We have been together for over 10 years. In that time we have earned a handful of college degrees, worked too many different jobs, and lived all over the world. In the early years, school, work, and war often kept us apart, but we always came back together. Now we are ready to be together forever.

Our first wedding will be a small legal wedding service with just our immediate family, officiated by Sarah's father, at a supper club in Wisconsin. The second, which we hope you will join us at, will be a ceremony, dinner, and dancing at a picturesque villa in a small fishing village in Sicily (where Matthew's mother is from). The third will be a less formal afternoon event in Milwaukee on July 29th for everyone who cannot make it to Sicily and for our many family and friends.

While Matthew was on leave from a deployment in Afghanistan in 2009, Sarah joined him in Sicily for a two-week vacation. It was our only chance to see each other over the one year deployment. One late night, along with Matthew's brother Michael and cousin Mario, our group randomly met some locals who were planning some after hours calamari eating and wine drinking in a nearby villa. What started as a short conversation at a bar in the port turned into a magical night in a secret garden of lemon and olive trees. Through the years we've reminisced and retold this story. When we got engaged, we both came to the same conclusion, to return to that villa, and to bring our closest friends and family with us to share this special place. We hope this trip will be more than a wedding but also a chance to spend time with the people we love and those who have influenced our relationship. We encourage you to take a little time to indulge in the Sicilian lifestyle with us, including the Mediterranean food and wine, the gelato, the beaches and diverse landscapes, and the afternoon naps.