We’re getting married!

Gabriel and Monica first met during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although they quickly formed a connection, quarantine restrictions made it impossible for them to spend time together and pursue a relationship. Saddened by the circumstances, they amicably went their separate ways, unsure of whether their paths would ever cross again. As fate would have it, six months later everything changed. Gabriel’s new job had him drive past the neighborhood of Lexington Oaks, where Monica was living at the time. Gabriel found himself thinking about the girl he had briefly connected with before the pandemic. On September 15, 2020, he reached out to Monica with a text message that felt almost like a first introduction all over again. The following day, Gabriel asked Monica on a formal date, and from that moment on, they rarely spent a day apart. Their relationship continued to grow, and on January 20, 2021, Gabriel asked Monica to be his girlfriend. Over the years, their love deepened with every passing day, month, and year as they built a life filled with shared adventures and cherished memories. Together, they enjoyed visiting theme parks, exploring museums, taking beach getaways, creating pottery, and discovering Tampa’s vibrant dining scene. Five years later, Gabriel planned a proposal that was perfectly suited to Monica. Two years earlier, she had famously declared that if she were ever proposed to, she would want it to happen at her favorite museum, The Ringling. On November 21, 2025, in the museum’s iconic courtyard, Gabriel got down on one knee and asked the question that would change their lives forever. Monica, overwhelmed with joy, happily said yes. And so began the next chapter of their story!