We met on a cold, dark Thanksgiving eve in 2005. I remember it clearly, standing in the foyer of Mac's in the Short North reading a newspaper and hoping that she would show. Her smile caught my eye as soon as she walked through the door, and we talked until 2am, when they closed and asked us to leave.

We both had a really good time and I told her I'd call in a couple weeks, because I was leaving for Peru and would be unavailable for a while.

Due to poor decision-making on Michelle's part, she sees something in me and we got engaged at the Blue Danube on October 21st, 2006 over a supper of BLTs and iced tea. We had just come from a silent charity auction featuring art donated by local artists, one of which was a piece Michelle painted.

The ceremony will be held at the church where my parents were married years ago, and my Grandma Duval has been a parishoner for decades. Growing up, we would attend holiday masses there and I was always in awe of its Cathedral style architecture. My great uncle Fr. Robert Lamantia will preside over the ceremony and family members and friends on both sides will participate in making this an unforgettable day for the two of us. This will not be a full Catholic mass, the ceremony should probably run around 30-35 minutes.

Initially, we'll adjourn to the basement of the church for some visiting and some food, but beware, if you think you're going to see a traditional reception you are mistaken. Bring a camera and bring a notepad, because you're going to want to talk about it later. We will have hors d'ourves and some delicious Italian family-made desserts and take tons of pictures with smiling people in them.

Then for those who are adventurous of spirit, please feel free to walk a couple blocks north with us to do some bowling. There will be pizza, pop, and music to enjoy, the bowling and shoes are paid for.

We will be including directions and hotel information with the invitations. Please feel free to contact us if you would like the information sooner than that.

This is our one and only gift registry, as we have more material goods than two people need. As a matter of fact, if anyone needs a blender or a toaster, we have one extra of each. Say the word and they're yours :). We realize this is not completely traditional...we're not registering for a china pattern or crystal, but we don't need or want those things. However, we are in love with the idea of traveling to Italy for our honeymoon. This registry allows us to take that trip and it allows you to have a part in our honeymoon experience! We promise to share the pictures and notes from our trip when we get back.

We are both extremely excited to be getting married and want to share this experience with as many of our family and friends as possible. Love,

Jason and Michelle