We're so excited to celebrate with you, welcome!

Eli ‘officially’ met Nallely at UD. They didn’t like each other at first. He thought she was an airhead and she thought he was arrogant. Both were right, but thanks to 8 AM biology, their paths continued to cross. Fast forward to late night bio cram sessions and bickering about philosophy readings, they became good friends and began to entertain the idea of dating. They made a real mess of it in the beginning. He was afraid of hurting her and she wanted something serious. After he broke it off a second time, Nallely moved on and left for her study abroad program in Rome. Eli, realizing he wanted another shot, wrote her a series of letters. Upon her return, he gifted her a Charlie Brown Christmas tree (their favorite), and both began to rebuild their friendship. After one year, on December 6th 2015, they officially began to date. Third time’s the charm. Cue the montage of cute photos and laughter together, all leading up to the 2016 WYD Pilgrimage in Krakow Poland, where Nallely asked the Virgin of Częstochowa for Eli and Eli realized he wanted to marry Nallely. In a crowd of 3 million people (and no phones) they found each other, and continued to do so in the Rome & Panama pilgrimages. These encounters sealed in them a confirmation of their vocation to marriage with one another. The next years were filled with many trials but also much joy. Eli waited for Nallely to finish her master’s degree and pursue her career, while he prepared to pop the question everyone was urging him to ask. He her on a series of ‘decoy’ dates, including the pre-engagement picnic in order to surprise her. It worked. As Eli took off her blindfold, Nallely laughed, hit him on the shoulder and said ‘you asshole’ (he had lied to her earlier that day by saying he wasn’t proposing). He got down on one knee and she joyfully said yes, both incredibly grateful to God, ending the night by celebrating with friends, family, and as always, really good wine.