We're Getting Married!

Our love story begins in 2018 when a mutual friend thought two people who “loved sports” would be a perfect match. We still chuckle at this, as that mutual friend is not a sports fan himself. There were so many variables to consider! Shoutout to the one and only James Brocato and his wife, Sheila, for taking a chance and introducing us. On November 29, 2018, James invited Mikaela to the House of Blues in Orlando, Florida, to see his band play. Little did Mikaela know at the time that James had been talking her up to Rick for months but had left her completely in the dark about Rick! Coincidentally, that same evening, Rick’s best friend, Chris, and his now-wife, Kelly, were in town visiting Rick. Not only were Mikaela and Rick getting to know each other for the first time, but Rick’s oldest friend was there to judge Mikaela from the start! Two weeks later on December 15, 2018, we had our official “first date”! Rick dusted off an Elf sweater (check the picture on our photo page), Mikaela threw on a light-up sweater, and off we went to the annual Ugly Christmas Sweater Pub Crawl. To repay the favor, Mikaela had a few of her own friends (hey, Desiree and Jessie!) come join in the fun and judge Rick. Spoiler alert: our friends did great jobs! Fast forward three years later: December 27, 2021, on a morning hike in Asheville, North Carolina, Rick got down on one knee and proposed to Mikaela just as the sun peeked over the Blue Ridge Mountains. It was a picture-perfect proposal…how could Mikaela have said no?! Between that first date and now, there are too many good memories to count. We are thankful for each and every one of them, and we are thankful for each and every person who has played a part in our relationship along the way. We’re looking forward to making a lifetime of memories together and are beyond thrilled to celebrate our love with our family and friends in December. We cannot wait to see your smiling faces as we become husband and wife!