On March 9th, 2024, we got engaged surrounded by our closest friends and family, and the joyful sounds of a mariachi band made the moment even more unforgettable. Just a few weeks later, on March 23rd, 2024, we were married in an intimate ceremony at the beautiful Wisconsin State Capitol. It was the perfect beginning to our forever. Now, we are ready to celebrate this next chapter with all of you. Please join us on March 21st, 2026 for a joyful celebration of our love, surrounded by the people who mean the most to us. We cannot wait to eat, dance, laugh, and make more memories together.

We’re both big fans of fresh starts. Paty loves the first day of school (and honestly, school in general), and Joey was ready to move forward in his career. So when spring 2020 rolled around and it was time to start graduate school, we were both eager and curious to see what was ahead. Paty was thrilled to meet her new classmates (aka new friends), while Joey… couldn’t have cared less. When the class list finally came out, Paty went name by name, looking up all eleven of her future classmates on social media. When she got to the very last one, Joseph Garcia, something about this cute boy caught her attention. She added him (and the rest of the cohort) on Facebook and created a Facebook group page so everyone could introduce themselves. Joey, meanwhile, opened the notification on his phone and saw that a cute girl named Paty had added him. At the time, Paty was still in a relationship, but Joey was excited to introduce himself and get to know her either way. Eventually, online classes began (yay, COVID), and Paty made sure to look extra nice on camera. Great lighting, a little mascara for Zoom, and all the essentials to make sure this Joey Garcia guy would notice her. Once classes moved to in-person, she kept it up, especially since Joey, the boy in sweatpants, sat right in front of her. Over time, we started messaging each other about homework and helping each other out. There were a few conversations over text here and there, but mostly it was sharing assignments or debriefing the chaos in our cohort. But there was definitely something between us. One weekend, Paty and her friend Sydney decided to visit Joey at UW-Whitewater. They were curious about the nightlife, sure, but Paty was also just looking for a reason to see him outside of class. After a few Palomas and a little courage, Paty made the first move and pulled Joey into a kiss. Yes, she made the first move. The rest, as they say, is history. Not long after that, Joey took Paty on the most amazing first date to Chicago. We spent hours talking, laughing, and realizing how much we clicked. Since then, we’ve made so many memories, traveling, trying new foods, binge-watching shows and movies, listening to the new song Joey just found on the internet, having way too many deep conversations about the world, and consulting each other on work. Paty is sweet, funny, thoughtful, and effortlessly kind. And Mr. Sweatpants is loving, caring, brilliant, and wonderful. We’re so lucky to have found each other, and even luckier to be celebrating this next chapter with all of you. It truly means the world to us.