Due to the pandemic, we post-poned our original date of August 1, 2020 to May 22, 2021. We are so excited to FINALLY celebrate our marriage with our friends and family.

We were both on a trip to Las Vegas with friends. Jillian was there to celebrate her graduation from college and her 23rd birthday with one of her best friends, Morgan. It was her first time in Vegas! Luis was with his college rowing teammates on their annual guys trip and he had been there many times before. Jillian and Morgan were staying at the Cromwell, a hotel in the middle of the strip and they were headed up to the pool club on the rooftop, named Drai's. As they were headed up and the elevator doors were about to close, a stranger stuck his hand in to stop the elevator so he could come in too. This stranger happened to be Luis and his friend Matt! Luis immediately asked Morgan and Jillian where they were from and the two answered "Akron! Well... Cleveland" (thinking they wouldn't know Akron). Luis said, "Oh, I know Akron, that is where LeBron James & Steph Curry are from!" The girls then asked the guys where they were from and they told them California. They quickly found out they were cheering on the Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals, and the girls were cheering on the Cavs. The guys invited the girls to hang out with them at the pool, and they decided why not? Jillian and Luis spent the afternoon chatting in the pool and when everyone was winding down, Jillian dared Luis to chug a warm ginger beer to get her number. He did it! The groups met up later in the evening to watch the Cavs and Warriors game and then went out together after. The next day, Luis reached out to Jillian and invited her and Morgan to his hotel pool at The Palazzo. The girls joined the guys and had a great time and continued hanging out with them into the evening. When it was time to say goodbyes, Jillian really never thought she would see Luis or any of those guys again, but she definitely had a blast hanging out with them all weekend. Jillian and Luis stayed connected via social media and texting after the trip was over.

After meeting in Las Vegas, Luis and Jillian kept in touch occasionally. After about a month, Jillian happened to call Luis on July 4th after her holiday festivities because she wanted someone to talk to. After talking for about an hour, the two began texting and calling each other much more often. Jillian decided to book a trip out to California to visit Luis and the guys (but really she just wanted to see Luis) before starting her full-time job. Initially, her parents told her she absolutely would not be going to visit "the guys she met in Vegas." After some explaining and convincing, she got her parents to agree, but only a few hours before her flight. She hopped on the plane and flew out to CA! She spent four days in the golden state, hanging out with the crew and seeing new places. As the weekend dwindled down, so did the friends who were hanging out, except Luis. On the second to last night, they went to Napa, and Luis claims that this is when he really started to "fall" for Jillian. The next day, the two of them went to Lake Tahoe and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. Saying goodbye at the airport was difficult, but the two knew they couldn't stay apart long. Two weeks later and Luis was visiting Ohio to see Jillian. On the first night of his visit, they said "I love you" and before he left to go back to California, the two decided they were dating. The next day back in California, Luis turned down a job so that he could begin his 'move' to Ohio. A month later (Labor Day of 2016), Luis drove across the country to become a resident of Ohio so that he and Jillian could enjoy life together!

After about three years of dating, Luis popped the question! Over the past three years, some of the greatest memories that Luis and Jillian have made have come from traveling. The two love to take trips together, exploring the amazing cities and sights that the United States (and beyond) have to offer. Surprisingly, out of all of those trips, none of them had been the beach. They planned a trip to Miami Beach, South Beach specifically, and were ready to enjoy the warm sun & the ocean! The trip was amazing and carefree, and on the second to last night, it became one of the most memorable trips the two had ever taken. They were at the Fountainbleau Miami Beach Resort to get a drink at the Hakkasan. As they entered the hotel, they commented on how much it reminded them of a 'Vegas hotel.' After they finished their drinks, Luis was trying to get Jillian to go for a walk on the beach or down the ocean walk, but Jillian was getting tired and had on heels and didn't want to walk. He then discovered a door leading out to their gorgeous pools. The pools were lit in such a beautiful way, and no one was really around. The mood was very intimate and romantic. After walking for a bit, Luis told Jillian he should take her picture because it was so beautiful. Of course, Jillian didn't think anything of it because she is always taking pictures or having someone take a picture of her. Then, Luis said he wanted to get one of the two of them. He saw a couple and went over and asked them if he would take a photo. After they took the first photo, Luis looked at Jillian and said: "This place is a lot like Vegas, but you know what would make it even more like Vegas?"... and got down on one knee. Jillian happily said yes & the two are ENGAGED!!

Our wedding date is significant; it is the same day as our dating anniversary. We picked this date because we loved that it was the same date that we decided to commit to each other over 3 years ago. Had we not made that committment, we may not be here together, today. We married each other in our back yard in a private ceremony, and it was beautiful.