Their first date was on the snowiest night in the history of Seattle - 4 feet of snow on the ground and not a single person on the streets or out for dinner. Ali got to Bar Melusine first, waiting for Alexandra as he sipped on a bourbon rocks (he knew this was her favorite drink). Alexandra walked into the bar and awkwardly hugged Ali as he ordered another bourbon and oysters. The next 45 minutes went by fast - witty banter back and forth about their lovingly overbearing Mediterranean families and their love for food and cooking. The date went so well that Ali asked Alexandra if she wanted to get steak next door at his favorite restaurant, Bateau. Ali found out that Alexandra could consume more steak in a single sitting than anyone he had ever met before. The two ate, laughed and knew by the end of the date that something might just work out between them. Fast forward and Ali has successfully won over Alexandra's black cocker spaniel, Lola (notoriously afraid of burly men), and has been invited to the Lazares' house in Boston for the annual Greek Easter party. At the party, it was apparent that Ali fit right in after Alexandra's brother, Nick, put him to work prepping the lamb and handing him a bottle of ouzo at 9am. Despite only knowing him for a few short days, Alexandra's family knew he was a keeper. The only test left was...meeting Ali's side of the family...in Turkey. Alexandra finds herself on a Turkish Airlines plane to Istanbul (with her parents!). "Are you nuts?" friends asked, "You're going all the way to Turkey...with your parents...on vacation...to meet Ali's family?!" Needless to say, the trip was one they would never forget--shopping at the Grand Bazaar, walks on the Bosphorus, bonding over traditional Turkish meals, tours of Bodrum's most romantic villages. Everything changed, for the better, after that trip. It was a whirlwind romance. The two craved adventure and stability and found both in one another, forever.