Sachi Takahashi-Rial and George Carollo married in Sacramento

After 16 years together, Sachi Takahashi-Rial and George Carollo set a timeline, which included a decision to legally marry in 2023.

Sachi Alita Takahashi-Rial and George Carl Gaetano Carollo sent their wedding invitations online in March, which amused some people and left others guessing.

It said, "You are invited to the first Investor Offsite for the world's leading investors. This exclusive event combines ideas, innovation, vision and, of course, cake." /p>

Questions then quickly arose, mostly to their parents, regarding the unconventional three-day celebration at Yin Ranch, a 40-acre event venue in Vacaville, California, November 3-5.

"Are you getting married or raising capital?" a friend asked.

After all, Mr. Carollo, 34, is the founder and CEO of Dover, a tech recruitment platform startup. jobs. He received two bachelor's degrees with distinction, one in economics and another in urban studies, from Stanford, from which he also obtained a master's degree in civil and environmental engineering.

" Our sense of humor doesn't fully translate," said Ms. Takahashi-Rial, 33, associate director of partner services at Listen4Good, which helps nonprofit groups gain feedback from their constituents.

She received a bachelor's degree with honors in economics from the University of California, Berkeley and earned a master's degree in public policy from Duke.

The two, together for 17 years, grew up in the same Sacramento, California neighborhood and began working on at least a dozen projects and studying together in high school. But it took them a while to get to this point.

They barely noticed themselves in their sixth grade class at James R. Cowan Fundamental Elementary, then she did it better avoid it all through Arcade Fundamental Middle School.

"He really wasn't cool," said Ms. Takahashi -Rial.

Her attitude changed once they found themselves in a very competitive International Baccalaureate program at Mira Loma High School - she lived off across the street; it's three traffic lights away.

"It was an exceptionally nerdy place," said Mr. Carollo, who also experienced a growth spurt the previous summer and even became popular. "It was like AP classes on steroids."

They started hanging out with friends either on "the bench", a gathering place on campus, either on AOL Instant Messenger after school and on weekends.

In the second year of his house, they and their classmates built a tank 15 feet long with thousands of crepe paper flowers folded, fluffy and wrapped around chicken wire for an annual throwback float contest. He won first place.

[Click here to read this week's featured couples.]

April 4, 2006, after studying for an exam first-grade biology student at her house, they walked to the school baseball field and sat in the bleachers. Neither were dating anyone, and they had recently gotten naughty.

"She gestured and kissed me", he said.

Instead of going to the junior prom as friends, they went as boyfriend and girlfriend.

After gr...