A motorsport-mad couple are celebrating their engagement this Valentine’s Day after a unique Formula One® inspired declaration of love.
Jake Di Meglio met his sweetheart Jennamarie Moody in college, and they have been together since Valentine’s Day 2015. The couple from Westchester County, New York, have a shared love of Formula One® and are both massive Scuderia Ferrari fans, trying their best to attend Grand Prix events in Austin, Montreal and Miami each year.
Last year, Jennamarie surprised Jake on his birthday by gifting him a square of the Monaco race flag, won by Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc. She had wanted a piece of the flag herself ever since, so Jake decided to make her dream come true in the most special of ways.
Jake contacted F1® Authentics, run by Memento Exclusives – the memorabilia specialist and officially licensed partner to the likes of Formula 1® and MotoGP™ – who produce chequered flags waved at different races across the motorsport calendar. The company make squares of these flags available for public purchase before each race through its ‘Own The Chequered Flag’ initiative, and Jake saw an opportunity to include a very special message.
“This year unfortunately we were not able to go to Austin for the first time in years – which is our favourite race. I knew once we were not able to go it was the perfect opportunity to buy Jennamarie a spot on the flag and be there in spirit,” he said. “I then thought about my plans to propose and realised this was a once in a lifetime chance for something special.”
As fate, or Cupid would have it, Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc would go on to win the United States Grand Prix, ensuring Jake’s question of ‘Will You Marry Me’ to Jennamarie was waved at the finish line as her favourite team and driver raced home victoriously. “Charles winning the race was the icing on the cake to make things even more special,” said Jake.
After each race, the chequered flags adorned with fans names and messages are returned to Memento Exclusives, who carefully hand-cut each square and place them in a presentation frame, before sending them on to customers to forever cherish the moment they were part of Grand Prix history.
Once the frame containing his all-important question arrived, Jake secretly stored it away safely, until getting down on one knee and surprising Jennamarie with her gift. Jake’s efforts paid off with the best news of all – she said yes! “We have set the date and are going to get married in August 2026, plus we’ve just booked our latest F1® trip, to the Miami GP! Thank you to Memento Exclusives for making our proposal and anniversary so special.”
Memento Exclusives is known for bringing fans hard-to-find memorabilia from the most thrilling sports on the planet. Through its unique position and innovative partnerships, the company allows sports fans to ‘Own the Moment’.
Barry Gough, CEO & Founder of Memento Exclusives (F1® Authentics) said:
“A huge congratulations from all of us to Jake and Jennamarie on their engagement. The unique ways fans engage with our products is something we love to see, and we have seen a big increase in gifting messages on race flags for 2025. Having your own name become part of a moment in sporting history is a special feeling, but it’s also a great way of giving that feeling to others, marking celebrations, anniversaries and so much more.”
Squares from the flags that will be waved during the landmark 75th F1® season are currently available to personalise and purchase on F1authentics.com.
