How does Nick meet Gatsby?

It's chapter 3 when Nick first meets the elusive Gatsby. He's received a personal invitation to one of Gatsby's legendarily lavish parties. This is a rare privilege indeed. Most of Gatsby's freeloading guests just show up when they feel like it and proceed to help themselves to his food and illegal booze.
While Nick's engaged in conversation with Jordan Baker, a man comes over and starts chatting to him. The man says that Nick looks kind of familiar and wonders if perhaps he served in the war. Nick doesn't know it yet, but the man in question is none other than Jay Gatsby. This scene is important because it shows us what kind of a person Gatsby is. Not only does Nick gain the privilege of a personal invitation to the party, he also gets to see a side of Gatsby that few people ever get a chance to see. The first meeting between the two men foreshadows the friendship that will develop throughout the book.