew: it was game over. The girl of my dreams was into me. We talked almost every day that semester, through the summer, and by the time I finally asked her to be my girlfriend, I was certain.

And, well, you know what she said (yes, obviously, or we wouldnt be here today). The next ten years have been the best of my life—full of highs, lows, and everything in between—but through it all, our relationship only grew stronger. And now, we're ready for the next chapter: MARRIAGE.

I can't wait to see all of you on November 14th to watch me, the most emotional guy in the room, lose it as my best friend walks down the aisle and we begin this new journey together. Thank you all for being part of this incredible story!

I remember walking into 5th grade CCD class, and I noticed someone new. I thought to myself “oh who is that”, and I somehow sat right across from him in the circle.

Over the years, Jimmy made friends with my guy cousins, and we’d occasionally talk here and there. Friends would come up to me and tell me that Jimmy is a good guy and that we would be cute together. And I’d respond the only way I knew how—by standing there awkwardly lol.

Sometime in high school, Jimmy and I started Facebook messaging pretty often, and I slowly started to catch feelings. But did I handle those feelings maturely and communicate them? No, no—I panicked and ghosted him…real smooth, Marie, real smooth…

Then college came along. I went to ISU and Jimmy went to SLU. Jimmy became friends with Sebastian and I became friends with Ashley, who were dating (what a coinkydink). One weekend, Jimmy randomly tagged along to ISU “for fun”, and we all hung out. A few months later, I visited Josni at SLU and had a chance to spend time with Jimmy and his friends as well. After that visit, Jimmy texted me to say he liked me. I froze, obviously, but I remembered that same feeling I had back in high school.

About a month later, we were at Marquette visiting friends. At a party, Tebin started talking Jimmy up, saying how amazing he was. As he spoke, I found myself staring at Jimmy, thinking about those old feelings—and for the first time, I processed it (finally). Before we went back to our colleges, I told Jimmy to let me know when he got back. And he did. And we’ve been talking ever since ☺️

Jimmy has been the most amazing person to come into my life. We’ve grown together, challenged each other, and supported one another in becoming our better selves. Huge shoutout to our friends and families who’ve been a part of our story.

After ten incredible years, we've reached this beautiful moment—about to get married and start our new journey together! I can't wait to marry my person!