We met in 2024 at a Christmas party –one that neither of us had planned to attend– because a last-minute stroke of carpe diem led us both to say yes. We were immediately struck by each other. After Julia made a controversial joke and followed it up with a Tim Robinson reference, Luke knew he was cooked. Immediately after the party he texted his friends, saying, “I just met my future wife.” After their first date at Boston Bowl —Luke bowled 188, while Julia was all talk and no action (read: she bowled 70)— Julia came home, by all definitions, giddy. Her mom later said, “It was incomparable. I’ve literally never seen her like that. She came in, flopped on the bed, giggling and swinging her legs while telling me about the date… ‘and, oh by the way, he’s just so handsome!’” After the first few dates, Luke said, “I know you’re living in Chicago, but I’d really like to try to make this work.” Luckily, that spring was a busy one for Julia’s work travel—much of which brought her back to New England. It also turned out to be a silver lining during Julia’s ACL surgery recovery: navigating high-rise life on crutches during one of the hottest months of the year was less than ideal, so she flew back to Massachusetts to elevate her knee near a pool… and spend some more time with Luke. As we continued to go on dates and meet each other's families and friends, it was increasingly clear how much we had in common. We even discovered that we had independently signed up for the same pilgrimage to Međjugorje that summer! We feel unfathomably blessed to have found one another because beyond our love and general compatibility, we share the common vision of marriage as a vocation that is fundamentally about running with your spouse towards God and Heaven. Luke’s October move to Chicago only further cemented what we had both known from the start. While in Nashville with Julia and her brothers, Luke proposed in the cathedral. Afterwards, we were both surprised by our parents, who had secretly made their way to Nashville to celebrate with us; we are incredibly grateful and blessed that our families have already become so close. (Our moms can be heard saying, “I just had the best two-hour phone conversation!” with the other’s mom lol.) We feel extraordinarily celebrated and supported by our family and friends, and we’re thrilled to celebrate our marriage with you this coming July!