Mario and Carina technically met back in 2017 through Instagram. Mario reached out, hoping to get to know Carina better, and even asked her out on a date, but timing had other plans, and Carina politely declined. Fast forward to 2020, when fate started working overtime. Mario and Carina began seeing each other around town—first at Target, where Carina spotted him driving in with his dog, Luigi, sitting proudly in the back seat (which instantly confirmed it was him). Not long after, they crossed paths again at a local downtown coffee shop. Two sightings, no introductions...it felt like more than a coincidence. Then came a night out at The Grove with friends. As soon as Carina walked in, she saw Mario across the room and immediately grew nervous. This has to mean something, she thought. After all, how could she keep seeing someone she’d never actually met? Throughout the night, they kept catching glances until mutual friends brought everyone together and Mario finally struck up a conversation. The night continued with a group party, where Carina and Mario teamed up for a game of cup pong—and beat everyone (a solid start). They ended the night talking for hours in a Whataburger parking lot, leaving both impressed and intrigued. While nothing happened right away, after a few months of getting to know each other, Mario officially asked Carina to be his girlfriend. Since then, they’ve shared countless adventures—moving to Dallas, growing in their careers, furthering their educations, strengthening their relationship with God, and ultimately finding their way back home to Tyler. On November 23, 2024, Mario proposed to Carina, marking the beginning of the next chapter of their lives together. Now, nearly six years later, Mario and Carina will return to the very place where it all began—The Grove—to celebrate their wedding day, surrounded by the people they love most. They can’t wait to begin this new chapter and continue building a life full of love, laughter, faith, and shared memories…starting right where their story first took a turn.