Alexa and Marty met on a sailing trip, called "Yacht Week" in Croatia the summer of 2017. As the week progressed they got to know each other. They bonded over each being the oldest of their two siblings, growing up in small towns, dreams of one day seeing the world, and their mutual love of sunsets, traveling, and being out on the water. Marty and Alexa visited each other almost every weekend back and forth from NYC to DC and eventually Alexa made the move to DC and found a nursing job at Georgetown Hospital. Marty sometimes jokes he "doesn't know how he got her to leave New York City." They are so excited to start this next chapter of their lives together and to have you there to celebrate with them!

Alexa’s and Marty’s engagement was in many ways emblematic of their entire relationship, involving their love of travel and adventure, a little bit of chaos to keep things interesting, and Marty totally not being stressed out whatsoever. They left Washington, DC for the trip of a lifetime to Bali, Singapore, and Tokyo in July 2019. And adventure they found. Arriving first in Bali, they spent several days climbing waterfalls, hiking to ancient temples, exploring iconic rice fields and local villages, and making new friends with tiny primates at the Sacred Monkey Forest (one of which thought he should climb up Alexa’s leg and help himself to whatever he could find in her purse). As is typical, Alexa had planned and coordinated nearly all of these awesome adventures while Marty did his best to pull his weight. After a few days, Marty explained to Alexa that, since she had done most of the planning to that point, he wanted to arrange a special day for them. They would go on a quick adventure to a temple, spend some time relaxing by their infinity pool overlooking the Indian Ocean, then check out a cliff with one of the best sunset views in Bali on the way to a nice dinner. Of course, the plan was not without its hurdles. At lunch, Alexa told Marty he seemed anxious and noted that he treated himself to about 4 beers (which was 2 to 4 times the normal 1 or 2 he enjoys while on vacation). She also asked why he was on his phone so much more than normal. Marty (who, while fighting a language barrier, was actually texting final details to the photographer he had arranged for that evening) explained that there was an urgent issue at work that he had to deal with—which is usually both a safe and accurate response. Astute as ever, Alexa asked, “isn’t it 3 a.m. there?”

As they got ready to go to watch the sunset before dinner, Marty realized another challenge: where to put a ring box that, in his pants pocket, made him look like an amateur drug smuggler. He suggested they should bring his backpack to carry their drone, which they could use to take sunset pictures. Sensing that Alexa was starting to get suspicious of this convoluted plan, he suggested that they also throw their swimsuits in the bag so they could stop by the local Aussie beach club after dinner (perhaps least romantic thing ever), which may be the first and last time he has ever been able to throw her off the scent. Finally arriving at the cliffs over Balangan Beach just before sunset, Marty asked Alexa several times to turn around and strike different poses near the edge of the cliff, while he purportedly was framing pictures they would take with the drone (but actually was using hand signals to communicate with the photographers where each should get in position). Her patience understandably wearing thin just as the sun was about to set, Alexa “politely” asked “if we are going to take these pictures or what?” Marty made one last trip to his backpack—supposedly to get the drone remote but in reality to stash the ring in his pocket—then walked back to Alexa at the edge of the cliff. But before taking the pictures, he said, there was something he wanted to ask her. As he dropped down on one knee, he got 2 sentences into the 3 sentence speech he had seared into his memory, before Alexa reached down to hug him and said “Yes!” “I didn’t even get to ask you anything yet,” Marty replied, “but for the record will you marry me?” Luckily for Marty the answer was the same. And the rest is history.