Barrett and Marie first met at Claire and Chalon Fogarty's wedding in 2022. After Marie had seen Barrett on the website as a groomsman, process down the aisle, and cut a rug on the dance floor, she knew that she had to have their mutual friend Alex introduce them. Barrett was in the middle of his dating fast for FOCUS, where he spent a year intentionally not entering into a relationship, so he wasn’t able to reciprocate the interest that Marie showed.

Once he got off his dating fast six months later, and, prompted by many friends, Barrett drove down from Arkansas to "meet" Marie in Austin (he had no recollection of their first meeting and still denies it today). It was a failed attempt, as her friends forgot to invite her to the bar that Barrett would be at to “meet” her, so it would be almost a full year from that point before they could meet again.

During this year, Barrett and Marie both dated other people, so the timing never worked out. Finally, driving back from a retreat, Barrett called his friend Ben, also Marie's neighbor, and asked him to walk across the street in Austin to ask for Marie's phone number. Barrett called her, but was sent to voicemail. Devastated, Barrett pulled over on the side of a highway and started playing a round of golf on a fine Sunday afternoon in Missouri.

In the middle of searching for his ball after his first drive, Marie returned his call. They spoke for ten minutes before Barrett said, "well, Marie, you know, that I know, that you know, that I know, that everyone else knows we should go on a date. I would love to take you out on a date next time I'm in Austin." She said yes! They then proceeded to wait three long weeks before their first date.

That first week was a blur: Barrett picked her up on Sunday night for dinner and drinks at a whiskey bar. The next morning, they met at St. Mary's Cathedral for a 6:30am Mass. That night they did the same, with Barrett picking Marie up on a lovely motorcycle named Jennifer for ice cream and a dinner date. The next morning, Barrett met Marie at St. Mary’s Cathedral for another 6:30am Mass. They grabbed breakfast and talked for two hours, before Barrett had to drive back to Houston that Tuesday afternoon. On Wednesday, they facetimed for two hours, and made plans for Barrett to return to Austin on Thursday. While driving to Austin, the “Derecho” hit straight on. Barrett had to take shelter at a gas station after his truck was blown off the road by the 120mph winds. Once he arrived in Austin, they went wakesurfing with Barrett’s friends, and had a relaxed dinner of P. Terry’s burger stand. After dinner, they made it official, and so began the long distance relationship that no one envies doing.

Throughout their year-and-a-half of long distance that included lots of weddings and trips between Austin, Houston, and Fayetteville, Arkansas, Barrett and Marie grew closer each day. They quickly fell in love and within several months could see where things were headed. So the following summer, Barrett set things in motion to get engaged.

On August 9th, 2025, Barrett and Marie went to the 12:05PM Mass at Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Houston, 6 days after Marie had moved to Houston. After a brief hiccup after mass where they had to leave the church, and many more once they had gone back in, Barrett proposed in front of the Blessed Sacrament and she said “YES!” He explained that the ring was a family heirloom that his great-grandfather bought for his great-grandmother sometime in the 1930s. It had been passed down for four generations, and he wanted to emphasize his desire for her to be a part of the Gregory family legacy with this symbol.

We joyfully await April 11th, and we pray that our nuptial mass and marriage to follow draw us and our guests who witness our union closer to God. Know of our prayers for you and we ask that you would pray for the Holy Family’s intercession for us!