We're Getting Married!

Gina & Jose met at the University of Maryland, where Jose was a member of the fraternity Phi Kappa Tau, & Gina was a member of the Delta Phi Epsilon sorority. In 2014, their groups were paired for Homecoming - a week of chaotic bonding, games, and themed outfits. One of those events happened to be a mildly choreographed dance routine, and that’s when Jose and Gina first met. Sparks didn’t exactly fly at first, but hey, they knew of each other’s existence at least. As the years went by, Jose started working at the college bar, Turf (RIP everyone’s Wednesday mornings), where Gina’s best friend Rachel also worked, coincidentally. Whenever Gina was waiting for Rachel to finish her shift, she’d pass the time chatting with the guy at the door. That guy? Jose. But, you guessed it, nothing came of it that time either. But apparently, it wasn’t nothing to Jose. On one of the typical working nights, Gina left Turf with Rachel like usual. That was when Jose turned to his fellow bouncer Ardeshir and casually blurted out, “I’m going to marry her one day." Ardeshir laughed. Years later, when Gina and Jose finally started dating, Ardeshir immediately told Rachel, “He really went for it.” Rachel recently passed that story on to Gina… and well, here we are. But, back to the main story... In 2020 (the year of banana bread, Zoom calls, and impulsive decisions), Jose decided to “shoot his shot” (his words) and replied to one of Gina’s Instagram stories. This somehow led to a hike which Gina did not consider a date (Jose definitely did). Shortly after, Jose went to Florida with his family. They kept in touch, occasionally, while Gina was buried in PA school. Three months later, Jose came back to Maryland and finally asked her out. It was DC Restaurant Week, the perfect time for two people who love food and can’t make decisions. So, naturally, they went on two dates: dinner at Cranes and brunch at Convivial the next day. Back-to-back meals, bold move. Then Jose jetted off to Puerto Rico (classic...), while Gina had a trip to LA fall through at the last minute. Jose, from sunny PR, said, “Why not come here instead?” and Gina, never one to turn down a spontaneous trip (or sunshine), was on a flight a few days later. Little did Gina know that she was suddenly on vacation with Jose’s entire family: his parents, his twin brothers, and Jason’s girlfriend Caroline. Casual first trip, right? When Jose was (again, finally) back in Maryland, they started hanging out daily. After some time, he asked to make things official. Gina said no, not for reasons you'd assume, but because she wanted to leave Maryland. Jose, ever the problem solver, said, “I work remote. I’ll go wherever you go.” That was all it took. Gina graduated in 2021, and the two of them packed up and moved to LA together, because sometimes, timing is everything (like a well-timed Instagram reply).

Fast forward to 2023, and Jose decided it was go time. In true Jose fashion, he wasn’t just going to propose, he was going to plan an all-out, multi-layered surprise operation. Step one: message every single one of Gina’s friends (seriously, all of them) to start plotting. The mission? Propose in Puerto Rico. Her closest girlfriends were in on it from the beginning. They casually texted Gina about planning a girls’ trip to PR—something fun, tropical, and “totally not suspicious.” October was chosen, conveniently around Jose’s birthday, which gave him the perfect excuse to invite his friends too. Now, you’ve got Gina’s friends, Jose’s friends, and one very elaborate secret in motion. They all landed in Puerto Rico and went out on Friday night like it was just another fun group trip. Then came Saturday. Jose took Gina to a quiet, secluded part of the beach where they had vacationed together before. There, waiting for them, was a dreamy picnic setup where Jose (finally) dropped to one knee and proposed. But that wasn’t all. Jose’s parents, brothers, aunt, uncle, and cousins popped out from behind every corner that could be found. They returned to the house to celebrate with friends, and just when Gina thought the surprises were over, they headed to dinner. That’s where Jose pulled off one final move: he had Gina’s parents there, too. Cue the happy tears and champagne. Just like Jose predicted to Ardeshir all those years ago at the Turf door, Gina and Jose are now GETTING MARRIED!