We're getting Married!

Sparks *flew* the moment Natalie and John met online in April 2016. John, a pilot in St. Louis, was instantly drawn to Natalie, a California girl with a sunny and warm personality. Natalie was captivated by John's reliability and respectfulness. They both wondered if the other was too good to be true. So John flew to Orange County for their first date. As they cruised Pacific Coast Highway, they recognized each other’s contagious kindness. Right away they knew they’d found a safe place together where they could be themselves, free of judgment and expectations. They knew what they had was love. John flew cross-country for a second date to join Natalie and her friends at an Angels baseball game. He told her friends he wanted to meet her parents, and she knew then she could love him forever. "The way he showed that he cared from the very beginning, so genuine and without hesitation, was all I needed to know that he is my person," she said. Similarly, John said, "Right away I knew it was unconditional love that drew me to Natalie. She cares about everyone and doesn't judge; she is who she is and lets everyone around her be who they are, including me." They shared their first kiss after the baseball game. Natalie began splitting her time between St. Louis and California to be with John every chance she had. As Natalie came close to finishing grad school, she and John knew they wanted to house their love under one roof. In July 2017, Natalie moved in with John and his children, Gianluca and Giovanni, in St. Peters. She landed her dream job at Big Brothers Big Sisters and John’s family welcomed Natalie as their own. As they planned to buy their first home together (which they purchased in picturesque Wildwood in August 2018), John knew it was time for another next step. While visiting Natalie's family in California on May 11, 2018, John took Natalie for a beach walk where they'd had their first date. He asked her to be his wife—with her parents’ blessing of course!