We met during the spring semester of our junior year at Saint Joseph's University. We were introduced by mutual friends on the first day of Database Management class (we noticed later that we were actually in several of the same classes). We became friendly and would chat when we saw each other on campus or out at night in Manayunk. During our senior year we became occasional study-buddies and would go on library "dates" to work on assignments. Eventually we made our relationship official and became "boyfriend & girlfriend" - just 2 weeks before our graduation! We continued to date (mostly long distance between Philly and New York City) for 5 years. Finally, the distance came to an end in 2019 and we rented our first apartment together in Center City Philadelphia.

Rob proposed to Elise on 45th Street beach in Ocean City, New Jersey. It was the first warm weekend of May, so we decided to drive to the shore for a change of scenery from our Philadelphia apartment. The beaches were finally open so we planned to meet up with our two friends for a socially distant day in the sunshine. They were "running late" so we went to the beach, set up our chairs, and decided to go for a walk. Not long into the walk Rob stopped, turned to Elise, and got down on one knee. A small celebration with a handful of close family and friends followed.