Summer 2014 was an exciting time. Gianna just finished her sophomore year of high school and Jesse (JT) just finished his Freshman year. Both were seeking a sense of purpose in who they were supposed to be. While the two had not seen each other in probably over 2 years, familiar faces found each other in the Blessed Sacrament Parish Hall July 13th, 2014. The mob of teenagers were being funneled onto the bus when the anxiety of not knowing who to sit with overcame Gianna. By divine intervention or meticulous planning on JT's part, he stepped in front of her and she grabbed the back of his shirt and told him "JT I'm sitting next to you." The retreat weekend was powerful for both as their relationship with God grew and as well as their friendship. The second night of the retreat the two waited patiently for confession and ended up waiting together. Talking about school, friends, pets, families, likes, dislikes, until they were the last two. In his true self-sacrificing nature, Jesse let Gianna go before him. When retreat was over, the two stayed in touch through the beginning of the school year and Jesse was all too eager to ask Gianna to the Central Catholic Homecoming dance. When the dance was over, Gianna started to question the "just friends" statement she had told her friends about the boy she went to homecoming with. A month passes and a few missed opportunities to meet up come and go, the two finally see each other for a chilly Friday night football game. Maybe it was the cold air or maybe it was the ecstatic atmosphere but when the band played Be My Girl- Jesse pulled Gianna closer to face him and asked, "So will you?" Gianna said "Of course." While that was our first chapter, we've written several more since then. Chapters of love, success, loss, heartache- just like any other great love story. However, we have many more chapters of love to share still. I was reading The Great Gatsby when we started dating and was inspired by the self sacrificing love of the elusive main character. Jesse was my very own Gatsby and to celebrate the start of our new chapter we invite you to share in our own grand celebration. We hope you're ready to eat, drink, and get us MARRIED! Love, Jesse & Gianna