Love is in the Air: The Story of Giulianno and Briana

Distance means nothing to fate, and though born and raised on different continents, these two lovebirds were definitely destined to meet. Self-described soulmates Giulianno and Briana Scotti now call Tecumseh their home, but, since they met 5 years ago, their collective journey has been a wondrous one.

Gear up for an adventure; this is their story!

Born to Fly

For some, taking to the air is natural – this seems to be the case with Giulianno. The son of a pilot, born in the Amazon jungle of Brazil, Giulianno was no stranger to aviation or to skydiving either. His cousin was a professional skydiver and three-time national champion in Brazil. Together, they would visit the dropzone, Giulianno would watch his cousin jump, and then enjoy the revelry of after-hours activities. Finally, at the age of 20, Giulianno’s girlfriend (at the time) gave him the gift of a First Jump Course.

With skydiving, it was love at first flight, and Giulianno hasn’t really stopped jumping since. The only exception being the year he took off to compete in wakeboarding. In 2008, Giulianno  returned to the sport of skydiving full-time, and in 2013 he became an instructor. He even had a stint as a member of a freefly team (Strick Team) in Brazil, which won gold at the Nationals in 2013 and 2014. Now, after 21 years in the sport, Giulianno has accrued nearly 10,000 jumps. 

Though, out of those 10,000 skydives, there was one special jump that would change his life forever.

Showed Up For A Skydive, Left With A Soulmate

Her peers may have been living it up senior year, but Briana worked nonstop while completing her studies online, intent on graduating early. Though she doesn’t exactly remember how (she surmises a YouTube blackhole), Briana discovered skydiving videos. 

Once she found this slice of media gold, she was obsessed. While doing her school work online, she’d keep a tab of skydiving videos open in the background. During her breaks she’d watch freestyle videos and dream. She knew skydiving was something she had to do. 

As fate would have it, for graduation Briana received a skydiving ticket. It was time to make her dream a reality. 

“I had to wait at the dropzone for a long time, which just happens to be the case sometimes, and so I started making friends with the sport jumpers. They’re like, “Oh, you’re gonna be jumping with Giulianno!” And they looked around to try and point him out to me, but they couldn’t find him.”

After a few hours passed, Briana was still trying to figure out who her instructor was. By this point, she’d already paired most of the instructors with their names – but none were Giulianno. 

“Then all of a sudden, I see Giulianno coming into the hangar. It’s so funny. I can see it as clear as day, though it’s been four or five years ago now … he sets his parachute and helmet down. Though there’s all these people, he comes out and around, and stands right in front of me and he’s like, ‘Briana?’ It was so exciting … I was going to do a skydive and also [my instructor] was very, very handsome. As he’s getting me all suited up, we started chit chatting, and we just got along very well.” 

They got along so well, in fact, that they’ve been together ever since! Practically inseparable since their first date, two days after that special skydive. 

And The Jump?

Well, Briana recalls that she wasn’t afraid at all. Having experienced an immediate connection with Giulianno, they spent the plane ride in conversation. 

“I remember thinking ‘darn I’m not even feeling scared.’ Then it was time to exit, so we’re scooting toward the door, and I still don’t feel scared! I’m thinking ‘what is wrong with me?’. I remember the moment when we were leaning out and about to jump: I look out and I can see where the earth curves, and there’s this thin, darker blue line, and it’s just beautiful; so beautiful. Then when we did jump. I was only in free fall for about 35-45 seconds, but it felt like I was up there for an hour. I  was completely in that realm; it was a totally different universe. It’s hard to explain the feeling, but it just puts you here in the now, and it makes you feel alive.”

This jump was all it took. Briana was bitten by the skydiving bug. Though Briana has not yet been able to earn her A License (due to temperamental weather and a busy work schedule), she still has every intention of becoming a licensed skydiver and believes “it will happen when it’s supposed to.”

Skydiving isn’t the only thing this dynamic duo does. The couple stays busy traveling cross country, hiking, biking, speed flying, tunnel flying, mountain biking, Paramotoring, base jumping, cooking, experimenting with photography and more. If it sounds fun, this couple is probably doing it!

Big Love For Skydive Tecumseh

The couple is now on their third season working at Skydive Tecumseh. Briana is the Bookings Manager, handling sport jumpers and ensuring proper documentation, and fills in at manifest when needed. Giulianno is a jack-of-all-trades, working as a tandem instructor, AFF instructor, videographer, professional canopy pilot, and parachute rigger. 

So, what keeps this power couple coming back to Tecumseh year after year?

For Giulianno, Skydive Tecumseh is special because it’s a “good place with good people: a family dropzone … Skydive Tecumseh isn’t ‘commercialized’. It’s not like you’re here just to make money for the dropzone. They appreciate us and our work. It’s not very common to be treated that way. The facilities and the equipment are incredible, and the two airplanes are nice too!”

Briana echoes his sentiments: “It really is a family dropzone. Everybody says ‘Good Morning’ and asks how you’re doing. There’s a lot of hugging! We are very team-oriented and everyone has each other’s backs. The hangar is very well taken care of and the gear is well taken care of. Though I don’t do tandems, Giulianno does, and it’s so nice to see that the equipment is well maintained. I can feel safe with my husband working and with our customers. I know they are in good hands.”

Interested in skydiving? Here’s what Briana wants you to know:

“Skydiving is a life-changing experience, and it’s better to do it now when you’re young than wait … if you are nervous about it, then look at all of our reviews, and read other people’s experiences. Also, there’s my own experience and how it changed my life. Now, I am living my dreams! You might be a little scared but once you’re out in the air, you’re going to feel this incredible feeling. It’s hard to put into words, but it’s like you’re in another universe. It’s a beautiful experience. And I’ve never had anybody jump that did not like it.”

So what do you say? Ready to change your life? Schedule your skydive with Skydive Tecumseh today.