Diego and Mary met in the Rome airport after landing to begin their life in Italy as part of the Catholic Institute of Technology in Castel Gandolfo. In their first two weeks on campus, Diego almost immediately knew that Mary was the one he wanted to marry. When they would go out with a group, Mary and Diego would usually be on the side having their own conversation, and Diego was frequently paying for Mary’s food or coffee without her realizing, following the sidewalk rule on their trips into town or to Rome, and giving her his jacket when she was cold.

Mary didn’t really think there was a chance that Diego was interested in her or that something might be there until they went on a group trip to Rome to see the Vatican and get tacos. Mary remembers being in their group and then suddenly being alone with Diego and feeling totally at peace and safe. She had been to St. Peter’s many times before, but walking around with Diego felt like seeing everything for the first time again. They spent the whole day talking and walking around the city, and again he paid for her tacos without her noticing. At this point, Mary firmly told him that next time they went out she would be picking up the bill.

The next weekend came along, and a group went into Castel Gandolfo after class. While sitting outside along the lake, Mary caught a chill and Diego wrapped his jacket around her without even asking. When it was time to head home, Mary went to go pay but Diego told her that it was already taken care of. Mary, flattered and slightly annoyed, insisted that they should go out for coffee, to which Diego said, “We can go out for coffee, but you’re not paying . . . you could pay me back by doing me the honor of letting me take you out for coffee.”

A few days later, they went on their first date at Bar Spot in Castel Gandolfo, and talked for hours. Both knew it probably wasn’t a good idea to start dating yet, but they also both knew how much they liked each other and wanted to be together. It was the best date that Mary had ever been on. When they got back to campus, Diego walked Mary back to her dorm, and they agreed to remain friends and get to know each other until the next term.

A whole five days later, after Diego spent hours coaching Mary through a calculus assignment, Diego snuck into the dining room and grabbed some snacks for them to have while watching “Avatar the Last Airbender” to celebrate finishing their first assignment of the year. At the end of the movie, Diego snuck Mary a kiss!

Happily surprised, Mary told Diego, “I don’t kiss boys who aren’t my boyfriend.”

Diego responded, “Well, why aren’t I your boyfriend?”

“Well, I don’t know . . .”

“Mary, can I be your boyfriend?”

“Only if I can be your girlfriend!”

And just like that, on September 19, Diego and Mary started dating, a month after arriving in Italy. The next nine months were filled with more coffee dates and exploring Rome, while also getting to know each other more deeply. They knew early on in their relationship that they were being called to the vocation of marriage together, and to help bring each other to heaven through it.

In the end of May, 2025, Mary and Diego went on a group trip with their friends from CatholicTech to Vico Equense, a small beach town outside of Sorrento. Diego had called Mary’s dad, Joe, a week before and asked for his blessing to propose. They spent the day walking around the town, going to the beach, and out to dinner, where they recalled how far they had come in their relationship, how excited they were for the future, and how much they loved each other. Diego then asked if they could take a late-night stroll along the beach, where their friends were hiding along the cliffs to watch. There, Diego told her that he wanted to serve her for the rest of his life as her husband, and he got down on one knee and asked if Mary would marry him. On the evening of May 31, Diego and Mary became engaged!

There are so many little stories and places that we cannot wait to share with you all during our wedding. We can’t wait to see you in Castel Gandolfo!