Hector and Michelle officially started dating in August 2023—but it almost never happened. Hector had no idea Michelle was a teacher who goes to bed earlier than most toddlers, so when he suggested a phone call or FaceTime after they matched on Facebook Dating, she politely declined and announced it was already her 9 p.m. bedtime. Hector assumed she wasn’t really interested and that they were destined for endless texting. Michelle promised, “I’ll call you tomorrow,” and Hector thought, “Sure…we’ll see about that.” The next night, Michelle messaged, “If you wanted to talk, why didn’t you ask for my phone number?” Hector admitted he hadn’t exactly been betting on a real call. That “maybe” turned into a five-hour conversation, and by the end of it their first date was set. Hector calls it the “Billy Joel experience”: when he asked if she drank wine, Michelle said, “Yes—only white,” and he replied, “Perfect, I drink red.” So on August 22, 2023, at the MC Hotel in Montclair, NJ, they shared a “bottle of red and a bottle of white,” just like the song. Since that night, they’ve been almost inseparable—collecting stamps in their passports, inside jokes, and countless special moments. Now, as they celebrate this wedding, Hector and Michelle are beyond excited to keep writing their story together, one adventure (and one glass of wine) at a time…oh, and yes, she absolutely loves a good Italian restaurant.