With Jess & Garret both being passionate about their faith, they were both searching for that special someone on Catholic Match, an online dating website. Jess was just about to give up on finding anyone on CM, when she received a notification saying, “You have a message from Garret.” They started messaging and conversation was so natural, plus they had so much in common that Garret decided it was time for a first date! So a few weeks later, as soon as Garret was out of quarantine, they had their first date in Salina. He convinced Jess to try some buffalo meat pizza, and she loved it! There was one thing she ended up loving more, however: The handsome man who would ask her on a second date. Over time, as the trend continued, they began falling in love with each other’s strong Catholic faith, their hearts for mission and serving others, and especially their passion for teaching. Jess loves his devotion to his faith, his compassionate heart, and she occasionally laughs at his dad jokes. Garret loves her commitment to striving for holiness, her sincere love, and thinks she is beautiful.

Jess had been waiting several months and anticipating the date when the big proposal would happen. Jess knew the time must be coming soon and thought she knew when it would happen, but Garret was sly and convinced her otherwise. After Jess ruined several of his plans, Garret went to Plan C. On their one year anniversary, he took Jess back to Salina where they had met on their very first date. He convinced Jess to watch a sunset at Bill Burke Park, which has a far-reaching view of Salina. Moments passed and the entry to the hill seemed inaccessible before sunset, which they raced to catch. Without any way to get to the top of the hill, Garret proposed in a leaf-covered area of the park, without Jess suspecting the proposal and the surprise remaining intact until the moment arrived! They then went and celebrated by having dinner and drinks at Scheme Pizza, where they had their very first date.