Joe and Ari originally met freshman year in their chemistry lab, however, they lost touch after that semester. They ran into each other again at a Halloween party in October of 2017 where Ari said a passing "Hi" to Joe. They reconnected over drinks but got separated throughout the night. But, in true Cinderella fashion, he found her again and got her number right as she was leaving the party with her roommates. He asked her on a date a few days later and they have been inseparable ever since.

During their vacation to Cancun, Joe popped the question. It was the first night they arrived. They had gotten dinner and were relaxing after a long day of travel. Ari was relaxing when Joe tossed his phone at her. He wanted her to look at the picture of their puppy his mom had just sent. While Ari was making silly faces at the phone (because that pup was just so dang cute) Joe got the ring out and when she looked up he was there next to her and said: "Will you marry me?" After some giggling and crying, Ari said: "Of course!"

Around May of 2020, Ari and Joe had to restrict their wedding to be close family and bridal party only due to COVID-19. The ceremony venue was changed to Ari's grandmother's backyard and the reception would take place at a local restaurant after photos. There was no plan for dancing or a party but good food with good friends and family was enough for them. However, in true 2020 fashion, COVID struck again! Ari received a phone call at 10 pm on October 9th (the night before the wedding) saying someone who worked in the kitchen at their reception venue tested positive so the restaurant was shutting down for two weeks. Needless to say, this was not something either Ari or Joe was expecting. After taking a minute to gather thoughts and several frantic phone calls later, the bridal party and Ari's parents were scrambling to figure out an alternative. It was decided (around midnight) that the reception would be held in the backyard of Ari's childhood home. Bridget, one of Ari's bridesmaids, was able to secure food for the event and Ari's parents spent the morning setting up tents and tables in the backyard. The weather was a beautiful 74 degrees and sunny and the ceremony and reception both ended up being beautiful. Because of the last-minute changes, there was plenty of dancing and even a bonfire for people to keep warm. The day was more than Ari and Joe could have expected it to be and now they are looking forward to celebrating a year of marriage as well as the end of a pandemic with everyone in Chicago. It may not be like they originally planned, but it's definitely going to be fun for everyone!