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Boston Globe

A firefighter and a makeup artist, former college sweethearts, took the long way home

'They call them lovebugs because they always go around in pairs — they're connected,' explains Gabriella Corricelli. The brief lifecycle of the amorous, black-winged bugs means successful reproduction is paramount; they remain conjoined for the entirety of their sometimes multi-day mating process. Despite their cute name and existential intentions: 'I didn't like looking at them,' Gabriella, who goes by Gabby, says, 'but they were everywhere .' The invasion of the multi-headed march flies couldn't keep romance from resurfacing that weekend, though, when Gabby met her former college sweetheart Brian Alessandro for a long-due 'catchup.' Gabby repurposed her late grandmother's wedding band to make her own — after it had been redesigned, the couple realized the new band featured '11 stones for the 11th day,' as they were to wed on April 11th. 'I felt like that was a truly sign she was with us,' says Gabby. Caroline Giuliano Photography The pair had first met as seniors at Pope John XXIII High School, a now-closed Catholic private school in Everett, where they graduated in 2008. Brian was 'the new kid,' having transferred from a different school in East Boston, and both have only fleeting but friendly memories of each other. But, in college (Gabby, at Salem State; Brian at Bridgewater State), they reconnected through social media. Their first date was for steak tips at the Advertisement They dated for four years before parting ways — it was amicable, but each had grown restless at the cusp of adulthood and independence. Gabby took a job and moved to Virginia, Brian enlisted in the US Army. He was stationed in South Korea before Savannah — where, four weeks before his active duty was up, Gabby decided to visit. Advertisement Brian was completely surprised by Gabby's choice of wedding gown during their first look before the ceremony. "For some reason, I thought she was going to be wearing long sleeves and a lace dress," he says, "But when I saw her come out, I was just lost for words. I was in awe. And we're taking pictures and I'm still just looking at the dress like, 'This is incredible.'" Caroline Giuliano Photography '' We're just friends, '' Gabby remembers telling herself. ''Let me go hang out with my friend — all the way in Savannah — because I like to check up on him and make sure we're good.'' The pair had seen each other only once (at Gabby's grandfather's funeral) since April spent the weekend catching up while exploring willow tree-lined streets, buzzing with what they remember to be 'nice, happy nerves.' 'It was nice to see someone that I really knew,' says Brian, 'and that really knew me.' They held hands. On a trolley tour, Brian wrapped an arm around Gabby's shoulders. And before the weekend's end, a second-chance at romance emerged. The night before the wedding, rain lashed Gloucester and the couple worried their outdoor ceremony would need to relocate. The downpour stopped in time for the wedding. Caroline Giuliano Photography 'There was definitely excitement behind our conversations, like, 'This might be happening again,'' remembers Gabby. Brian returned home that June, and by fall, the relationship was back on. At this point, they lived with their respective parents — Brian with his mother in South Boston, Gabby at her parents' in Malden — as they both began new careers and saved money toward their first home. Brian became a Boston Firefighter, joining Tower Ladder 10 in Jamaica Plain in September 2020. Gabby, who had worked in hospitality, pursued a passion and founded She specializes in weddings. 'It doesn't feel like work,' Gabby says, 'because you're with girls and it's the best day of their life.' As the couple settled into the East Boston home that they purchased that January, brides-to-be began to occupy Gabby'sschedule. Soon, the language and details of wedding planning infiltrated the couple's lives. Advertisement Coincidentally, one particular wedding was already on Brian's mind. The pair sneaked away during cocktail hour for glasses of champagne and a quick couple's photoshoot on the beach with their photographer Caroline Giuliano. Caroline Giuliano Photography On Sept. 9, 2023, Brian and Gabby went out for dinner on a rainy Saturday evening. 'She said I was breathing heavy,' remembers Brian with a laugh. 'But I just remember having this huge ring box in my pocket and trying to drive with one arm to cover it up.' He had been coordinating with a photographer and their families, planning to lead Gabby to Eastie's Lewis Pier to pop the question with a celebratory dinner to follow. But he hadn't expected the rain or scheduling mishaps. The turmoil rattled the firefighter's nerves, and he accidentally took a knee about 100 feet away from where he had agreed to meet their photographer. Related : 'I just blacked out,' he says. 'She was shocked. I didn't know what to say... I didn't say one word I wrote down or rehearsed saying in my head.' (For the record, she was overcome, too: 'What did I say, Gabby?' he asks her. 'I couldn't tell you,' she says.) Both, however, remember Gabby's reply: 'Yes, yes, yes!' En route to their (first) first date in 2011, Gabby remembers listening to a favorite reggaeton mixed CD made by her cousin, who had been DJing. DJ Dres, that same cousin, would be the one to get guests onto the dance floor at her wedding nearly 15 years later. Caroline Giuliano Photography Their families, who had been filming the scene from inside Gabby and Brian married on April 11 with a black tie wedding at the They were wed by Advertisement The couple's heart-shaped tiramisu wedding cake featured a raspberry topping and was made by Caffe Sicilia bakery in Gloucester. Caroline Giuliano Photography Brian had suggested dance lessons for their first dance to Andrea Bocelli's 'Somos Novios,' which was accompanied by the violinist. The reception included a Carts with sausage and peppers rolls and fried dough circulated before guests relocated to the afterparty, which occupied the hotel lobby. Brian swapped his The pair retired to their room around 3:30 a.m. While exhausted, they broke into leftover snacks to decompress and gossip. Just the two of them — and a favorite moment of the the best day of their lives. 'We stayed up for an hour just talking about the wedding,' says Brian. 'Like, ' Hey, did you see this? I can't believe that! ' It was just a really fun way to end the night." Read more from , The Boston Globe's new weddings column. Rachel Kim Raczka is a writer and editor in Boston. She can be reached at