Andrew and Julia’s story begins where countless others have tried and failed: on the popular dating app known as “Bumble”. As you may know, at the time this wasn’t your average dating app - the girl had to message first in order to make a connection! Andrew felt the pressure from the moment he swiped right, and prayed that over the next 24 hours his suave profile pictures would send a message worthy of a response from Julia. Julia logged in to check her notification. While his pictures were nice, what really caught Julia's eye was Andrew’s unique taste in music. This gave her the confidence boost to match with him since it conveniently provided the perfect icebreaker to kick off the conversation. In addition to maintaining a healthy sense of skepticism towards online dating, Julia’s anxious mind kept her asking questions like “is he a real person, or a robot?” and “does he actually look this handsome in real life?” After many phone calls and FaceTime conversations to confirm that Andrew was in fact real, Julia found that he actually was that handsome in real life when they went on their first date at The Ginger Man bar. But don’t worry - Julia picked a familiar and well-known location by the University of Dallas, just in case. All of that anxiety quickly melted away when Julia began talking with Andrew; the connection was instant. They couldn’t get enough of each other’s conversation by the time they had finished their drinks, so they headed to the porch at Julia’s apartment. Even though it was nearly freezing outside, and Julia’s Arizona upbringing lent itself to her distinct lack of Winter clothing, they talked for hours and hours on end. Early in their relationship, Julia and Andrew spent time getting to know each other while exploring Denton, integrating into each other’s friend groups, and even caring for each other during a COVID scare. Andrew even quizzed Julia while she was studying for her comprehensive exams at UD! Andrew officially asked Julia to be his girlfriend on February 13th, 2021.

Andrew knew all along that he wanted to propose on Julia’s birthday. The problem was figuring out how to surprise her - she’s notoriously observant, great at asking questions, and loves sniffing out secrets. Andrew called her sister, Kelly, for backup. While Kelly planned a vacation to Dallas under the guise of some fun shopping and 24th Birthday drinks, Andrew set his plan in motion. He organized for all of Julia’s family members to fly to Dallas for a surprise celebration. On the morning of Julia’s birthday, Kelly requested (well, demanded really) that the two of them head to the Dallas Arboretum to “take some cute pictures.” Julia was becoming suspicious, but Kelly’s photography portfolio spoke for itself and was enough to convince Julia that this wasn’t a ruse. Little did Julia know that while Kelly was snapping pictures, Andrew would (quite literally) come crawling out of the bushes to surprise her with a very important question. He got on one knee, she said “Yes”, and the rest is history.

Andrew and Julia will be getting married at their home parish of St. Ann in Coppell, Texas, where they have been attending mass for the past few years. They have fallen in love with their church community, and have especially appreciated the guidance and support of Father Edwin, who will be presiding over their marriage. Also joining for the wedding ceremony will be Father Thomas, under whom Julia studied Biblical Theology at the University of Dallas and who is an important part of Julia’s path towards becoming a high school religion teacher at John Paul II. Andrew and Julia feel incredibly blessed to have both Father Edwin and Father Thomas present as a part of their special day.

Andrew and Julia will be spending their honeymoon on the beautiful French Polynesian islands of Mo’orea and Bora Bora. Andrew has spent many hours carefully planning what is guaranteed to be a spectacular trip. The two of them cannot wait for the whale watching, discovery of Polynesian Culture, and relaxation on the beach overlooking those famous clear blue waters. They could not be happier to embrace the adventures that await them, both in French Polynesian and in the rest of their lives together. Manuia!* *means “cheers” or “to your health” in Tahitian