Matt and Alyssa met at the French Workshop in Garden City for coffee and dessert after matching on the app, Bumble. They talked and laughed for a few hours, realizing they had a special connection. The next few dates were in Long Beach, where they fell in love and currently live.

Matt told Alyssa they were going to stop by his sister and brother in law's apartment for breakfast. After tutoring, Alyssa rushed to get cookies to bring and got a flat tire on the way home. Matt was calm and collected as always, and went along with the plan. As we walked along the boardwalk, on our way to Melissa and Ken's apartment, Matt dropped to one knee and popped the question! Alyssa was completely surprised and cried tears of joy. She immediately FaceTimed her mom, Laurie, who was pretending to be at a bridal shower. Alyssa tried calling her dad and sister, Amanda, but they were not answering. The reason was that they were waiting in secret upstairs in the apartment with the Aksionoff crew, ready to celebrate. Matt surprised Alyssa with a beautiful celebration with their families and it was absolutely perfect! The date of the proposal has a very special meaning. May 8th is Alyssa's maternal grandmother Pauline's birthday, who she never had the chance to meet. Alyssa's middle name is Pauline, for her grandmother.