A mere four months after a whirlwind move to the USA from Jordan, Dunya met Mat through a chance encounter with a mutual acquaintance. She recalls her first impression of him; how their petty disagreements that night left her feeling frustrated at this person she had only just met, and that she wanted to meet again to continue their arguments. Mat recalls being taken aback by her uniqueness and character, and grasping for quips to throw back at Dunya to continue to raise a reaction from her and keep her attention on him. A few short weeks later, they solidified their budding relationship and looked towards the future. But there was one little problem, 2020 was the year the world was shaken by COVID, and the ways it heavily limited social interactions. Faced with a choice between never meeting face to face or being together constantly so early on, they chose the latter and formed their own social distancing bubble. The couple likes to joke about how COVID played a part in bringing them together, but it was actually faith and trust in their own feelings for each other that set the tone for their relationship, engagement, and what they plan on bringing forward into their marriage.

Mat and Dunya met in Arlington, VA, but truly fell in love in Washington, DC, the site of their first date. The Spy Museum followed by lunch and a stroll through the Georgetown Waterfront, became a symbolic location to them both, and provided the perfect background for their proposal. Mat had set up an elaborate picnic by the Potomac River, complete with rose petals and champagne. Mat thought he was pretty sneaky, but of course Dunya knew well in advance what was going to happen! She likes to use this as an example to Mat that she truly does know everything. Fun fact, Mat bought Dunya’s engagement ring on their trip to New York, and kept it safely ‘hidden’ until they were back in their favorite place!